1 Samuel

¹Samuel died, and all Israel assembled to mourn him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved to the desert of Paran.

²A certain man in Maon had his business in Carmel, where he was very wealthy. He owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats and was in the middle of shearing his sheep.

³His name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. Abigail was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was harsh and cruel in his dealings. He was a descendant of Caleb.

⁴While in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

⁵So he sent ten young men with instructions: 'Go to Carmel and visit Nabal. Greet him in my name'

⁶'and say this: Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!'

⁷'I hear that you are shearing your sheep. Your shepherds have been with us, and we have not harmed them. During the whole time they were at Carmel, nothing of theirs went missing.'

⁸'Ask your own servants and they will confirm it. Please be kind to my young men, since this is a festive time. Please give them and your son David whatever you can.'

⁹When David's men arrived, they delivered the message to Nabal in David's name, and then waited.

¹⁰Nabal answered, 'Who is this David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are so many runaway servants these days who break away from their masters.'

¹¹'Why should I take my bread, my water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men who come from who knows where?'

¹²So David's men turned around and went back. They reported everything to David.

¹³David told his men, 'Strap on your swords!' They did, and David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed behind to guard the supplies.

¹⁴One of Nabal's servants went and told Abigail, Nabal's wife, 'David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he treated them with contempt.'

¹⁵'Those men have been very good to us. They never mistreated us, and nothing was stolen from us during all the time we were with them in the fields.'

¹⁶'They were like a wall of protection around us the whole time we were herding the sheep near them.'

¹⁷'You need to know this and decide what to do, because disaster is headed toward our master and his whole household. He is so impossible to talk to that no one can reason with him.'

¹⁸Abigail acted quickly. She loaded two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred fig cakes onto donkeys.

¹⁹She said to her servants, 'Go on ahead of me. I will follow you.' But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

²⁰She rode her donkey down into a ravine, and just then David and his men were coming down toward her. They met on the way.

²¹David had just been saying, 'What a waste it was to guard this man's flocks in the wilderness! He has repaid my good with evil.'

²²'May God punish me if I allow any man of his household to survive until morning!'

²³When Abigail saw David, she quickly dismounted from her donkey and bowed down before David, her face to the ground.

²⁴She fell at his feet and said, 'Please, my lord, let the blame fall on me. Let me speak to you, and please listen to what I have to say.'

²⁵'Please don't pay attention to this scoundrel Nabal. He is exactly what his name means — his name is Fool, and he acts like a fool. I didn't see the men you sent, my lord.'

²⁶'And now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live — since the LORD has kept you from bloodshed and from taking vengeance — may your enemies and all who intend harm against you become like Nabal.'

²⁷'Please accept this gift, which I have brought for the young men who follow you, my lord.'

²⁸'Please forgive your servant's boldness. The LORD will surely give you a lasting dynasty, my lord, because you fight the LORD's battles and no wrong has been found in you throughout your life.'

²⁹'Even though someone is chasing you and trying to take your life, you will be safely preserved by the LORD your God. The lives of your enemies will be hurled away as from a sling.'

³⁰'When the LORD has done all the good things he promised you and has made you ruler of Israel,'

³¹'then you will not have the burden of a guilty conscience from having shed blood without cause or from having taken revenge. When the LORD has blessed you, please remember me, your servant.'

³²David replied to Abigail, 'Praise be to the LORD God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today!'

³³'And praise be to your wisdom and good judgment. You have kept me today from bloodshed and from taking revenge with my own hands.'

³⁴'As surely as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me from harming you — if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one man belonging to Nabal would have survived until morning.'

³⁵Then David accepted the gifts she had brought him. 'Go home in peace,' he told her. 'I have heard your words and I will honor your request.'

³⁶When Abigail got back to Nabal, he was in the house holding a feast fit for a king. He was in high spirits, very drunk. So she told him nothing until the next morning.

³⁷In the morning, when the wine had worn off, his wife told him everything. His heart failed him and he became like a stone.

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

³⁹When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, 'Praise be to the LORD, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept me from doing wrong, and he has brought Nabal's wrongdoing back on his own head.' Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife.

⁴⁰His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, 'David has sent us to take you to be his wife.'

⁴¹She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, 'I am David's servant, ready to wash the feet of my master's servants.'

⁴²Abigail quickly got ready. She rode off on her donkey attended by five of her servants, and followed David's messengers. She became his wife.

⁴³David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both women were his wives.

⁴⁴Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, who had been David's wife, to Palti son of Laish from Gallim.