Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 25"

1 Samuel 25

The Message Bible MSG

1 Samuel died. The whole country came to his funeral. Everyone grieved over his death, and he was buried in his hometown of Ramah. Meanwhile, David moved again, this time to the wilderness of Maon.

2 There was a certain man in Maon who carried on his business in the region of Carmel. He was very prosperous - three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and it was sheep-shearing time in Carmel.

3 The man's name was Nabal (Fool), a Calebite, and his wife's name was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and good-looking, the man brutish and mean.

4 David, out in the backcountry, heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep

5 and sent ten of his young men off with these instructions: "Go to Carmel and approach Nabal. Greet him in my name, 'Peace!

6 Life and peace to you. Peace to your household, peace to everyone here!

7 I heard that it's sheep-shearing time. Here's the point: When your shepherds were camped near us we didn't take advantage of them. They didn't lose a thing all the time they were with us in Carmel.

8 Ask your young men - they'll tell you. What I'm asking is that you be generous with my men - share the feast! Give whatever your heart tells you to your servants and to me, David your son.'"

9 David's young men went and delivered his message word for word to Nabal. Nabal tore into them,

10 "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? The country is full of runaway servants these days.

11 Do you think I'm going to take good bread and wine and meat freshly butchered for my sheepshearers and give it to men I've never laid eyes on? Who knows where they've come from?"

12 David's men got out of there and went back and told David what he had said.

13 David said, "Strap on your swords!" They all strapped on their swords, David and his men, and set out, four hundred of them. Two hundred stayed behind to guard the camp.

14 Meanwhile, one of the young shepherds told Abigail, Nabal's wife, what had happened: "David sent messengers from the backcountry to salute our master, but he tore into them with insults.

15 Yet these men treated us very well. They took nothing from us and didn't take advantage of us all the time we were in the fields.

16 They formed a wall around us, protecting us day and night all the time we were out tending the sheep.

17 Do something quickly because big trouble is ahead for our master and all of us. Nobody can talk to him. He's impossible - a real brute!"

18 Abigail flew into action. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep dressed out and ready for cooking, a bushel of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes, and she had it all loaded on some donkeys.

19 Then she said to her young servants, "Go ahead and pave the way for me. I'm right behind you." But she said nothing to her husband Nabal.

20 As she was riding her donkey, descending into a ravine, David and his men were descending from the other end, so they met there on the road.

21 David had just said, "That sure was a waste, guarding everything this man had out in the wild so that nothing he had was lost - and now he rewards me with insults. A real slap in the face!

22 May God do his worst to me if Nabal and every cur in his misbegotten brood isn't dead meat by morning!"

23 As soon as Abigail saw David, she got off her donkey and fell on her knees at his feet, her face to the ground in homage,

24 saying, "My master, let me take the blame! Let me speak to you. Listen to what I have to say.

25 Don't dwell on what that brute Nabal did. He acts out the meaning of his name: Nabal, Fool. Foolishness oozes from him.

26 And now, my master, as God lives and as you live, God has kept you from this avenging murder - and may your enemies, all who seek my master's harm, end up like Nabal!

27 Now take this gift that I, your servant girl, have brought to my master, and give it to the young men who follow in the steps of my master.

28 "Forgive my presumption! But God is at work in my master, developing a rule solid and dependable. My master fights God's battles! As long as you live no evil will stick to you.

29 If anyone stands in your way, if anyone tries to get you out of the way, Know this: Your God-honored life is tightly bound in the bundle of God-protected life; But the lives of your enemies will be hurled aside as a stone is thrown from a sling.

30 "When God completes all the goodness he has promised my master and sets you up as prince over Israel,

31 my master will not have this dead weight in his heart, the guilt of an avenging murder. And when God has worked things for good for my master, remember me."

32 And David said, "Blessed be God, the God of Israel. He sent you to meet me!

33 And blessed be your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and taking charge of looking out for me.

34 A close call! As God lives, the God of Israel who kept me from hurting you, if you had not come as quickly as you did, stopping me in my tracks, by morning there would have been nothing left of Nabal but dead meat."

35 Then David accepted the gift she brought him and said, "Return home in peace. I've heard what you've said and I'll do what you've asked."

36 When Abigail got home she found Nabal presiding over a huge banquet. He was in high spirits - and very, very drunk. So she didn't tell him anything of what she'd done until morning.

37 But in the morning, after Nabal had sobered up, she told him the whole story. Right then and there he had a heart attack and fell into a coma.

38 About ten days later God finished him off and he died.

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead he said, "Blessed be God who has stood up for me against Nabal's insults, kept me from an evil act, and let Nabal's evil boomerang back on him."

40 David's servants went to Abigail at Carmel with the message, "David sent us to bring you to marry him."

41 She got up, and then bowed down, face to the ground, saying, "I'm your servant, ready to do anything you want. I'll even wash the feet of my master's servants!"

42 Abigail didn't linger. She got on her donkey and, with her five maids in attendance, went with the messengers to David and became his wife.

43 David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. Both women were his wives.

44 Saul had married off David's wife Michal to Palti (Paltiel) son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

New Century Version NCV

1 Now Samuel died, and all the Israelites met and had a time of sad- ness for him. Then they buried him at his home in Ramah. David moved to the Desert of Maon.

2 A man in Maon who had land at Carmel was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was cutting the wool off his sheep at Carmel.

3 His name was Nabal, and he was a descendant of Caleb. His wife was named Abigail. She was wise and beautiful, but Nabal was cruel and mean.

4 While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep.

5 So he sent ten young men and told them, "Go to Nabal at Carmel, and greet him for me.

6 Say to Nabal, 'May you and your family and all who belong to you have good health!

7 I have heard that you are cutting the wool from your sheep. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harm them. All the time your shepherds were at Carmel, we stole nothing from them.

8 Ask your servants, and they will tell you. We come at a happy time, so be kind to my young men. Please give anything you can find for them and for your son David.'"

9 When David's men arrived, they gave the message to Nabal, but Nabal insulted them.

10 He answered them, "Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many slaves are running away from their masters today!

11 I have bread and water, and I have meat that I killed for my servants who cut the wool. But I won't give it to men I don't know."

12 David's men went back and told him all Nabal had said.

13 Then David said to them, "Put on your swords!" So they put on their swords, and David put on his also. About four hundred men went with David, but two hundred men stayed with the supplies.

14 One of Nabal's servants said to Abigail, Nabal's wife, "David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, but Nabal insulted them.

15 These men were very good to us. They did not harm us. They stole nothing from us during all the time we were out in the field with them.

16 Night and day they protected us. They were like a wall around us while we were with them caring for the sheep.

17 Now think about it, and decide what you can do. Terrible trouble is coming to our master and all his family. Nabal is such a wicked man that no one can even talk to him."

18 Abigail hurried. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two leather bags full of wine, five cooked sheep, a bushel of cooked grain, a hundred cakes of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs and put all these on donkeys.

19 Then she told her servants, "Go on. I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband.

20 Abigail rode her donkey and came down toward the mountain hideout. There she met David and his men coming down toward her.

21 David had just said, "It's been useless! I watched over Nabal's property in the desert. I made sure none of his sheep was missing. I did good to him, but he has paid me back with evil.

22 May God punish my enemies even more. I will not leave one of Nabal's men alive until morning."

23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed facedown on the ground before him.

24 She fell at David's feet and said, "My master, let the blame be on me! Please let me talk to you. Listen to what I say.

25 My master, don't pay attention to this worthless man Nabal. He is like his name. His name means 'fool,' and he is truly a fool. But I, your servant, didn't see the men you sent.

26 The Lord has kept you from killing and punishing anyone. As surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live, may your enemies become like Nabal!

27 I have brought a gift to you for the men who follow you.

28 Please forgive my wrong. The Lord will certainly let your family have many kings, because you fight his battles. As long as you live, may you do nothing bad.

29 Someone might chase you to kill you, but the Lord your God will keep you alive. He will throw away your enemies' lives as he would throw a stone from a sling.

30 The Lord will keep all his promises of good things for you. He will make you leader over Israel.

31 Then you won't feel guilty or troubled because you killed innocent people and punished them. Please remember me when the Lord brings you success."

32 David answered Abigail, "Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me.

33 May you be blessed for your wisdom. You have kept me from killing or punishing people today.

34 As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, he has kept me from hurting you. If you hadn't come quickly to meet me, not one of Nabal's men would have lived until morning."

35 Then David accepted Abigail's gifts. He told her, "Go home in peace. I have heard your words, and I will do what you have asked."

36 When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was in the house, eating like a king. He was very drunk and in a good mood. So she told him nothing until the next morning.

37 In the morning when he was not drunk, his wife told him everything. His heart stopped, and he became like stone.

38 About ten days later the Lord struck Nabal and he died.

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise the Lord! Nabal insulted me, but the Lord has supported me! He has kept me from doing wrong. The Lord has punished Nabal for his wrong." Then David sent a message to Abigail, asking her to be his wife.

40 His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, "David sent us to take you so you can become his wife."

41 Abigail bowed facedown on the ground and said, "I am your servant. I'm ready to serve you and to wash the feet of my master's servants."

42 Abigail quickly got on a donkey and went with David's messengers, with her five maids following her. And she became David's wife.

43 David also had married Ahinoam of Jezreel. So they were both David's wives.

44 Saul's daughter Michal was also David's wife, but Saul had given her to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.