aThen Samuel died
; and all
Israel
gathered
together and bmourned
for him, and cburied
him at his house
in Ramah
. And David
arose
and went
down
to the dwilderness
of Paran
.
Now there was a man in aMaon
whose business
was in bCarmel
; and the man
was very
1rich
, and he had three
thousand
sheep
and a thousand
goats
. And it came
about while che was shearing
his sheep
in Carmel
(now the man's name
was Nabal
, and his awife's
name
was Abigail
. And the woman
was 1intelligent
and beautiful
in appearance
, but the man
was harsh
and evil
in his dealings
, and he was ba Calebite
),
that David heard
in the wilderness
that Nabal
was shearing
his sheep
.
So David sent
ten
young
men
; and David
said
to the young
men
, "Go
up to Carmel
, 1visit
Nabal
and greet
him in my name
;
and thus you shall say
, ` 1Have a long life
, apeace
be to you, and peace
be to your house
, and peace
be to all
that you have.
`Now I have heard
athat you have shearers
; now
your shepherds
have been
with us and we have not insulted
them, bnor
have they missed
anything
all
the days
they were in Carmel
.
`Ask your young
men
and they will tell
you. Therefore let my young
men
find
favor
in your eyes
, for we have come
on aa 1festive
day
. Please
give
whatever
you find
at hand
to your servants
and to your son
David
.' "
When David's young
men
came
, they spoke
to Nabal
according to all
these
words
in David's
name
; then they waited
.
But Nabal answered
David's
servants
and said
, " aWho
is David
? And who
is the son
of Jesse
? There are many
servants
today
who are each
breaking
away
from his master
.
"Shall I then atake my bread
and my water
and my meat
that I have slaughtered
for my shearers
, and give
it to men
1whose
origin
I do not know
?"
So David's young
men
retraced
their way
and went
back
; and they came
and told
him according to all
these
words
.
David said
to his men
, "Each
of you gird
on his sword
." So each
man
girded
on his sword
. And David
also
girded
on his sword
, and about afour
hundred
men
went
up behind
David
while two hundred
bstayed
with the baggage
.
But one of the young
men
told
Abigail
, Nabal's
wife
, saying
, "Behold
, David
sent
messengers
from the wilderness
to 1 agreet
our master
, and he scorned
them.
"Yet the men were very
good
to us, and we were not ainsulted
, nor
did we miss
anything
1as long
as we went
about with them, while we were in the fields
.
" aThey were a wall to us both
by night
and by day
, all
the time
we were with them tending
the sheep
.
"Now therefore, know
and 1consider
what
you should do
, for evil
is plotted
against
our master
and against
all
his household
; and he is such a 2worthless
man
that no
one can speak
to him."
Then Abigail hurried
and atook
two hundred
loaves of bread
and two
jugs
of wine
and five
sheep
already prepared
and five
measures
of roasted
grain
and a hundred
clusters
of raisins
and two hundred
cakes
of figs
, and loaded
them on donkeys
.
She said to her young
men
, " aGo
on before
me; behold
, I am coming
after
you." But she did not tell
her husband
Nabal
.
It came about as she was riding
on her donkey
and coming
down
by the hidden
part
of the mountain
, that behold
, David
and his men
were coming
down
toward
her; so she met
them.
Now David had said
, "Surely
in vain
I have guarded
all
that this
man has in the wilderness
, so that nothing
was missed
of all
that belonged to him; and he has areturned
me evil
for good
.
" aMay God do
so
to the enemies
of David
, and more
also
, bif
by morning
I leave
as much as one 1male
of any
who
belong to him."
When Abigail saw
David
, she hurried
and dismounted
from her donkey
, and fell
on her face
before
David
aand bowed
herself to the ground
.
She fell at his feet
and said
, "On me 1alone
, my lord
, be the blame
. And please
let your maidservant
speak
2to you, and listen
to the words
of your maidservant
.
"Please do not let my lord
1pay
attention
to this
2worthless
man
, Nabal
, for as his name
is, so
is he. 3Nabal
is his name
and folly
is with him; but I your maidservant
did not see
the young
men
of my lord
whom
you sent
.
"Now therefore, my lord
, as the LORD
lives
, and as your soul
lives
, since
the LORD
has restrained
you from 1shedding
blood
, and afrom 2avenging
yourself by your own hand
, now
then blet your enemies
and those who seek
evil
against
my lord
, be as Nabal
.
"Now let athis
1gift
which
your maidservant
has brought
to my lord
be given
to the young
men
who 2accompany
my lord
.
"Please forgive
athe transgression
of your maidservant
; for bthe LORD
will certainly
make
for my lord
an enduring
house
, because
my lord
is cfighting
the battles
of the LORD
, and devil
will not be found
in you all
your days
.
"Should anyone rise
up to pursue
you and to seek
your 1life
, then the 1life
of my lord
shall be bound
in the bundle
of the living
with the LORD
your God
; but the 1lives
of your enemies
aHe will sling
out 2as from the hollow
of a sling
.
"And when the LORD
does
for my lord
according to all
the good
that He has spoken
concerning
you, and aappoints
you ruler
over
Israel
,
this will not 1cause
grief
or a troubled
heart
to my lord
, both by having shed
blood
without
cause
and by my lord
having 2avenged
himself. aWhen the LORD
deals
well
with my lord
, then remember
your maidservant
."
Then David said
to Abigail
, " aBlessed
be the LORD
God
of Israel
, who
sent
you this
day
to meet
me,
and blessed be your discernment
, and blessed
be you, awho
have kept
me this
day
from 1bloodshed
and from 2avenging
myself by my own hand
.
"Nevertheless, as the LORD
God
of Israel
lives
, awho
has restrained
me from harming
you, unless
you had come
quickly
to meet
me, surely
there would not have been left
to Nabal
until
the morning
light
as much as one 1male
."
So David received
from her hand
what
she had brought
him and said
to her, " aGo
up to your house
in peace
. See
, I have listened
to 1you and 2 bgranted
your request
."
Then Abigail came
to Nabal
, and behold
, he was holding aa feast
in his house
, like the feast
of a king
. And Nabal's
heart
was merry
within
him, bfor he was very
drunk
; so cshe did not tell
him anything
1at all
until
the morning
light
.
But 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
as a stone
.
About ten days
later, athe LORD
struck
Nabal
and he died
.
When David heard
that Nabal
was dead
, he said
, "Blessed
be the LORD
, who
has apleaded
the cause
of my reproach
from the hand
of Nabal
and bhas kept
back
His servant
from evil
. The LORD
has also returned
the evildoing
of Nabal
on his own head
." Then David
sent
1 ca proposal
to Abigail
, to take
her as his wife
.
When the servants of David
came
to Abigail
at Carmel
, they spoke
to her, saying
, "David
has sent
us to you to take
you as his wife
."
She arose aand bowed
with her face
to the ground
and said
, "Behold
, your maidservant
is a maid
bto wash
the feet
of my lord's
servants
."
Then aAbigail quickly
arose
, and rode
on a donkey
, with her five
maidens
who 1attended
her; and she followed
the messengers
of David
and became
his wife
.
David had also taken
Ahinoam
of aJezreel
, and bthey both
became
his wives
.
Now Saul had given
aMichal
his daughter
, David's
wife
, to Palti
the son
of Laish
, who
was from bGallim
.