11Then Samueldied; and allIsraelgathered together and 2mourned for him, and 3buried him at his house in Ramah. And Davidarose and wentdown to the 4wilderness of Paran.
Nabal and Abigail
2 Now there was a man in 5Maon whose business was in 6Carmel; and the man was veryrich, and he had threethousandsheep and a thousandgoats. And it came about while 7he was shearing his sheep in Carmel
3
(now the man'sname was Nabal, and his 8wife'sname was Abigail. And the woman was intelligent* and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was 9a Calebite ),
4
that Davidheard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
5
So Davidsenttenyoungmen; and Davidsaid to the youngmen, "Go up to Carmel, visit*Nabal and greet* him in my name;
6
and thus you shall say, 'Have a long life, 10peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.
7
'Now I have heard11that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us and we have not insulted them, 12nor have they missedanythingall the days they were in Carmel.
8
'Ask your youngmen and they will tell you. Therefore let my youngmenfindfavor in your eyes, for we have come on 13a festiveday. Pleasegivewhatever you find at hand to your servants and to your sonDavid.' "
9
When David'syoungmencame, they spoke to Nabal according to allthesewords in David'sname; then they waited.
10
But NabalansweredDavid'sservants and said, "14Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are manyservantstoday who are eachbreakingaway from his master.
11
"Shall I then 15take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to menwhoseorigin** I do not know?"
12
So David'syoungmenretraced their way and wentback; and they came and told him according to allthesewords.
13
Davidsaid to his men, "Each of you gird on his sword." So eachmangirded on his sword. And Davidalsogirded on his sword, and about 16fourhundredmenwent up behindDavid while two hundred17stayed with the baggage.
14
But one of the youngmentoldAbigail, Nabal'swife, saying, "Behold, Davidsentmessengers from the wilderness to 18greet our master, and he scorned them.
15
"Yet the men were verygood to us, and we were not 19insulted, nor did we missanything as long* as we went about with them, while we were in the fields.
16
"20They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep.
17
"Now therefore, know and considerwhat you should do, for evil is plottedagainst our master and againstall his household; and he is such a worthlessman that no one can speak to him."
Abigail Intercedes
18 Then Abigailhurried and 21took two hundred loaves of bread and twojugs of wine and fivesheep already prepared and fivemeasures of roastedgrain and a hundredclusters of raisins and two hundredcakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
19
She said to her youngmen, "22Go on before me; behold, I am comingafter you." But she did not tell her husbandNabal.
20
It came about as she was riding on her donkey and comingdown by the hiddenpart of the mountain, that behold, David and his men were comingdowntoward her; so she met them.
21
Now David had said, "Surely in vain I have guardedall that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing* was missed of all that belonged to him; and he has 23returned me evil for good.
22
"24May Goddoso to the enemies of David, and more also, 25if by morning I leave as much as one male* of anywho belong to him."
23
When AbigailsawDavid, she hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her facebeforeDavid26and bowed herself to the ground.
24
She fell at his feet and said, "On me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your maidservantspeak to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant.
25
"Please do not let my lordpayattention to thisworthlessman, 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 youngmen of my lordwhom you sent.
26
"Now therefore, my lord, as the LORDlives, and as your soullives, since the LORD has restrained you from sheddingblood, and 27from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then 28let your enemies and those who seekevilagainst my lord, be as Nabal.
27
"Now let 29thisgiftwhich your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the youngmen who accompany* my lord.
28
"Pleaseforgive30the transgression of your maidservant; for 31the LORD will certainlymake for my lord an enduringhouse, because my lord is 32fighting the battles of the LORD, and 33evil will not be found in you all your days.
29
"Should anyonerise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; but the lives of your enemies34He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling.
30
"And when the LORDdoes for my lord according to all the good that He has spokenconcerning you, and 35appoints you ruleroverIsrael,
31
this will not causegrief or a troubledheart to my lord, both by having shedbloodwithoutcause and by my lord having avenged himself. 36When the LORDdealswell with my lord, then remember your maidservant."
32
Then Davidsaid to Abigail, "37Blessed be the LORDGod of Israel, whosent you thisday to meet me,
33
and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, 38who have kept me thisday from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.
34
"Nevertheless, as the LORDGod of Israellives, 39who has restrained me from harming you, unless you had comequickly to meet me, surely* there would not have been left to Nabaluntil the morninglight as much as one male*."
35
So Davidreceived from her handwhat she had brought him and said to her, "40Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and 41granted your request."
36
Then Abigailcame to Nabal, and behold, he was holding 42a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal'sheart was merrywithin him, 43for he was very*drunk; so 44she did not tell him anything at all*until the morninglight.
37
But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wifetold him thesethings, and his heartdiedwithin him so that he became as a stone.
38
About tendays later, 45the LORDstruckNabal and he died.
David Marries Abigail
39 When Davidheard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has 46pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and 47has keptback His servant from evil. The LORD has also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head." Then Davidsent48a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
40
When the servants of Davidcame to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, "David has sent us to you to take you as his wife."
41
She arose49and bowed with her face to the ground and said, "Behold, your maidservant is a maid50to wash the feet of my lord'sservants."
42
Then 51Abigailquicklyarose, and rode on a donkey, with her fivemaidens who attended* her; and she followed* the messengers of David and became his wife.
43
David had also takenAhinoam of 52Jezreel, and 53they both*became his wives.
44
Now Saul had given54Michal his daughter, David'swife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from 55Gallim.