1 N ow Samuel died. All Israel gathered together and was filled with sorrow for him. They buried him at his house in Ramah. Then David got ready and went down to the desert of Paran.

Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran. David and the Wife of Nabal

2 T here was a man in Maon who worked in Carmel. The man was very rich. He had 3, 000 sheep and 1, 000 goats. He was cutting the wool from his sheep in Carmel.

Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

3 T he man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. The woman was of good understanding and beautiful. But the man was bad and sinful in his ways. He was a Calebite.

The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.

4 D avid heard in the desert that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep.

When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep,

5 S o David sent ten young men, saying to them, “Go up to Carmel. Visit Nabal and greet him for me.

David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name.

6 S ay to him, ‘Have a long life. Peace be to you. Peace be to your family. And peace be to all that you have.

And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!

7 I have heard that you have men who cut the wool from your sheep. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we have not done them any wrong. And they have not missed anything all the time they were in Carmel.

Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel.

8 A sk your young men and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a special day. I ask you to give whatever you have ready to your servants and to your son David.’”

Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

9 W hen David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in David’s name. Then they waited.

So when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and waited.

10 B ut Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are leaving their owners.

Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master.

11 S hould I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my wool cutters, and give it to men when I do not know where they came from?”

Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”

12 S o David’s young men turned away and returned to David and told him all this.

So David’s young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words.

13 D avid said to his men, “Every man put on his sword!” So every man put on his sword, and David put on his sword also. About 400 men went up behind David, while 200 stayed with their things.

Then David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies.

14 B ut one of the young men told Nabal’s wife Abigail, “See, David sent men from the desert to greet our owner, and he spoke against them.

Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them.

15 B ut David’s men were very good to us. They did not do anything wrong to us. And we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.

But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields.

16 T hey were a wall to us night and day, all the time we were with them taking care of the sheep.

They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep.

17 S o know this and think about what you should do. For bad plans have been made against our owner and all his family. He is such a sinful man that no one can speak to him.”

Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.”

18 I n a hurry Abigail took 200 loaves of bread, two bottles of wine, five sheep ready to eat, five baskets of dry grain, 100 vines of dried grapes and 200 loaves of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

19 S he said to her young men, “Go on before me. See, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

And she said to her servants, “Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

20 A s she went on her donkey and came down hidden by the mountain, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.

So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them.

21 N ow David had said, “It was for nothing that I have watched over all this man has in the desert, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him. He has paid me bad for good.

Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good.

22 M ay God do the same to David and more, if I leave until morning as much as one male alive of all who belong to him.”

May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light.”

23 W hen Abigail saw David, she got off her donkey in a hurry. Then she put her face to the ground in front of David.

Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground.

24 S he fell at his feet and said, “Let the sin be on me alone, my lord. I beg you, let your woman servant speak to you. Listen to the words of your woman servant.

So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant.

25 I beg you, do not let my lord think about this sinful man, Nabal. For he is like his name. Nabal is his name and he is foolish. But I your woman servant did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent.

Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.

26 S o now, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, let the Lord keep you from being guilty of blood. Let Him keep you from punishing with your own hand. And let those who hate you and those who want to hurt my lord be like Nabal.

Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal.

27 N ow let this gift which your woman servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.

And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.

28 I beg you, forgive the sin of your woman servant. For the Lord will be sure to make my lord a family that will last. Because my lord is fighting the Lord’s battles. Sin will not be found in you as long as you live.

Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days.

29 I f men rise up to come after you and try to kill you, then the life of my lord will be taken care of by the Lord your God. But He will throw away the lives of those who hate you, as a rock is thrown from a sling.

Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling.

30 T he Lord will do to my lord all the good that He has promised you. He will make you ruler over Israel.

And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel,

31 T hen my lord will have no reason to feel sorry or guilty because of killing without cause or punishing by my lord’s own hand. When the Lord does good things for my lord, remember your woman servant.”

that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”

32 T hen David said to Abigail, “Thanks be to the Lord God of Israel, Who sent you this day to meet me.

Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!

33 M ay thanks be given for your wisdom, and thanks be to you. You have kept me this day from being guilty of blood, and from punishing with my own hand.

And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand.

34 T he Lord God of Israel has kept me from hurting you. And as the Lord lives, if you had not been quick to come to meet me, for sure not one male would have been left to Nabal until the morning.”

For indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!”

35 S o David received what she had brought him. He said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and have done what you asked.”

So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.”

36 A bigail came to Nabal and saw that he was having a special supper in his house, like the special supper of a king. Nabal’s heart was full of joy, because he was very drunk. So she did not tell him anything until the morning.

Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light.

37 B ut in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things. And his heart died within him so that he became like a stone.

So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.

38 T he Lord made Nabal die about ten days later.

Then it happened, after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

39 W hen David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Thanks be to the Lord, Who has punished Nabal for putting me to shame. He has kept His servant from sin. And the Lord has turned the sin of Nabal upon himself.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to be his wife.

So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the Lord has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife.

40 W hen David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you, to take you as his wife.”

When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.”

41 S he stood up and then put her face to the ground, and said, “See, your woman servant will serve you by washing the feet of my lord’s servants.”

Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”

42 T hen she got ready in a hurry and traveled on a donkey, with her five young women who followed her. She followed the men David had sent, and became his wife.

So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.

43 D avid had taken Ahinoam of Jezreel also. They both became his wives.

David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives.

44 S aul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.