Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
KJV
King James Version
When
Samuel died ,
all Israel
gathered to
mourn
for
him ;
and they
buried him at
his
home
in Ramah. Then
David set
out
and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
And
Samuel died ;
and
all the
Israelites
were
gathered together,
and
lamented
him ,
and buried him in his
house
at
Ramah. And
David arose,
and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
Now
there was a man in Maon whose business
was
in Carmel .
He
was a
very wealthy
man
with
a
thousand
goats
and three thousand sheep, which
he was shearing in Carmel.
And
there was a man in Maon ,
whose possessions
were
in Carmel ;
and
the
man
was very great,
and he
had
three thousand sheep, and
a
thousand
goats:
and
he was shearing his
sheep
in Carmel.
His
name was Nabal ,
and his
wife’s
name was
Abigail .
She was an
intelligent
and
beautiful
woman ,
but
her
husband
, a Calebite,
was harsh
and evil in his dealings
.
Now
the
name of
the
man
was Nabal ;
and the
name of
his
wife
Abigail :
and
she was a
woman of
good
understanding
, and
of
a beautiful
countenance:
but
the
man
was churlish
and evil in his doings;
and
he
was
of
the
house
of
Caleb
.
While
David was
in the wilderness ,
he
heard
that Nabal was
shearing
sheep.
And
David heard
in the wilderness that Nabal did
shear
his
sheep.
So
David sent ten young men and instructed
them
, “Go
up to Nabal
at
Carmel .
Greet him in my name
And
David sent out
ten young men ,
and David
said
unto
the
young
men
, Get
you
up to Carmel ,
and
go
to
Nabal,
and
greet him in my name :
and say to him, ‘Long
life
to you
, and peace to you
and
your
house and to
all that belongs
to
you
.
And thus
shall
ye
say to him that
liveth
in
prosperity
, Peace
be
both
to thee
, and peace be
to thine
house ,
and peace
be
unto
all that thou
hast
.
Now I hear
that it
is
time
for
shearing.
When
your
shepherds were with us, we did
not
harass
them, and
nothing
of
theirs
was missing the whole
time
they were in Carmel.
And
now I have
heard
that thou
hast
shearers:
now
thy
shepherds which
were with us, we hurt
them not
, neither
was there
ought
missing unto
them,
all
the while
they were in Carmel.
Ask your
young men, and they will tell
you
. So
let my
young men find favor with
you,
for we have
come on
the
day
of
a feast.
Please
give whatever
you
can
afford
to your
servants and to your
son David. ’”
Ask thy
young men, and they will show
thee
. Wherefore
let the
young men find favor in
thine
eyes:
for we come in
a good
day:
give ,
I
pray
thee,
whatsoever
cometh
to thine
hand
unto
thy
servants ,
and to thy
son David.
When David’s
young men arrived
, they relayed
all
these
words
to Nabal on
behalf
of David .
Then
they
waited
.
And
when David's
young men came
, they spake
to Nabal according
to
all
those
words
in
the
name
of David ,
and
ceased
.
But
Nabal asked
them
, “
Who is David? Who is this
son of Jesse? Many servants these
days are
breaking
away from their
masters
.
And
Nabal answered
David's
servants
, and
said,
Who is David? and
who is the
son of Jesse? there
be
many servants now
a
days that
break
away every
man
from his
master
.
Why
should
I take my bread and water and the
meat
I have slaughtered
for my shearers, and give them
to
these
men whose
origin
I do
not
know? ”
Shall
I then
take my bread ,
and my
water ,
and my
flesh
that
I have killed
for my shearers, and give it
unto
men ,
whom
I know not
whence
they
be
?
So David’s
men turned around
and went back
, and they
relayed
to
him all these
words
.
So David's
young
men turned their
way,
and went again
, and came
and
told
him all those
sayings
.
And David said to
his men, “Strap
on your
swords!”
So
David
and all
his men
put
on their
swords,
and about four hundred men followed
David,
while
two hundred stayed
with
the supplies
.
And David said unto
his men, Gird
ye
on every
man
his
sword.
And they
girded
on
every
man
his sword;
and
David
also
girded
on his
sword:
and there
went
up
after
David
about four hundred men ;
and
two hundred abode
by
the stuff
.
Meanwhile,
one of Nabal’s
young men informed
Nabal’s
wife
Abigail, “Look
, David sent messengers from
the wilderness to greet
our master ,
but
he scolded
them.
But
one of the
young men told
Abigail, Nabal's
wife
, saying,
Behold,
David sent messengers out
of
the wilderness to salute
our master ;
and
he railed
on
them.
Yet
these
men were very good to
us .
When
we
were
in
the
field
, we were not harassed
, and
nothing
of
ours
went
missing
the
whole
time
we lived
among
them .
But
the
men were very good unto
us, and
we were not hurt
, neither
missed
we any
thing,
as
long
as
we
were
conversant
with
them ,
when
we
were
in
the
fields:
They were a wall around
us ,
both day
and
night, the whole
time
we were herding
our
sheep
near
them.
They were a wall unto
us both by
night and
day
, all
the while
we were with
them keeping
the
sheep
.
Now consider carefully
what you
must
do ,
because
disaster
looms
over
our master and all his household .
For he is such a scoundrel
that nobody
can
speak to him !”
Now therefore
know
and
consider what thou
wilt
do ;
for
evil
is
determined
against
our master ,
and against
all his household :
for he is such a son
of
Belial,
that a
man
cannot
speak to him .
Then Abigail hurried
and took two hundred loaves of
bread
, two skins
of wine, five butchered
sheep, five seahs
of roasted
grain
, a
hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs .
She
loaded
them on donkeys
Then Abigail made
haste,
and took two hundred loaves, and
two bottles
of wine, and
five sheep ready
dressed
, and
five measures
of parched
corn
, and
an
hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs ,
and
laid
them on asses.
and said to
her young
men
, “
Go ahead
of
me .
I will
be
right
behind
you. ”
But she did
not tell
her husband Nabal.
And she
said unto
her servants
, Go on
before
me ;
behold,
I come
after
you. But she told
not her husband Nabal.
As Abigail
came
riding
her
donkey
into
a
mountain
ravine
, she saw
David and his men coming
down toward
her ,
and she met them.
And
it
was
so,
as she
rode
on
the
ass
, that
she came
down
by
the
covert
on
the
hill,
and,
behold,
David and his men came
down against
her ;
and she met them.
Now David had just
finished
saying
, “
In vain I
have protected
all that belonged
to
this man
in the wilderness .
Nothing that belongs
to
him has
gone
missing,
yet
he has
paid
me back
evil for good.
Now David had said
, Surely
in vain have I
kept
all that this fellow
hath
in the wilderness ,
so
that
nothing was
missed
of
all
that pertained
unto
him :
and
he hath
requited
me evil for good.
May
God punish
David, and
ever
so
severely,
if I let
one
of Nabal’s
men
survive
until
morning. ”
So
and
more
also
do
God unto
the
enemies
of
David, if I leave
of all
that
pertain
to
him
by
the
morning light
any
that
pisseth
against
the
wall
.
When Abigail saw David, she quickly
got
off the donkey
, fell facedown
, and bowed before
him.
And
when Abigail saw David, she hasted,
and
lighted
off the ass
, and
fell before
David
on
her
face
, and bowed herself
to
the
ground,
She
fell at his feet and said, “
My lord, may
the
blame
be
on
me alone,
but
please
let your
servant
speak to
you;
hear the words of your
servant
.
And
fell at his feet ,
and said, Upon
me,
my lord, upon
me let this
iniquity
be:
and
let
thine
handmaid,
I
pray
thee,
speak in
thine
audience,
and
hear the words of thine
handmaid
.
My lord should
pay
no
attention
to
this scoundrel
Nabal
, for he
lives
up
to
his name :
His name means
Fool
, and folly accompanies
him .
I ,
your
servant,
did
not see
my
lord’s
young men whom you
sent
.
Let
not
my lord ,
I
pray
thee,
regard
this man
of
Belial
, even
Nabal:
for as
his name is,
so
is
he;
Nabal
is
his name, and folly is
with
him :
but
I thine
handmaid
saw
not the
young men of
my
lord,
whom thou
didst
send
.
Now, my lord, as surely
as
the LORD lives
and you
yourself
live
, the LORD has
held
you
back
from coming to bloodshed
and avenging yourself
with your
own hand .
May
your
enemies and those
who
seek harm
for
my lord be like
Nabal.
Now therefore
, my lord, as the LORD liveth,
and as
thy
soul
liveth
, seeing
the LORD hath
withholden
thee
from coming to shed
blood,
and from
avenging thyself
with thine
own hand ,
now
let
thine
enemies ,
and they
that
seek evil
to
my lord ,
be as
Nabal.
Now let
this gift
your
servant
has
brought to
my lord be given to
the young men who
follow you
.
And
now this blessing
which
thine
handmaid
hath
brought unto
my lord ,
let
it
even
be given unto
the young men that
follow my
lord
.
Please
forgive
your
servant’s
offense
, for the LORD will surely
make a
lasting
dynasty
for
my lord ,
because he
fights
the LORD’s
battles .
May
no
evil be
found in you
as
long
as
you
live
.
I
pray
thee
, forgive
the
trespass
of
thine
handmaid:
for the LORD will certainly
make my lord a
sure
house;
because my
lord
fighteth
the battles of
the
LORD,
and
evil hath
not
been
found in thee
all
thy
days
.
And
should
someone
pursue you
and seek your
life,
then
the life
of my lord will
be bound securely
by
the
LORD
your
God
in the bundle of the living.
But
He
shall
fling
away
the lives
of your
enemies like
stones
from
a sling.
Yet
a
man
is
risen
to
pursue thee,
and to
seek thy
soul:
but
the soul
of my lord shall
be bound in the bundle of life
with
the LORD
thy
God;
and
the souls
of thine
enemies ,
them
shall
he
sling
out,
as
out
of
the
middle
of
a sling.
When the LORD has
done for
my lord all the good He promised
, and when
He
has
appointed you
ruler over Israel ,
And
it
shall
come
to
pass,
when the LORD shall
have
done to
my lord according
to
all the good that
he hath
spoken
concerning
thee
, and shall
have
appointed thee
ruler over Israel ;
then
my lord will
have
no
remorse
or guilt
of
conscience
over
needless
bloodshed
and
revenge.
And
when the LORD has
dealt well with my lord, may
you
remember your
maidservant
. ”
That
this
shall
be
no
grief
unto
thee,
nor
offense
of
heart
unto
my lord ,
either
that
thou
hast
shed
blood
causeless,
or that
my
lord
hath
avenged
himself:
but
when the LORD shall
have
dealt well with my lord, then
remember thine
handmaid
.
Then
David said to Abigail, “
Blessed be the LORD ,
the
God of Israel, who
sent you
to meet me this
day!
And
David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which
sent thee
this
day
to meet me :
Blessed is
your
discernment
, and blessed are
you
, because
today
you
kept me from bloodshed
and from avenging myself by
my
own hand.
And
blessed be
thy
advice
, and blessed be
thou
, which
hast
kept me this
day
from coming
to
shed
blood,
and from avenging myself with
mine
own hand.
Otherwise
, as surely
as
the LORD ,
the
God of Israel ,
lives
, who
has
restrained
me from harming
you
, if
you
had
not
come quickly
to meet me, then
surely no
male
belonging
to
Nabal
would
have
been left alive
by morning light. ”
For
in
very
deed
, as the LORD God of Israel liveth
, which
hath
kept
me back
from hurting
thee
, except
thou
hadst
hasted
and
come to meet me, surely there
had
not
been left unto
Nabal
by the
morning light any
that
pisseth
against
the
wall
.
Then
David accepted
from
her hand what
she had brought him, and he
said to
her, “
Go home
in peace .
See, I have heeded
your
voice and granted
your
request
. ”
So
David received
of
her hand that
which
she had brought him, and said unto
her, Go up
in peace to
thine
house;
see, I have hearkened
to
thy
voice ,
and have
accepted
thy
person
.
When
Abigail returned
to Nabal, there
he was
in the
house, holding
a
feast fit
for
a king ,
in
high
spirits
and very drunk.
So
she told him nothing until morning light.
And
Abigail came
to Nabal ;
and
, behold,
he held
a
feast
in his
house, like
the
feast of
a king ;
and Nabal's
heart
was
merry
within
him,
for
he
was
very drunken:
wherefore
she told him nothing ,
less
or
more,
until the
morning light.
In the morning when Nabal
was sober
, his wife told him about
these events
, and
his heart failed
within him and he became like
a stone.
But
it
came
to
pass
in the morning ,
when the
wine
was gone
out
of
Nabal
, and
his wife had
told him these things
, that
his heart died
within him ,
and he became as
a stone.
About ten days later
, the LORD struck
Nabal dead
.
And
it
came
to
pass
about ten days after
, that
the LORD smote
Nabal ,
that
he
died
.
On
hearing
that Nabal was dead, David
said, “
Blessed be the LORD, who
has
upheld
my
cause
against
the reproach of Nabal and has
restrained
His servant from evil .
For the LORD has
brought
the wickedness of Nabal down
upon his own head. ”
Then
David sent word
to
Abigail, asking
for
her in
marriage
.
And
when
David
heard
that Nabal was dead, he
said, Blessed be the LORD, that
hath
pleaded
the cause
of
my
reproach from
the
hand
of Nabal ,
and hath
kept
his servant from evil :
for the LORD hath
returned
the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And
David sent and
communed
with
Abigail, to
take
her to
him
to
wife
.
When his
servants came
to Abigail at
Carmel, they said
, “
David has
sent us to take you
as
his
wife. ”
And
when the
servants of
David
were
come
to Abigail to
Carmel, they spake
unto
her
, saying,
David sent us unto
thee,
to take thee
to
him
to
wife.
She arose, then
bowed facedown
and said, “Here
is
your
maidservant
, ready
to
serve
and
to wash the feet of my
lord’s
servants. ”
And
she arose, and
bowed herself
on
her
face
to
the
earth,
and said, Behold
, let
thine
handmaid
be
a
servant
to wash the feet of the
servants of
my
lord
.
So
Abigail
hurried
and got
on
a
donkey
, and attended
by
five of her maidens,
she followed
David’s
messengers and became his wife.
And Abigail
hasted
, and arose
and
rode
upon
an
ass,
with
five damsels
of hers
that
went
after
her ;
and
she went
after
the
messengers of
David,
and became his wife.
David had
also married
Ahinoam of Jezreel .
So
she
and Abigail
were both his wives.
David also took
Ahinoam of Jezreel ;
and they
were also
both of
them
his wives.
But Saul had given his daughter Michal
, David’s
wife, to Palti
son of Laish, who
was from
Gallim.
But Saul had given Michal
his daughter, David's
wife, to Phalti
the
son of Laish, which
was of
Gallim.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and King James Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; UK publication rights are administered by the Crown's patentee; public domain in most other jurisdictions..