Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
WEB
World English Bible
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.
Samuel died ;
and
all Israel gathered themselves
together,
and
lamented
him ,
and buried him in his
house
at
Ramah. 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.
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 the
woman was
of
good
understanding
, and
of
a beautiful
face:
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.
David heard
in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his
sheep.
So
David sent ten young men and instructed
them
, “
Go up to Nabal
at
Carmel .
Greet him in my name
David sent ten young men ,
and David
said
to
the
young
men
, Go 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
you
tell
him who
lives
[in
prosperity]
, Peace
be
to you, and peace be
to your house ,
and peace
be
to all that you have
.
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.
Now I have
heard
that you
have
shearers:
your shepherds have
now
been
with us, and
we did them no
hurt
, neither
was there
anything
missing to
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 your young men, and they will tell you :
therefore
let the
young men find favor in
your
eyes;
for we come in
a good
day
. Please give whatever comes
to your hand,
to
your
servants ,
and to your son David.
When David’s
young men arrived
, they relayed
all
these
words
to Nabal on
behalf
of David .
Then
they
waited
.
When David's
young men came
, they spoke
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
.
Nabal answered
David's
servants
, and
said,
Who is David? and
who is the
son of Jesse? there
are
many servants now-a-
days who
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
meat that
I have killed
for my shearers, and give it
to men who
I don't
know where
they
come
from
?
So David’s
men turned around
and went back, and they
relayed
to
him all these words.
So David's
young
men turned on
their
way,
and went back, and came
and
told
him according
to
all these words.
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
.
David said to his men, Gird
you
on every
man
his sword.
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 baggage
.
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 Greet our master ;
and
he railed
at
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 to us, and
we were not hurt
, neither
missed
we anything,
as
long
as
we
went
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 to
us both by
night and
by
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 you will
do ;
for
evil
is
determined
against
our master ,
and against
all his house:
for he is such a worthless
fellow
that one
can't
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
grain, and
one
hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs ,
and
laid
them on donkeys .
and
said to her young men, “
Go ahead
of
me .
I will
be
right
behind
you. ”
But she did
not
tell her husband Nabal.
She
said to her young men, Go on
before
me ;
behold,
I come
after
you. But she didn't
tell 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.
It
was
so,
as she
rode
on
her donkey ,
and
came
down
by
the
covert
of
the
mountain, that
behold,
David and his men came
down toward 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
has
in the wilderness ,
so
that
nothing was
missed
of
all
that pertained
to him :
and
he has returned
me evil for good.
May
God punish
David, and ever
so
severely
, if I let
one
of Nabal’s
men
survive
until
morning. ”
God do
so
to
the
enemies
of
David, and more
also
, if I leave
of all
that
belongs
to
him
by
the
morning light
so
much
as
one
man-child
.
When Abigail saw David, she quickly
got
off
the
donkey, fell facedown
, and bowed before
him
.
When Abigail saw David, she hurried,
and
alighted
from
her
donkey, 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
.
She fell at his feet ,
and said, On
me,
my lord, on me be
the
iniquity;
and
please let your handmaid
speak in
your
ears.
Hear the words of your 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
.
Please
don't
let
my lord regard
this worthless
fellow
, even
Nabal;
for as
his name is,
so
is
he;
Nabal
is
his name, and folly is
with
him :
but
I your handmaid
didn't
see the
young men of
my
lord,
whom you did
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 Yahweh
lives ,
and as
your
soul
lives
, seeing
Yahweh
has withheld
you from blood
guiltiness,
and from
avenging yourself with your own hand ,
now
therefore
let
your enemies ,
and those who 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
.
Now this present
which
your servant has brought to my lord ,
let
it
be given to the young men who 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
.
Please forgive the
trespass
of
your handmaid:
for Yahweh
will certainly
make my lord a
sure
house
, because my
lord
fights the battles of
Yahweh;
and
evil shall
not
be found in you all
your
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.
Though
men
be
risen
up
to
pursue you ,
and to
seek your soul
, yet
the soul
of my lord shall
be bound in the bundle of life
with
Yahweh
your
God;
and
the souls
of your enemies ,
them
shall
he
sling
out,
as
from the
hollow
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,
It
shall
come
to
pass,
when Yahweh
shall
have
done to
my lord according
to
all the good that
he has
spoken
concerning
you
, and shall
have
appointed you prince
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
to
you,
nor
offense
of
heart
to
my lord ,
either
that
you
have shed
blood
without
cause,
or that
my
lord has avenged
himself.
When
Yahweh
shall
have
dealt well with my lord, then
remember your handmaid
.
Then
David said to Abigail, “
Blessed be the
LORD
, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this
day!
David said to Abigail, Blessed be Yahweh
, the God of Israel, who sent you 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
your discretion
, and blessed be
you, that
have
kept me this
day
from blood
guiltiness,
and from avenging myself with
my 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 Yahweh
, the God of Israel, lives, who has withheld
me from hurting
you, except
you had hurried
and
come to meet me, surely there
wouldn't
have been left to
Nabal
by the
morning light so
much
as
one
man-child
.
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 he said to her, Go up
in peace to
your
house;
behold
, I have listened
to
your voice ,
and have
accepted
your 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.
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:
therefore
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.
It
happened
in the morning ,
when the
wine
was gone
out
of
Nabal
, that
his wife told him these things
, and his heart died
within him ,
and he became as
a stone.
About ten days later
, the
LORD
struck Nabal dead
.
It
happened
about ten days after
, that
Yahweh
struck Nabal ,
so
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
.
When
David
heard
that Nabal was dead, he
said, Blessed be Yahweh
, who has pleaded
the cause
of
my
reproach from
the
hand
of Nabal ,
and has kept
back
his servant from evil :
and
the evil-doing
of Nabal has
Yahweh
returned
on
his own head. David sent and
spoke
concerning
Abigail, to
take
her to
him
as
wife
.
When his
servants came
to Abigail at
Carmel, they said
, “
David has sent us to take you as his
wife. ”
When the
servants of
David
were
come
to Abigail to
Carmel, they spoke
to
her
, saying,
David has sent us to you,
to
take you to
him
as 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. ”
She arose, and
bowed herself
with
her
face
to
the
earth,
and said, Behold
, your
handmaid
is
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.
Abigail hurried ,
and arose,
and
rode
on a donkey, with
five ladies
of hers
who
followed
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
became
both of
them
his wives.
But
Saul had given his daughter Michal
, David’s
wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from
Gallim.
Now
Saul had given Michal
his daughter, David's
wife, to Palti the
son of Laish, who was of
Gallim.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and World English Bible. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org..