I Samuel 25

1. And Samuel died. And all the Israelites were gathered, and lamented him and buried him at his home at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

2. And a certain man was in Maon, and his work was in Carmel. And the man was very great, and had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

3. And the man’s name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. Now she was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful form. But the man was cruel and evil in his dealings. And he was of Caleb.

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

5. And David sent out ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name.

6. And you shall say this, ‘Long life and peace be to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have.

7. And now I have heard that you have shearers. And we did not hurt your shepherds who were with us; neither was there anything missing to them all the while they were in Carmel.

8. Ask your young men, and they will tell you. And let these young men find favor in your eyes, for we come in a good day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’ ”

9. And David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and stopped.

10. And Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? The servants who have broken away, each man from his master, have multiplied.

11. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men about whom I know not where they come from?”

12. And David’s young men turned their way and went again, and came and told him all those things.

13. And David said to his men, “Let each man gird on his sword.” And they each one girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went up with David and two hundred stayed by the provisions.

14. And one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he screamed at them!

15. But the men were very good to us and we were not hurt. Neither did we miss anything as long as we were going to and fro among them, when we were in the fields.

16. They were a wall to us both by night and day all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

17. And now know and consider what you will do, for evil is determined against our master and against all his household, for he is a son of worthlessness, so that none can speak to him.”

18. And Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of roasted grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins and laid them on donkeys.

19. And she said to her servants, “Go on before me. Behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

20. And it came to pass, she was riding on the donkey and came down under cover of the hill. And behold, David and his men came down toward her. And she met them.

21. Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have kept all that belongs to this fellow in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that was his. And he has returned me evil for good.

22. So and more also may God do to the enemies of David, if I leave any of all that is his until morning—even one who pisses against the wall”.

23. And Abigail saw David and hurried and dismounted from the donkey, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground.

24. And she fell at his feet and said, “Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be. And please let your handmaid speak in your ears and hear the words of your handmaid.

25. Please do not let my lord regard this man of worthlessness, Nabal, for as his name is, so he is. Nabal is his name, and foolishness is with him. And I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.

26. And now, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has withheld you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and those that seek to do evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

27. And now this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, let it even be given to the young men who follow my lord.

28. Please forgive the trespass of your handmaid, for the LORD will certainly make a sure house for my lord because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil has not been found in you all your days.

29. Yet a man has risen to pursue you and to seek your soul. But the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God. And the souls of your enemies, He shall sling them from the hollow of a sling.

30. And it shall be, when the LORD has done to my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and commanded you to be ruler over Israel,

31. This shall be no stumbling to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood for nothing, or that my lord has delivered himself. And may the LORD deal well with my lord, and you remember your handmaid.”

32. And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, Who sent you today to meet me.

33. And blessed is your advice, and blessed are you who have kept me from coming to shed blood today, and from avenging myself with my own hand.

34. Now truly, as the LORD God of Israel lives, Who has kept me back from doing evil to you, for unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal by the morning light even one who pisses against the wall.”

35. And David received from her hand that which she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have listened to your voice and have accepted your person.”

36. 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 drunk. And she did not tell him anything, little or much, until the morning light.

37. And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal and his wife had told him these things, his heart died within him and he became like a stone.

38. And it came to pass about ten days afterward the LORD struck Nabal so that he died.

39. And David heard that Nabal had died, and he said, “Blessed is the LORD Who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil, for the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head.” And David sent and spoke with Abigail to take her to him for a wife.

40. And David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, “David sent us to you to take you to him for a wife.”

41. And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, “Behold, let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”

42. And Abigail hurried and arose, and rode upon a donkey, with five of her maidens who went after her. And she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

43. David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel. And they became, both of them, his wives.

44. And Saul gave his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.