4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did ishear his sheep. 5 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: 6 And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, jPeace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. 7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we †hurt them not, neither was there ought kmissing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. 8 Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men lfind favour in thine eyes: for we come in ma good day: give, I pray thee, nwhatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David. 9 And when David’s young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and †ceased. 10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, oWho is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days pthat break away every man from his master. 11 qShall 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? 12 So David’s young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings. 13 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 rfour hundred men; and rtwo hundred sabode by the stuff.

14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to tsalute our master; and he †railed on them. 15 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: 16 They were ua wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for wevil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such xa son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.