Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 25"

1 Samuel 25

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.

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 Sh'mu'el died. All of Isra'el assembled to mourn him and bury him at his home in Ramah. Then David set out and went down to the Pa'ran Desert.

2 Now there was a man in Ma'on who had property in Karmel. He was very rich, having three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Karmel.

3 The man's name was Naval, and his wife was named Avigayil. The woman was intelligent and attractive, but the man was surly and mean in his actions; he belonged to the clan of Kalev.

4 David, there in the desert, heard that Naval was shearing his sheep.

5 David sent off ten young men with these orders: "Go up to Naval in Karmel, and bring him greetings from me.

6 Say, 'Long life and shalom to you, shalom to your household, and shalom to everything that is yours!

7 I've heard that you now have shearers. Your shepherds were with us [for a while], we did them no harm, and they found nothing missing all the time they were in Karmel.

8 Ask your own men; they'll tell you. Therefore, receive my men favorably, since we have come on a festive day. Please give what you can to your servants and to your son David.'"

9 On arrival, David's men said all these things to Naval in David's name. When they had finished,

10 Naval answered David's servants, "Who is David? Who is the son of Yishai? There are many servants nowadays running away from their masters.

11 Am I supposed to take my bread, my water and my meat that I slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men coming from who knows where?"

12 So David's men turned around, went back and came and told him everything Naval had said.

13 David said to his men, "Buckle your swords on, all of you!" Each one buckled on his sword, David too; and there went up after David about four hundred men, while two hundred stayed with the equipment.

14 But one of Naval's men told Avigayil his wife, "David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, and he flew on them in a rage,

15 even though the men had been very good to us - they didn't harm us, and we found nothing missing during the entire time we went with them, while we were out in the countryside.

16 They served as a wall protecting us day and night all the time we were with them caring for the sheep.

17 So now decide what you are going to do, for clearly harm is on its way to our master and all his household, but he's so mean that no one can tell him anything."

18 Avigayil wasted no time in taking 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already prepared, six quarts of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins and 200 fig cakes, and having them loaded on donkeys.

19 Then she said to her young men, "Go on ahead of me, and I'll come along after you." But she didn't tell her husband Naval.

20 She was riding her donkey down past the hiding-place in the mountain, when David and his men descended toward her, and she met them.

21 David had said, "What a waste it has been guarding everything this fellow has in the desert, so that nothing of his was missing! He has repaid me bad for good!"

22 Then he swore, "May God do the same and more to David's enemies if I leave alive even one male of everything he owns."

23 When Avigayil saw David, she hurried to dismount from her donkey, fell on her face in front of David and bowed down to the ground.

24 Having fallen at his feet, she said, "It's all my fault, my lord, all my fault! Please let your servant speak in your ears, and listen to what your servant says.

25 Please! My lord shouldn't pay any attention to this worthless fellow Naval, because he's just like his name -'Naval' means 'boor,' and his boorishness stays with him. But I, your servant, did not see my lord's men, whom you sent.

26 Therefore, my lord, as ADONAI lives, and as you live, inasmuch as ADONAI has kept you from the guilt of shedding blood and from taking vengeance into your own hands - therefore, may your enemies and anyone seeking your harm be [as worthless] as Naval.

27 Meanwhile, let this present which your servant has brought to my lord be given to the men in my lord's service.

28 And please forgive the offense your servant has caused; because ADONAI will certainly establish my lord's dynasty, for my lord fights ADONAI's battles, and nothing bad has been found in you all your life long.

29 Even if someone comes along searching for you and seeking your life, your life will be bound in the bundle of life with ADONAI your God. But the lives of your enemies he will fling away as if from the pouch of a slingshot.

30 Then, when ADONAI has done all the good to my lord that he has said about you and made you ruler over Isra'el,

31 what happens here will not have become an obstacle to you or a cause for remorse to my lord, neither that you shed blood without cause nor that my lord took vengeance into his own hands. Finally, when ADONAI has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant."

32 David said to Avigayil, "Blessed be ADONAI the God of Isra'el, who sent you today to meet me;

33 and blessed be your tactfulness, and blessed be yourself for having kept me today from the guilt of shedding blood and taking vengeance into my own hands.

34 For as ADONAI the God of Isra'el, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you hadn't rushed to meet me, not even one male would have been left to Naval by morning!"

35 So David received from her what she had brought him, then said to her, "Go up in peace to your home. I have listened to what you said and granted your request."

36 Avigayil came to Naval; there he was in his house, holding a feast fit for a king. He was in high spirits, because he was very drunk. So she told him nothing whatever until the next morning.

37 In the morning, when he was sober and his wife told him what had happened, he had a stroke and became as motionless as a stone.

38 Some ten days later ADONAI struck Naval, and he died.

39 When David heard that Naval was dead, he said, "Blessed be ADONAI for having taken my side in the matter of Naval's insult and for having prevented his servant from doing anything bad. On the contrary, ADONAI has caused Naval's bad deeds to return on his own head."Then David sent a message that he wanted to make Avigayil his own wife.

40 When David's servants reached Avigayil in Karmel, they said to her, "David has sent us to you to bring you to him to be his wife."

41 She got up, bowed with her face to the ground, and said, "Your servant is here to serve you, to wash the feet of my lord's servants."

42 Avigayil then hurried, set out and rode off on a donkey, with five of her female servants following her; she went after David's messengers; and she became his wife.

43 David also took Achino'am of Yizre'el; both of them became his wives.

44 Meanwhile, Sha'ul had given Mikhal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Layish, who came from Gallim.