1 Samuel 25:1-44
David, Nabal, and Abigail
1 Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran.
2 A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. 3 His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite.
4 While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5 So he sent ten young men and said to them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. 6 Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!
7 “‘Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. 8 Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.’”
9 When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited.
10 Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11 Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”
12 David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. 13 David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
14 One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. 15 Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. 16 Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. 17 Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.”
18 Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. 21 David had just said, “It’s been useless—all my watching over this fellow’s property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. 22 May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!”
23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. 25 Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. 26 And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. 27 And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you.
28 “Please forgive your servant’s presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord’s battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live. 29 Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. 30 When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, 31 my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant.”
32 David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33 May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34 Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.”
35 Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.”
36 When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until daybreak. 37 Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone. 38 About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the Lord, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.”
Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife. 40 His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, “David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.”
41 She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” 42 Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David’s messengers and became his wife. 43 David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. 44 But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
Samuel had died...All the Israelites met together and mourned his death...They buried him at his home in Ramah...
Then King David moved to the desert of Maon...There was a very rich man living in Maon...He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats...That man was in Carmel taking care of some business...He went there to cut the wool from his sheep...This man’s name was Nabal...He was from Caleb’s family...Nabal’s wife was named Abigail...She was a wise and beautiful woman, but Nabal was a mean and cruel man...David was in the desert when he heard that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep...David sent ten young men to talk to Nabal...He told them, “Go to Carmel...Find Nabal and tell him ‘Hello’ for me.”...David gave them this message for Nabal: “May you and your family be well and all that you own be well...I heard that you are cutting wool from your sheep...Your shepherds were with us for a while, and we did nothing wrong to them...We never took anything from your shepherds while they were at Carmel...Ask your servants and they will tell you this is true...Please be kind to my young men...We come to you now, at this happy time...Please give these young men anything you can...Please do this for me, your friend David.”...David’s men went to Nabal...They gave his message to Nabal, but Nabal said, “Who is David?...Who is this son of Jesse?...There are many slaves who have run away from their masters these days...I have bread and water, and I have the meat I killed for my servants who cut the wool from my sheep...But I won’t give them to men I don’t even know.”...David’s men went back and told him everything that Nabal had said...David’s response was, “Put on your swords.”...So David and his men put on their swords...About 400 men went with David while 200 of them stayed with the supplies...
One of Nabal’s servants spoke to Nabal’s wife Abigail...The servant said, “David sent messengers from the desert to meet our master, but Nabal was rude to them...These men were very good to us while we were out in the fields with the sheep...David’s men were with us the whole time, and they never did anything wrong to us...They did not take anything from us...His men protected us night and day...They were like a wall around us—they protected us while we were with them caring for the sheep...Nabal was foolish to say what he did...Terrible trouble is coming to our master and all his family...You need to think of something to do.”...Abigail quickly gathered up 200 loaves of bread, two full wine bags, five cooked sheep, about a bushel of cooked grain, about 2 quarts of raisins, and 200 cakes of pressed figs...She put them on donkeys...Then Abigail told her servants, “Go on...I’ll follow you.”...But she did not tell her husband...Abigail rode her donkey down to the other side of the mountain...She met David and his men coming from the other direction...David was saying, “I protected Nabal’s property in the desert...I made sure not one of his sheep was missing...I did all that for nothing...I was good to him, but he was rude to me...I swear, I won’t let even one man in Nabal’s family live until tomorrow morning.”...Just then Abigail arrived...When she saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down with her face to the ground in front of him...Abigail fell at his feet and said, “Sir, please let me talk to you...Listen to what I say...Blame me for what happened...I didn’t see the men you sent...Sir, don’t pay any attention to that worthless man, Nabal...His name means ‘Foolish,’ and that is what he is...The LORD has kept you from killing innocent people...As surely as the LORD lives and you as well, may your enemies and anyone else who wants to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is...Now, I am bringing this gift to you...Please give these things to your men...Please forgive me for doing wrong...I know the LORD will make your family strong because you fight his battles...People will never find anything bad about you as long as you live...If someone chases you to kill you, the LORD your God will save your life...But He will throw away your enemies like a stone from a sling...The LORD promised to do many good things for you, and He will keep his promises...He will make you leader over Israel...So don’t do anything that would make you guilty of killing innocent people...Please don’t fall into that trap...Please remember me when the LORD blesses you.”...David answered Abigail, “Praise the LORD, the God of Israel...Praise God for sending you to meet me...God bless you for your good judgment...You kept me from killing innocent people today...As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, if you hadn’t come quickly to meet me, not one man in Nabal’s family would have lived until tomorrow morning...But the LORD prevented me from hurting you.”...Then David accepted Abigail’s gifts...He told her, “Go home in peace...I have listened to your request, and I will do what you asked.”...
Abigail went back to Nabal, who was in the house...He had been eating like a king, and he was drunk and feeling good...So Abigail told Nabal nothing until the next morning...The next morning, Nabal was sober, so his wife told him everything...He had a heart attack and became as stiff as a rock...About ten days later, the LORD gave him a stroke and Nabal died...When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the LORD!...He judged Nabal to be wrong for insulting me and kept me from doing something wrong...The LORD made Nabal pay for what he did.”...Then David sent a message to Abigail and asked her to be his wife...His servants went to Carmel with this message, “David sent us to get you...He wants you to be his wife.”...Abigail bowed her face to the ground...She said, “I am willing to be your slave woman, even if it is only to wash the feet of my master’s servants.”...Abigail quickly got on a donkey and brought five of her maids with her...They followed David’s messengers...So Abigail became David’s wife...David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel...Both Ahinoam and Abigail were David’s wives...David was also married to Saul’s daughter Michal, but Saul had taken her away from him and had given her to a man named Paltiel, son of Laish. Paltiel was from the town named Gallim.