14 But a young man of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the desert to greetm our master, but he addressed them angrily, 15 even though the men were very good to us; we were not mistreated and did not miss anything all the days we went about with them ⌊while we were⌋n in the field. 16 They were a wall to us both night and day, all ⌊the days we were⌋o with them keeping the sheep. 17 And so then, know and ⌊consider⌋p what you should do, for evil has been decided against our master and against all his household, and he is such ⌊a wicked man⌋,q ⌊nobody can reason with him⌋!”r

18 Then Abigail ⌊quickly took⌋s two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five prepared sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes, and she put them on the donkeys. 19 Then she said to her servants, “Go ahead before me; look, I am coming after you,” but she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 ⌊And then⌋,t as she was riding on the donkey and was going down the ravine of the mountain, David and his men were coming down to meet her, and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely ⌊in vain⌋u I guarded all that this fellow had in the desert. And nothing was missed of all that was his, but he returned evil against me in place of good! 22 ⌊May God severely punish the enemies of David⌋v and again do thus if I leave behind ⌊anything that is his⌋w until the morning, not even ⌊one male⌋!”x 23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell on her face before ⌊David’s anger⌋,y and she bowed down to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me, my lord, be the guilt! Please let your female servant speak ⌊to you personally⌋!z Hear the words of your female servant! 25 Please do not let my lord set his heart against ⌊this worthless man⌋,a Nabal; for as his name, so is he. Nabal is his name, and stupidity is with him! But I, your female servant, did not see the young menb of my lord whom you sent. 26 So then, my lord, ⌊as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives⌋,c since Yahweh restrained you from bloodguilt ⌊by taking matters into your own hand⌋,d so then, may your enemies be like Nabal, even ⌊those who seek to do my lord harm⌋.e 27 So then, this gift which your female servant has brought to my lord, may it be given to the young men ⌊who follow my lord⌋.f 28 Please forgive the transgression of your female servant, because Yahweh will certainly make a lasting houseg for my lord, because my lord is fighting the battles of Yahweh, and evil will not be found in you ⌊as long as you live⌋.h 29 Should a man arise to pursue you and to seek your life, may the life of my lord be wrapped in the pouchi of the living with Yahweh your God. But as for the life of your enemy, he will sling it from withinj the pocket of the sling! 30 ⌊And then⌋k when Yahweh has done for my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you as leader over Israel, 31 then this will not be an obstacle for you or a stumbling block of conscience for my lord either by the shedding of blood without cause or by ⌊my lord taking matters into his own hands⌋.l And when Yahweh does good to my lord, then remember your female servant.”

32 Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be Yahweh the God of Israel who has sent you this day to meet me! 33 And blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you who have prevented me this day from bloodguilt and from delivering myself by my own hand. 34 But ⌊as Yahweh lives⌋,m the God of Israel who has prevented me from harming you, if you had not hurried and come to meet me, surely there would not have been ⌊one male⌋n left alive for Nabal by the light of morning!” 35 Then David took from her hand what she had brought for him, and he said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to your voice, and I have ⌊granted your request⌋.”o