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

36 Then Abigail went to Nabal, and look, ⌊he was holding a feast⌋p in his house like the feast of the king. ⌊Nabal was enjoying himself⌋,q and he was very drunk, so she did not tell him a thing, ⌊nothing at all⌋,r until the light of morning. 37 ⌊And then⌋s in the morning when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these words. Then his heart died ⌊within him⌋,t and he became like a stone. 38 ⌊And then⌋,u about ten days later, Yahweh struck Nabal and he died.

39 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Blessed be Yahweh who has vindicated the case of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and he has kept back his servant from evil; but Yahweh has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke with Abigail to take her for his wife. 40 So the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, and they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you for his wife.” 41 She got up and bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “Here is your female servant, as a slave to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” 42 Then Abigail ⌊quickly got up⌋v and rode on the donkey, along with five of her maidservants who ⌊attended her⌋,w and she went after the messengers of David and became his wife.

43 David had also taken Ahinoam from Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. 44 (Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.)

David Again Spares Saul

26 The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah opposite Jeshimon?” 2 Then Saul got up and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, and three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

3 Now Saul was on the hill of Hakilah, which is opposite Jeshimon by the road, but David was staying in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had come to the wilderness after him, 4 David sent spies, and he learned that Saul had come ⌊for certain⌋.a 5 Then David got up and came to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul was lying down, ⌊as well as⌋b Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. (Now Saul was lying in the encampment, and the army was encamping around him.)

6 David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah the brother of Joab, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul, in the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7 So David and Abishai came to the army by night, and ⌊there was⌋c Saul lying asleep in the encampment withd his spear thrust into the ground near his head, and Abner and the army were lying all around him. 8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has handed over your enemy into your hand today! So then, ⌊please let me pin him to the ground with the spear⌋e ⌊one time⌋,f and ⌊I will not strike him twice⌋.”g 9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroyh him! For who has stretched out his hand against Yahweh’s anointed one and remained blameless?” 10 And David said, “⌊As Yahweh lives⌋,i ⌊certainly⌋j Yahweh will strike him, or his day will come and he will die, or he will go down in the battle and ⌊perish⌋.k 11 ⌊Yahweh forbid me⌋l from stretching out my hand against Yahweh’s anointed one! So then, please take the spear that is near his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from near Saul’s head, and they went away. ⌊No one saw, no one knew, and no one awakened⌋,m for all of them were sleeping because a deep sleep of Yahweh had fallen upon them.

13 Then David went to the other side and stood on the top of the hill at a distance; the distance was great between them. 14 David called out to the army and to Abner the son of Ner, “Will you not answer, Abner?” And Abner answered and said, “Who are you that you call to the king?” 15 So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why did you not keep watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came to destroyn your lord the king. 16 This thing that you have done is not good. ⌊As Yahweh lives⌋,o ⌊surely you people deserve to die⌋p since you have not kept watch over your lord, over Yahweh’s anointed one! So then, see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was near his head!” 17 Then Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord the king.” 18 Then he said, “Why is my lord pursuing after his servant? For what have I done? And what evil is in my hand? 19 And so then, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant: If Yahweh has incited you against me, may he delight in an offering; but if ⌊it is mortals⌋,q may they be accursed ⌊before⌋r Yahweh, for they have driven me away today from sharing in the inheritance of Yahweh, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods!’ 20 And so then, do not let my blood fall to the ground ⌊away from⌋s the presence of Yahweh, for the king of Israel has gone out to seek a single flea, as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned! Come back, David my son, for I will not harm you again, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Look, I have acted like a fool and ⌊have made a terrible mistake⌋.”t 22 David answered and said, “Here is the king’s spear; let one of the young menu come over and take it. 23 Yahweh repays to each one his righteousness and his faithfulness, for Yahweh gave you into my hand today, but I was not willing to stretch out my hand against Yahweh’s anointed. 24 Look, as your life was precious in my eyes this day, may my life be great in the eyes of Yahweh, and may he rescue me from all trouble.” 25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David; ⌊you will not only do many things, but also will always succeed⌋!”v Then David went on his way and Saul returned to his place.