^24:1When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, they told him, “Look, David is in the desert of En Gedi.” ^24:2So Saul took three thousand select men from all Israel and went to find¹ David and his men in the region of² the rocks of the mountain goats.³^24:3He came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave. Saul went into it to relieve himself.⁴

Now David and his men were sitting in the recesses of the cave. ^24:4David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems appropriate to you.’ ”⁵ So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of Saul’s robe. ^24:5Afterward David’s conscience bothered him⁶ because he had cut off an edge of Saul’s robe. ^24:6He said to his men, “May the Lord keep me far away from doing such a thing to my lord, who is the Lord’s chosen one,⁷ by extending my hand against him. After all,⁸ he is the Lord’s chosen one.”⁹^24:7David restrained his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and started down¹⁰ the road.

^24:8Afterward David got up and went out of the cave. He called out after Saul, “My lord, O king!” When Saul looked behind him, David kneeled down and bowed with his face to the ground. ^24:9David said to Saul, “Why do you pay attention when men say, ‘David is seeking to do you harm’? ^24:10Today your own eyes see how the Lord delivered you—this very day—into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity¹¹ on you and said, ‘I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s chosen one.’¹²^24:11Look, my father, and see the edge of your robe in my hand! When I cut off the edge of your robe, I didn’t kill you. So realize and understand that I am not planning¹³ evil or rebellion. Even though I have not sinned against you, you are waiting in ambush to take my life. ^24:12May the Lord judge between the two of us, and may the Lord vindicate me over you, but my hand will not be against you. ^24:13It’s like the old proverb says: ‘From evil people evil proceeds.’ But my hand will not be against you. ^24:14Who has the king of Israel come out after? Who is it that you are pursuing? A dead dog? A single flea? ^24:15May the Lord be our judge and arbiter. May he see and arbitrate my case and deliver me from your hands!”

^24:16When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” Then Saul wept loudly.¹⁴^24:17He said to David, “You are more innocent¹⁵ than I, for you have treated me well, even though I have tried to harm you! ^24:18You have explained today how you have treated me well. The Lord delivered me into your hand, but you did not kill me. ^24:19Now if a man finds his enemy, does he send him on his way in good shape? May the Lord repay you with good this day for what you have done to me. ^24:20Now look, I realize that you will in fact be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. ^24:21So now swear to me in the Lord’s name¹⁶ that you will not kill¹⁷ my descendants after me or destroy my name from the house of my father.”

^24:22David promised Saul this on oath.¹⁸ Then Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

The Death of Samuel

^25:1Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David left and went down to the desert of Paran.¹

David Marries Abigail the Widow of Nabal

^25:2There was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. This man was very wealthy;² he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At that time he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ^25:3The man’s name was Nabal,³ and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was both wise⁴ and beautiful, but the man was harsh and his deeds were evil. He was a Calebite.

^25:4When David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his sheep, ^25:5he⁵ sent ten servants,⁶ saying to them,⁷ “Go up to Carmel to see Nabal and give him greetings in my name.⁸^25:6Then you will say to my brother,⁹ “Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours! ^25:7Now I hear that they are shearing sheep for you. When your shepherds were with us, we neither insulted them nor harmed them the whole time they were in Carmel. ^25:8Ask your own servants; they can tell you! May my servants find favor in your sight, for we have come¹⁰ at the time of a holiday. Please provide us—your servants¹¹ and your son David—with whatever you can spare.”¹²

^25:9So David’s servants went and spoke all these words to Nabal in David’s name. Then they paused. ^25:10But Nabal responded to David’s servants, “Who is David, and who is this son of Jesse? This is a time when many servants are breaking away from their masters! ^25:11Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t even know where they came from!”

^25:12So David’s servants went on their way. When they had returned, they came and told David¹³ all these things. ^25:13Then David instructed his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So each one strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men followed David up, while two hundred stayed behind with the equipment.

^25:14But one of the servants told Nabal’s wife Abigail, “David sent messengers from the desert to greet¹⁴ our lord, but he screamed at them. ^25:15These men were very good to us. They did not insult us, nor did we sustain any loss during the entire time we were together¹⁵ in the field. ^25:16Both night and day they were a protective wall for us the entire time we were with them, while we were tending our flocks. ^25:17Now be aware of this, and see what you can do. For disaster has been planned for our lord and his entire household.¹⁶ He is such a wicked person¹⁷ that no one tells him anything!”

^25:18So Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two containers¹⁸ of wine, five prepared sheep, five seahs¹⁹ of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred lumps of pressed figs. She loaded them on donkeys ^25:19and said to her servants, “Go on ahead of me. I will come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

^25:20Riding on her donkey, she went down under cover of the mountain. David and his men were coming down to meet her, and she encountered them. ^25:21Now David had been thinking,²⁰ “In vain I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the desert. I didn’t take anything from him. But he has repaid my good with evil. ^25:22God will severely punish David,²¹ if I leave alive until morning even one male²² from all those who belong to him!”

^25:23When Abigail saw David, she got down quickly from the donkey, threw herself down before David, and bowed to the ground. ^25:24Falling at his feet, she said, “My lord, I accept all the guilt! But please let your female servant speak with my lord! Please listen to the words of your servant! ^25:25My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means ‘fool,’ and he is indeed foolish!²³ But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent.²⁴

^25:26“Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live, it is the Lord who has kept you from shedding blood and taking matters into your own hands. Now may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be like Nabal. ^25:27Now let this present²⁵ that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the servants who follow²⁶ my lord. ^25:28Please forgive the sin of your servant, for the Lord will certainly establish the house of my lord, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord. May no evil be found in you all your days! ^25:29When someone sets out to chase you and to take your life, the life of my lord will be wrapped securely in the bag²⁷ of the living by the Lord your God. But he will sling away the lives of your enemies from the sling’s pocket! ^25:30The Lord will do for my lord everything that he promised you,²⁸ and he will make²⁹ you a leader over Israel. ^25:31Your conscience will not be overwhelmed with guilt³⁰ for having poured out innocent blood and for having taken matters into your own hands. When the Lord has granted my lord success,³¹ please remember your servant.”

^25:32Then David said to Abigail, “Praised³² be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you this day to meet me! ^25:33Praised be your good judgment! May you yourself be rewarded³³ for having prevented me this day from shedding blood and taking matters into my own hands! ^25:34Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—he who has prevented me from harming you—if you had not come so quickly to meet me, by morning’s light not even one male belonging to Nabal would have remained alive!” ^25:35Then David took from her hand what she had brought to him. He said to her, “Go back³⁴ to your home in peace. Be assured that I have listened to you³⁵ and responded favorably.”³⁶

^25:36When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like that of the king. Nabal was having a good time³⁷ and was very intoxicated. She told him absolutely nothing³⁸ until morning’s light. ^25:37In the morning, when Nabal was sober,³⁹ his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed.⁴⁰^25:38After about ten days the Lord struck Nabal down and he died.

^25:39When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Praised be the Lord who has vindicated me and avenged the insult that I suffered from Nabal!⁴¹ The Lord has kept his servant from doing evil, and he has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds.”⁴² Then David sent word to Abigail and asked her to become his wife.

^25:40So the servants of David went to Abigail at Carmel and said to her, “David has sent us to you to bring you back to be his wife.” ^25:41She arose, bowed her face toward the ground, and said, “Your female servant, like a lowly servant, will wash⁴³ the…

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Footnotes

1 Heb “to search [for].”
2 Heb “upon the face of.”
3 Or “the region of the Rocks of the Mountain Goats,” if this expression is understood as a place name (cf. , , , , ).
4 Heb “to cover his feet,” an idiom (euphemism) for relieving oneself (cf. “to ease nature”).
5 Heb “is good in your eyes.”
6 Heb “the heart of David struck him.”
7 Heb “anointed.”
8 Or “for.”
9 Heb “anointed.”
10 Heb “went on.”
11 Heb “it had pity,” apparently with the understood subject being “my eye,” in accordance with a common expression.
12 Heb “anointed.”
13 Heb “there is not in my hand.”
14 Heb “lifted his voice and wept.”
15 Or “righteous” (so , , , ); “you are in the right”; “are a better man than I am.”
16 Heb “by the Lord.”
17 Heb “cut off.”
18 Heb “and David swore an oath to Saul.”
1 The reads “Maon” here instead of “Paran,” perhaps because the following account of Nabal is said to be in Maon (v. 2). This reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., , , , ). The , however, reads “Paran,” a location which would parallel this portion of David’s life with that of the nation Israel which also spent time in Paran (Num 10:12). Also, the desert of Paran was on the southern border of Judah’s territory and would be the most isolated location for hiding from Saul.
2 Heb “great.”
3 The name נָבָל (Nabal) means “foolish” or “senseless” in Hebrew, and as an adjective the word is used especially of persons who have no perception of ethical or religious claims. It is an apt name for this character, who certainly typifies such behavior.
4 Heb “good of insight”; “of good understanding”; , , “intelligent”; “clever.”
5 Heb “David”; for stylistic reasons the pronoun has been used in the translation.
6 Or “young men.”
7 Heb “and David said to the young men.”
8 Heb “and inquire concerning him in my name in regard to peace.”
9 The text is difficult here. The and most of the early versions support the reading לֶחָי (lekhai, “to life,” or “to the one who lives”). Some of the older English versions (, ; cf. ) took the expression to mean “to him who lives (in prosperity),” but this translation requires reading a good deal into the words. While the expression could have the sense of “Long life to you!” (cf. , ) or perhaps “Good luck to you!” this seems somewhat redundant in light of the salutation that follows in the context. The Latin has fratribus meis (“to my brothers”), which suggests that Jerome understood the Hebrew word to have an alef that is absent in the (i.e., לֶאֱחָי, le’ekhay). Jerome’s plural, however, remains a problem, since in the context David is addressing a single individual, namely Nabal, and not a group. However, it is likely that the witnesses to a consonantal Hebrew text that is to be preferred here, especially if the word were to be revocalized as a singular rather than a plural. While it is impossible to be certain about this reading, the present translation essentially follows the in reading “my brother” (so also ; cf. , , ).
10 The translation follows many medieval Hebrew in reading בָּאנוּ (ba’nu, “we have come”) rather than the ’s בָּנוּ (banu, “we have built”).
11 This refers to the ten servants sent by David.
12 Heb “whatever your hand will find.”
13 Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 Heb “bless.”
15 Heb “all the days we walked about with them when we were.”
16 Heb “all his house” (so , ); , “his whole family.”
17 Heb “he is a son of worthlessness.”
18 Heb “skins.”
19 The seah was a dry measure equal to one-third of an ephah, or not quite eleven quarts.
20 Heb “said.”
21 Heb “Thus God will do to the enemies of David and thus he will add.” Most of the Old Greek tradition has simply “David,” with no reference to his enemies. In OT imprecations such as the one found in v. 22 it is common for the speaker to direct malediction toward himself as an indication of the seriousness with which he regards the matter at hand. In other words, the speaker invites on himself dire consequences if he fails to fulfill the matter expressed in the oath. However, in the situation alluded to in v. 22 the threat actually does not come to fruition due to the effectiveness of Abigail’s appeal to David in behalf of her husband Nabal. Instead, David is placated through Abigail’s intervention. It therefore seems likely that the reference to “the enemies of David” in the of v. 22 is the result of a scribal attempt to deliver David from the implied consequences of this oath. The present translation follows the rather than the here.
22 Heb “one who urinates against a wall” (also in v. 34); “any that pisseth against the wall.”
23 Heb “and foolishness is with him.”
24 Heb “my lord’s servants, whom you sent.”
25 Heb “blessing.”
26 Heb “are walking at the feet of.”
27 Cf. , , , “bundle”; “treasure pouch.”
28 Heb “according to all which he spoke, the good concerning you.”
29 Heb “appoint.”
30 Heb “and this will not be for you for staggering and for stumbling of the heart of my lord.”
31 Heb “and the Lord will do well for my lord.”
32 Heb “blessed” (also in vv. 33, 39).
33 Heb “blessed.”
34 Heb “up.”
35 Heb “your voice.”
36 Heb “I have lifted up your face.”
37 Heb “and the heart of Nabal was good upon him”; , “Nabal’s heart was merry within him”; “he was in high spirits”; , “was in a good mood”; “was very drunk and feeling good.”
38 Heb “and she did not tell him a thing, small or large.”
39 Heb “when the wine had gone out from Nabal.”
40 Heb “and his heart died within him and he became a stone.” Cf. , “stroke”; “heart attack.” For an alternative interpretation than that presented above, see Marjorie O’Rourke Boyle, “The Law of the Heart: The Death of a Fool (1 Samuel 25),” 120 (2001): , who argues that a medical diagnosis is not necessary here. Instead, the passage makes a connection between the heart and the law; Nabal dies for his lawlessness.
41 Heb “who has argued the case of my insult from the hand of Nabal.”
42 Heb “his servant he has held back from evil, and the evil of Nabal the Lord has turned back on his head.”
43 Heb “Here is your maidservant, for a lowly servant to wash.”