And Samuel died
; and all the Israelites
were gathered together
, and lamented
him, and buried
him in his house
at Ramah
. And David
arose
, and went down
to the wilderness
of Paran
.
And there was a man in Maon
, whose possessions
were in Carmel
; and the man
was very
great
, and he had three
thousand
sheep
, and a thousand
goats
: and he was shearing
his sheep
in Carmel
.
Now the name of the man
was Nabal
; and the name
of his wife
Abigail
: and she was a woman
of good
understanding
, and of a beautiful
countenance
: but the man
was churlish
and evil
in his doings
; and he was of the house of Caleb
.
And David heard
in the wilderness
that Nabal
did shear
his sheep
.
And David sent out
ten
young men
, and David
said
unto the young men
, Get you up
to Carmel
, and go
to Nabal
, and greet
him in my name
:
And thus shall ye say to him that liveth
in prosperity , Peace
be both to thee, and peace
be to thine house
, and peace
be unto all that thou hast.
And now I have heard that thou hast shearers
: now thy shepherds
which were with us, we hurt
them not, neither was there ought
missing
unto them, all the while
they were in Carmel
.
Ask thy young men
, and they will shew
thee. Wherefore let the young men
find
favour
in thine eyes
: for we come
in a good
day
: give
, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh
to thine hand
unto thy servants
, and to thy son
David
.
And when David's young men
came
, they spake
to Nabal
according to all those words
in the name
of David
, and ceased
.
And Nabal answered
David's
servants
, and said
, Who is David
? and who is the son
of Jesse
? there be many
servants
now a days
that break away
every man
from
his master
.
Shall I then take my bread
, and my water
, and my flesh
that I have killed
for my shearers
, and give
it unto men
, whom I know
not whence they be ?
So David's young men
turned
their way
, and went again
, and came
and told
him all those sayings
.
And David said
unto his men
, Gird ye on
every man
his sword
. And they girded on
every man
his sword
; and David
also girded on
his sword
: and there went up
after
David
about four
hundred
men
; and two hundred
abode
by the stuff
.
But one of the young men
told
Abigail
, Nabal's
wife
, saying
, Behold, David
sent
messengers
out of the wilderness
to salute
our master
; and he railed
on them.
But the men were very
good
unto us, and we were not hurt
, neither missed
we any thing
, as long as
we were conversant
with them, when we were in the fields
:
They were a wall unto us both by night
and day
, all the while
we were with them keeping
the sheep
.
Now therefore know and consider
what thou wilt do
; for evil
is determined
against our master
, and against all his household
: for he is such a son
of Belial
, that a man cannot speak
to him.
Then Abigail made haste
, and took
two hundred
loaves
, and two
bottles
of wine
, and five
sheep
ready dressed
, and five
measures
of parched
corn , and an hundred
clusters of raisins
, and two hundred
cakes
of figs, and laid
them on asses
.
And she said unto her servants
, Go on
before
me; behold, I come
after
you. But she told
not her husband
Nabal
.
And it was so, as she rode on the ass
, that she came down
by the covert
of the hill
, and, behold, David
and his men
came down
against
her; and she met
them.
Now David had said
, Surely in vain
have I kept
all that this
fellow hath in the wilderness
, so that nothing
was missed
of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited
me evil
for good
.
So and more
also do
God
unto the enemies
of David
, if I leave
of all that pertain to him by
the morning
light
any that pisseth
against the wall
.
And when Abigail saw
David
, she hasted
, and lighted off
the ass
, and fell
before
David
on her face
, and bowed
herself to the ground
,
And fell at his feet
, and said
, Upon me, my lord
, upon me let this iniquity
be : and let thine handmaid
, I pray thee, speak
in thine audience
, and hear
the words
of thine handmaid
.
Let not my lord
, I pray thee, regard
this man
of Belial
, even Nabal
: for as his name
is , so is he; Nabal
is his name
, and folly
is with him: but I thine handmaid
saw
not the young men
of my lord
, whom thou didst send
.
Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD
liveth
, and as thy soul
liveth
, seeing the LORD
hath withholden
thee from coming
to shed blood
, and from avenging
thyself with thine own hand
, now let thine enemies
, and they that seek
evil
to my lord
, be as Nabal
.
And now this blessing which thine handmaid
hath brought
unto my lord
, let it even be given
unto the young men
that follow
my lord
.
I pray thee, forgive the trespass
of thine handmaid
: for the LORD
will certainly
make
my lord
a sure
house
; because my lord
fighteth
the battles
of the LORD
, and evil
hath not been found
in thee all thy days
.
Yet a man is risen
to pursue
thee, and to seek
thy soul
: but the soul
of my lord
shall be bound
in the bundle
of life
with the LORD
thy God
; and the souls
of thine enemies
, them shall he sling out
, as out of the middle
of a sling
.
And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done
to my lord
according to all the good
that he hath spoken
concerning thee, and shall have appointed
thee ruler
over Israel
;
That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence
of heart
unto my lord
, either that thou hast shed
blood
causeless
, or that my lord
hath avenged
himself: but when the LORD
shall have dealt well
with my lord
, then remember
thine handmaid
.
And David said
to Abigail
, Blessed
be the LORD
God
of Israel
, which sent
thee this day
to meet
me:
And blessed be thy advice
, and blessed
be thou, which hast kept
me this day
from coming
to shed blood
, and from avenging
myself with mine own hand
.
For in very deed, as the LORD
God
of Israel
liveth
, which hath kept me back
from hurting
thee, except
thou hadst hasted
and come
to meet
me, surely there had not been left
unto Nabal
by the morning
light
any that pisseth
against the wall
.
So David received
of her hand
that which she had brought
him, and said
unto her, Go up
in peace
to thine house
; see
, I have hearkened
to thy voice
, and have accepted
thy person
.
And Abigail came
to Nabal
; and, behold, he held a feast
in his house
, like the feast
of a king
; and Nabal's
heart
was merry
within him, for he was very
drunken
: wherefore she told
him nothing
, less
or more
, until the morning
light
.
But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine
was gone out
of Nabal
, and his wife
had told
him these things
, that his heart
died
within
him, and he became as a stone
.
And it came to pass about ten days
after , that the LORD
smote
Nabal
, that he died
.
And when David heard
that Nabal
was dead
, he said
, Blessed
be the LORD
, that hath pleaded
the cause
of my reproach
from the hand
of Nabal
, and hath kept
his servant
from evil
: for the LORD
hath returned
the wickedness
of Nabal
upon his own head
. And David
sent
and communed
with Abigail
, to take
her to him to wife
.
And when the servants of David
were come
to Abigail
to Carmel
, they spake
unto her, saying
, David
sent
us unto thee, to take
thee to him to wife
.
And she arose, and bowed
herself on her face
to the earth
, and said
, Behold, let thine handmaid
be a servant
to wash
the feet
of the servants
of my lord
.
And Abigail hasted
, and arose
, and rode
upon an ass
, with five
damsels
of hers that went
after
her; and she went
after
the messengers
of David
, and became his wife
.
David also took
Ahinoam
of Jezreel
; and they were also both
of them his wives
.
But Saul had given
Michal
his daughter
, David's
wife
, to Phalti
the son
of Laish
, which was of Gallim
.