1 Samuel 25

David, Nabal, and Abigail

25Samuel died, ^eand all Israel assembled to mourn for him, ^fand they buried him by his home in Ramah. ^gDavid then went down to the Wilderness of Paran. ^hi

²A man in Maon ^jhad a business in Carmel; ^khe was a very rich man with 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ³The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, ^lwas harsh and evil in his dealings.

⁴While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep, ⁵so David sent 10 young men instructing them, “Go up to Carmel, and when you come to Nabal, greet him in my name. ^m6Then say this: ‘Long life to you, ⁿand peace to you, to your family, and to all that is yours. ^o7I hear that you are shearing. ^pWhen your shepherds were with us, we did not harass them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were in Carmel. ^q8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, for we have come on a feast ^rday. ^sPlease give whatever you can afford to your servants and to your son David.’ ”

⁹David’s young men went and said all these things to Nabal on David’s behalf, ^tand they waited. ^u10Nabal asked them, “Who is David? ^vWho is Jesse’s son? Many slaves these days are running away from their masters. ¹¹Am I supposed to take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t know where they are from.”

¹²David’s men retraced their steps. When they returned to him, they reported all these words. ¹³He said to his men, “All of you, put on your swords!” So David and all his men put on their swords. About 400 men followed David while 200 stayed with the supplies. ^w

¹⁴One of Nabal’s young men informed Abigail, Nabal’s wife: “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, ^xbut he yelled at them. ¹⁵The men treated us well. When we were in the field, we weren’t harassed ^yand nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among them. ¹⁶They were a wall around us, both day and night, ^zthe entire time we were herding the sheep. ¹⁷Now consider carefully what you must do, because there is certain to be trouble for our master and his entire family. He is such a worthless fool nobody can talk to him!”

¹⁸Abigail hurried, taking 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, a bushel ^aof roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. ^b19Then she said to her male servants, “Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you.” ^cBut she did not tell her husband Nabal.

²⁰As she rode the donkey down a mountain pass hidden from view, she saw David and his men coming toward her and met them. ²¹David had just said, “I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the wilderness for nothing. He was not missing anything, yet he paid me back evil for good. ²²May God punish me ^dand do so severely ^eif I let any of his men ^fsurvive until morning.” ^g

²³When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey and fell with her face to the ground in front of David. ^h24She fell at his feet and said, “The guilt is mine, my lord, but please let your servant speak to you directly. Listen to the words of your servant. ²⁵My lord should pay no attention to this worthless man Nabal, for he lives up to his name: ⁱHis name is Nabal, ^jand stupidity is all he knows. ^kI, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men whom you sent. ²⁶Now my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, it is the Lord who kept you from participating in bloodshed and avenging yourself ^lby your own hand. May your enemies and those who want trouble for my lord be like Nabal. ^m27Accept this gift ⁿyour servant has brought to my lord, and let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. ²⁸Please forgive your servant’s offense, ^ofor the Lord is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord ^pbecause he fights the Lord’s battles. ^qThroughout your life, may evil ^rnot be found in you. ^s

²⁹“When someone pursues you and attempts to take your life, my lord’s life will be tucked safely in the place ^twhere the Lord your God protects the living. However, He will fling away your enemies’ lives like stones from a sling. ^u30When the Lord does for my lord all the good He promised and appoints you ruler over Israel, ^v31there will not be remorse or a troubled conscience for my lord because of needless bloodshed or my lord’s revenge. And when the Lord does good things for my lord, may you remember me your servant.” ^w

³²Then David said to Abigail, “Praise to the Lord God of Israel, ^xwho sent you to meet me today! ³³Your discernment is blessed, and you are blessed. Today you kept me from participating in bloodshed and avenging myself by my own hand. ^y34Otherwise, as surely as the Lord God of Israel lives, who prevented me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, Nabal wouldn’t have had any men ^zleft by morning light.” ³⁵Then David accepted what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. ^aSee, I have heard what you said and have granted your request.” ^b

³⁶Then Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was in his house, holding a feast fit for a king. ^cNabal was in a good mood ^dand very drunk, so she didn’t say anything ^eto him ^funtil morning light.

³⁷In the morning when Nabal sobered up, ^ghis wife told him about these events. Then he had a seizure ^hand became paralyzed. ⁱ³⁸About 10 days later, the Lord struck Nabal dead. ^j

³⁹When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the Lord who championed my cause against Nabal’s insults ^kand restrained His servant from doing evil. ^lThe Lord brought Nabal’s evil deeds back on his own head.” ^m

Then David sent messengers to speak to Abigail about marrying him. ⁴⁰When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David sent us to bring you to him as a wife.”

⁴¹She stood up, then bowed her face to the ground ⁿand said, “Here I am, your servant, to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” ^o42Then Abigail got up quickly, and with her five female servants accompanying her, rode on the donkey following David’s messengers. ^pAnd so she became his wife.

⁴³David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, ^qand the two of them became his wives. ⁴⁴But Saul gave his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti ^rson of Laish, who was from Gallim. ^s