AB - I Samuel - 25

25:1  And Samuel died, and all Israel assembled, and lamented him, and they buried him in his house in Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the Wilderness of Maon.

25:2  And there was a man in Maon, and his flocks were in Carmel, and he was a very great man; and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand female goats. And he happened to be shearing his flock in Carmel.

25:3  And the man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. And his wife was of good understanding and very beautiful in appearance. But the man was harsh, and evil in his doings, and the man was foolish.

25:4  And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal the Carmelite was shearing his sheep.

25:5  And David sent ten young men, and he said to the young men, Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and ask him in my name how he is.

25:6  And thus you shall say, May you and your house seasonably prosper, and all yours be in prosperity.

25:7  And now, behold, I have heard that your shepherds who were with us in the wilderness are shearing your sheep, and we hindered them not, neither did we demand anything from them all the time they were in Carmel.

25:8  Ask your servants, and they will tell you. Let then your servants find grace in your eyes, for we have come on a good day; please give whatsoever your hand may find, to your son David.

25:9  So the servants came and spoke these words to Nabal, according to all these words in the name of David.

25:10  And Nabal sprang up, and answered the servants of David, and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays there are an abundance of servants who depart, everyone from his master.

25:11  And shall I take my bread, and my wine, and my beasts that I have slain for my shearers, and shall I give them to men of whom I know not who they are?

25:12  So the servants of David turned back and returned, and came and reported to David according to these words.

25:13  And David said to his men, Gird on every man his sword. And they went up after David, about four hundred men. And two hundred stayed with the supplies.

25:14  And one of the servants reported to Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our lord; but he turned away from them.

25:15  And the men were very good to us; they did not hinder us, neither did they demand from us anything all the days that we were with them.

25:16  And when we were in the field, they were as a wall round about us, both by night and by day, all the days that we were with them feeding the flock.

25:17  And now consider what you will do; for mischief is determined against our lord and against his house; and he is a vile character, and one cannot speak to him.

25:18  And Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five sheep readily dressed, and five ephahs of fine flour, and one homer of dried grapes, and two hundred cakes of figs, and put them upon donkeys.

25:19  And she said to her servants, Go on before me, and behold I come after you. But she told not her husband.

25:20  And it came to pass when she had mounted her donkey and was going down by the covert of the mountain, that behold, David and his men came down to meet her, and she met them.

25:21  And David said, Perhaps I have kept all his possessions in the wilderness that he should wrong me, and we did not order the taking of anything, of all his goods; yet he has rewarded me evil for good.

25:22  So God do to David and more also, if I leave one male of all that belongs to Nabal until the morning.

25:23  And Abigail saw David, and she dismounted quickly from her donkey; and she fell before David on her face, and bowed down to him, bowing to the ground,

25:24  even to his feet, and said, On me, my lord, be my wrong. Let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.

25:25  Let not my lord take to heart this pestilent man, for according to his name, so is he-Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the servants of my lord whom you sent.

25:26  And now my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, as the Lord has kept you from coming against innocent blood and from executing vengeance for yourself, now therefore let your enemies, and those that seek evil against my lord, become as Nabal.

25:27  And now accept this token of goodwill, which your servant has brought to my lord, and you shall give it to the servants that wait on my lord.

25:28  Remove the trespass of your servant, I pray; for the Lord will surely make for my lord a sure house, for the Lord fights the battles of my lord, and no evil shall ever be found in you.

25:29  And if a man shall rise up persecuting you and seeking your life, yet shall the life of my lord be bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord God, and you shall whirl the life of your enemies as in the midst of a sling.

25:30  And it shall be when the Lord has brought to pass for my lord all the good things He has spoken concerning you, and shall appoint you to be ruler over Israel,

25:31  then this shall not be an abomination and offense to my lord, to have shed innocent blood without cause, and for my lord to have avenged himself. And so may the Lord do good to my lord, and you shall remember your maidservant, to do her good.

25:32  And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this very day to meet me.

25:33  And blessed be your conduct, and blessed are you, who has hindered me this very day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself.

25:34  But surely as the Lord God of Israel lives, who hindered me this day from doing you harm, if you had not hastened and come to meet me, then I said, Surely there shall not be one male left to Nabal till the morning.

25:35  And David took of her hand all that she brought to him, and said to her, Go in peace to your house: see, I have heeded your voice, and accepted your petition.

25:36  And Abigail came to Nabal. And behold, he had a banquet in his house, as the banquet of a king, and the heart of Nabal was merry within him, and he was very drunk. And she told him nothing great or small till the morning light.

25:37  And it came to pass in the morning, when Nabal recovered from his wine, that his wife told him these words. And his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

25:38  And it came to pass after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

25:39  And David heard it and said, Blessed be the Lord, who has judged the cause of my reproach at the hand of Nabal, and has delivered his servant from the power of evil; and the Lord has returned the mischief of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to himself for a wife.

25:40  So the servants of David came to Abigail to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, David has sent us to you, to take you to himself for a wife.

25:41  And she arose, and bowed down with her face to the earth, and said, Behold, your servant is for a handmaid, to wash the feet of your servants.

25:42  And Abigail arose and mounted her donkey, and five maidens followed her. And she went after the servants of David, and became his wife.

25:43  And David took Ahinoam out of Jezreel, and they were both his wives.

25:44  And Saul gave Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish who was of Gallim.