1
And Samuel[H8050]died[H4191]; and all the Israelites[H3478] were gathered together[H6908], and lamented[H5594] him, and buried[H6912] him in his house[H1004] at Ramah[H7414]. And David[H1732]arose[H6965], and went down[H3381] to the wilderness[H4057] of Paran[H6290].
2
And there was a man[H376] in Maon[H4584], whose possessions[H4639] were in Carmel[H3760]; and the man[H376] was very[H3966]great[H1419], and he had three[H7969]thousand[H505]sheep[H6629], and a thousand[H505]goats[H5795]: and he was shearing[H1494] his sheep[H6629] in Carmel[H3760].
3
Now the name[H8034] of the man[H376] was Nabal[H5037]; and the name[H8034] of his wife[H802]Abigail[H26]: and she was a woman[H802] of good[H2896]understanding[H7922], and of a beautiful[H3303]countenance[H8389]: but the man[H376] was churlish[H7186] and evil[H7451] in his doings[H4611]; and he was of the house of Caleb[H3614].
4
And David[H1732]heard[H8085] in the wilderness[H4057] that Nabal[H5037] did shear[H1494] his sheep[H6629].
5
And David[H1732] sent out[H7971]ten[H6235] young men[H5288], and David[H1732]said[H559] unto the young men[H5288], Get you up[H5927] to Carmel[H3760], and go[H935] to Nabal[H5037], and greet[H7592] him in my name[H8034]:
6
And thus shall ye say[H559] to him that liveth[H2416] in prosperity, Peace[H7965] be both to thee, and peace[H7965] be to thine house[H1004], and peace[H7965] be unto all that thou hast.
7
And now I have heard[H8085] that thou hast shearers[H1494]: now thy shepherds[H7462] which were with us, we hurt[H3637] them not, neither was there ought[H3972]missing[H6485] unto them, all the while[H3117] they were in Carmel[H3760].
8Ask[H7592] thy young men[H5288], and they will shew[H5046] thee. Wherefore let the young men[H5288]find[H4672]favour[H2580] in thine eyes[H5869]: for we come[H935] in a good[H2896]day[H3117]: give[H5414], I pray thee, whatsoever cometh[H4672] to thine hand[H3027] unto thy servants[H5650], and to thy son[H1121]David[H1732].
9
And when David[H1732]'s young men[H5288]came[H935], they spake[H1696] to Nabal[H5037] according to all those words[H1697] in the name[H8034] of David[H1732], and ceased[H5117].
10
And Nabal[H5037]answered[H6030]David[H1732]'s servants[H5650], and said[H559], Who is David?[H1732] and who is the son[H1121] of Jesse?[H3448] there be many[H7231]servants[H5650] now a days[H3117] that break away[H6555] every man[H376]from[H6440] his master[H113].
11
Shall I then take[H3947] my bread[H3899], and my water[H4325], and my flesh[H2878] that I have killed[H2873] for my shearers[H1494], and give[H5414] it unto men[H582], whom I know[H3045] not whence they be?
12
So David's young men[H5288]turned[H2015] their way[H1870], and went again[H7725], and came[H935] and told[H5046] him all those sayings[H1697].
13
And David[H1732]said[H559] unto his men[H582], Gird ye on[H2296] every man[H376] his sword[H2719]. And they girded on[H2296] every man[H376] his sword[H2719]; and David[H1732] also girded on[H2296] his sword[H2719]: and there went up[H5927]after[H310]David[H1732] about four[H702]hundred[H3967]men[H376]; and two hundred[H3967]abode[H3427] by the stuff[H3627].
14
But one[H259] of the young men[H5288]told[H5046]Abigail[H26], Nabal's wife[H802], saying[H559], Behold, David[H1732]sent[H7971]messengers[H4397] out of the wilderness[H4057] to salute[H1288] our master[H113]; and he railed[H5860] on them.
15
But the men[H582] were very[H3966]good[H2896] unto us, and we were not hurt[H3637], neither missed[H6485] we any thing[H3972], as[H3117] long as[H3117] we were conversant[H1980] with them, when we were in the fields[H7704]:
16
They were a wall[H2346] unto us both by night[H3915] and day[H3119], all the while[H3117] we were with them keeping[H7462] the sheep[H6629].
17
Now therefore know[H3045] and consider[H7200] what thou wilt do[H6213]; for evil[H7451] is determined[H3615] against our master[H113], and against all his household[H1004]: for he is such a son[H1121] of Belial[H1100], that a man cannot speak[H1696] to him.
18
Then Abigail[H26] made haste[H4116], and took[H3947]two[H8147]hundred[H3967]loaves[H3899], and two[H8147]bottles[H5035] of wine[H3196], and five[H2568]sheep[H6629] ready dressed[H6213], and five[H2568]measures[H5429] of parched[H7039] corn, and an hundred[H3967] clusters of raisins[H6778], and two[H8147]hundred[H3967]cakes[H1690] of figs, and laid[H7760] them on asses[H2543].
19
And she said[H559] unto her servants[H5288], Go on[H5674]before[H6440] me; behold, I come[H935]after[H310] you. But she told[H5046] not her husband[H376]Nabal[H5037].
20
And it was so, as she rode[H7392] on the ass[H2543], that she came down[H3381] by the covert[H5643] of the hill[H2022], and, behold, David[H1732] and his men[H582] came down[H3381]against[H7125] her; and she met[H6298] them.
21
Now David[H1732] had said[H559], Surely in vain[H8267] have I kept[H8104] all that this[H2088] fellow hath in the wilderness[H4057], so that nothing[H3972] was missed[H6485] of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited[H7725] me evil[H7451] for good[H2896].
22So[H3541] and more[H3254] also do[H6213]God[H430] unto the enemies[H341] of David[H1732], if I leave[H7604] of all that pertain to him by[H5704] the morning[H1242]light[H216] any that pisseth[H8366] against the wall[H7023].
23
And when Abigail[H26]saw[H7200]David[H1732], she hasted[H4116], and lighted off[H3381] the ass[H2543], and fell[H5307]before[H639]David[H1732] on her face[H6440], and bowed[H7812] herself to the ground[H776],
24
And fell[H5307] at his feet[H7272], and said[H559], Upon me, my lord[H113], upon me let this iniquity[H5771] be: and let thine handmaid[H519], I pray thee, speak[H1696] in thine audience[H241], and hear[H8085] the words[H1697] of thine handmaid[H589].
25Let[H7760] not my lord[H113], I pray thee, regard[H3820] this man[H376] of Belial[H1100], even Nabal[H5037]: for as his name[H8034] is, so is he; Nabal[H5037] is his name[H8034], and folly[H5039] is with him: but I thine handmaid[H519]saw[H7200] not the young men[H5288] of my lord[H113], whom thou didst send[H7971].
26
Now therefore, my lord[H113], as the LORD[H3068]liveth[H2416], and as thy soul[H5315]liveth[H2416], seeing the LORD[H3068] hath withholden[H4513] thee from coming[H935] to shed blood[H1818], and from avenging[H3467] thyself with thine own hand[H3027], now let thine enemies[H341], and they that seek[H1245]evil[H7451] to my lord[H3068], be as Nabal[H5037].
27
And now this blessing[H1293] which thine handmaid[H8198] hath brought[H935] unto my lord[H113], let it even be given[H5414] unto the young men[H5288] that follow[H1980] my lord[H113].
28
I pray thee, forgive[H5375] the trespass[H6588] of thine handmaid[H519]: for the LORD[H3068] will certainly[H6213]make[H6213] my lord[H113] a sure[H539]house[H1004]; because my lord[H113]fighteth[H3898] the battles[H4421] of the LORD[H3068], and evil[H7451] hath not been found[H4672] in thee all thy days[H3117].
29
Yet a man[H120] is risen[H6965] to pursue[H7291] thee, and to seek[H1245] thy soul[H5315]: but the soul[H5315] of my lord[H113] shall be bound[H6887] in the bundle[H6872] of life[H2416] with the LORD[H3068] thy God[H430]; and the souls[H5315] of thine enemies[H341], them shall he sling[H7050]out[H7049], as out[H7049] of the middle[H8432] of a sling[H7050].
30
And it shall come to pass, when the LORD[H3068] shall have done[H6213] to my lord[H113] according to all the good[H2896] that he hath spoken[H1696] concerning thee, and shall have appointed[H6680] thee ruler[H5057] over Israel[H3478];
31
That this shall be no grief[H6330] unto thee, nor offence[H4383] of heart[H3820] unto my lord[H113], either that thou hast shed[H8210]blood[H1818]causeless[H2600], or that my lord[H3068] hath avenged[H3467] himself: but when the LORD[H3068] shall have dealt well[H3190] with my lord[H3068], then remember[H2142] thine handmaid[H519].
32
And David[H1732]said[H559] to Abigail[H26], Blessed[H1288] be the LORD[H3068]God[H430] of Israel[H3478], which sent[H7971] thee this day[H3117] to meet[H7125] me:
33
And blessed[H1288] be thy advice[H2940], and blessed[H1288] be thou, which hast kept[H3607] me this day[H3117] from coming[H935] to shed blood[H1818], and from avenging[H3467] myself with mine own hand[H3027].
34
For in very deed[H199], as the LORD[H3068]God[H430] of Israel[H3478]liveth[H2416], which hath kept me back[H4513] from hurting[H7489] thee, except[H3884] thou hadst hasted[H4116] and come[H935] to meet[H7125] me, surely there had not been left[H3498] unto Nabal[H5037] by the morning[H1242]light[H216] any that pisseth[H8366] against the wall[H7023].
35
So David[H1732]received[H3947] of her hand[H3027] that which she had brought[H935] him, and said[H559] unto her, Go up[H5927] in peace[H7965] to thine house[H1004]; see[H7200], I have hearkened[H8085] to thy voice[H6963], and have accepted[H5375] thy person[H6440].
36
And Abigail[H26]came[H935] to Nabal[H5037]; and, behold, he held a feast[H4960] in his house[H1004], like the feast[H4960] of a king[H4428]; and Nabal[H5037]'s heart[H3820] was merry[H2896] within him, for he was very[H3966]drunken[H7910]: wherefore she told[H5046] him nothing[H1697], less[H6996] or more[H1419], until the morning[H1242]light[H216].
37
But it came to pass in the morning[H1242], when the wine[H3196] was gone out[H3318] of Nabal[H5037], and his wife[H802] had told[H5046] him these things[H1697], that his heart[H3820]died[H4191]within[H7130] him, and he became as a stone[H68].
38
And it came to pass about ten[H6235]days[H3117] after, that the LORD[H3068]smote[H5062]Nabal[H5037], that he died[H4191].
39
And when David[H1732]heard[H8085] that Nabal[H5037] was dead[H4191], he said[H559], Blessed[H1288] be the LORD[H3068], that hath pleaded[H7378] the cause[H7379] of my reproach[H2781] from the hand[H3027] of Nabal[H5037], and hath kept[H2820] his servant[H5650] from evil[H7451]: for the LORD[H3068] hath returned[H7725] the wickedness[H7451] of Nabal[H5037] upon his own head[H7218]. And David[H1732]sent[H7971] and communed[H1696] with Abigail[H26], to take[H3947] her to him to wife[H802].
40
And when the servants[H5650] of David[H1732] were come[H935] to Abigail[H26] to Carmel[H3760], they spake[H1696] unto her, saying[H559], David[H1732]sent[H7971] us unto thee, to take[H3947] thee to him to wife[H802].
41
And she arose[H6965], and bowed[H7812] herself on her face[H639] to the earth[H776], and said[H559], Behold, let thine handmaid[H519] be a servant[H8198] to wash[H7364] the feet[H7272] of the servants[H5650] of my lord[H113].
42
And Abigail[H26]hasted[H4116], and arose[H6965], and rode[H7392] upon an ass[H2543], with five[H2568]damsels[H5291] of hers that went[H1980]after[H7272] her; and she went[H3212]after[H310] the messengers[H4397] of David[H1732], and became his wife[H802].
43David[H1732] also took[H3947]Ahinoam[H293] of Jezreel[H3157]; and they were also both[H8147] of them his wives[H802].
44
But Saul[H7586] had given[H5414]Michal[H4324] his daughter[H1323], David's wife[H802], to Phalti[H6406] the son[H1121] of Laish[H3919], which was of Gallim[H1554].