Holman Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

1Samuel died, and all Israel assembled to mourn for him, and they buried him by his home in Ramah. David then went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

1Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral. They buried him at his house in Ramah. Nabal Angers David Then David moved down to the wilderness of Maon.

2A man in Maon had a business in Carmel; he was a very rich man with 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

2There was a wealthy man from Maon who owned property near the town of Carmel. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and it was sheep-shearing time.

3The man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.

3This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings.

4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep,

4When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep,

5so David sent 10 young men instructing them, "Go up to Carmel, and when you come to Nabal, greet him in my name.

5he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal:

6Then say this: 'Long life to you, and peace to you, to your family, and to all that is yours.

6“Peace and prosperity to you, your family, and everything you own!

7I hear that you are 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.

7I am told that it is sheep-shearing time. While your shepherds stayed among us near Carmel, we never harmed them, and nothing was ever stolen from them.

8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, for we have come on a feast day. Please give whatever you can afford to your servants and to your son David.'"

8Ask your own men, and they will tell you this is true. So would you be kind to us, since we have come at a time of celebration? Please share any provisions you might have on hand with us and with your friend David.”

9David's young men went and said all these things to Nabal on David's behalf, and they waited.

9David’s young men gave this message to Nabal in David’s name, and they waited for a reply.

10Nabal asked them, "Who is David? Who is Jesse's son? Many slaves these days are running away from their masters.

10“Who is this fellow David?” Nabal sneered to the young men. “Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters.

11Am I supposed to take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don't know where they are from."

11Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?”

12David's men retraced their steps. When they returned to him, they reported all these words.

12So David’s young men returned and told him what Nabal had said.

13He said to his men, "All of you, put on your swords!" So David and all his men put on their swords. About 400 men followed David while 200 stayed with the supplies.

13“Get your swords!” was David’s reply as he strapped on his own. Then 400 men started off with David, and 200 remained behind to guard their equipment.

14One of Nabal's young men informed Abigail, Nabal's wife: "Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he yelled at them.

14Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s servants went to Abigail and told her, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed insults at them.

15The men treated us well. When we were in the field, we weren't harassed and nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among them.

15These men have been very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us.

16They were a wall around us, both day and night, the entire time we were herding the sheep.

16In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep.

17Now consider carefully what you must do, because there is certain to be trouble for our master and his entire family. He is such a worthless fool nobody can talk to him!"

17You need to know this and figure out what to do, for there is going to be trouble for our master and his whole family. He’s so ill-tempered that no one can even talk to him!”

18Abigail hurried, taking 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

18Abigail wasted no time. She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She packed them on donkeys

19Then she said to her male servants, "Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

19and said to her servants, “Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal what she was doing.

20As she rode the donkey down a mountain pass hidden from view, she saw David and his men coming toward her and met them.

20As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her.

21David had just said, "I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the wilderness for nothing. He was not missing anything, yet he paid me back evil for good.

21David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good.

22May God punish me and do so severely if I let any of his men survive until morning."

22May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!” Abigail Intercedes for Nabal

23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey and fell with her face to the ground in front of David.

23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him.

24She fell at his feet and said, "The guilt is mine, my lord, but please let your servant speak to you directly. Listen to the words of your servant.

24She fell at his feet and said, “I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say.

25My lord should pay no attention to this worthless man Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name is Nabal, and stupidity is all he knows. I, your servant, didn't see my lord's young men whom you sent.

25I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don’t pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent.

26Now my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, it is the LORD who kept you from participating in bloodshed and avenging yourself by your own hand. May your enemies and those who want trouble for my lord be like Nabal.

26“Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, since the LORD has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies and those who try to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is.

27Accept this gift your servant has brought to my lord, and let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.

27And here is a present that I, your servant, have brought to you and your young men.

28Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord because he fights the LORD's battles. Throughout your life, may evil not be found in you.

28Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way. The LORD will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty, for you are fighting the LORD’s battles. And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life.

29"When someone pursues you and attempts to take your life, my lord's life will be tucked safely in the place where the LORD your God protects the living. However, He will fling away your enemies' lives like stones from a sling.

29“Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the LORD your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling!

30When the LORD does for my lord all the good He promised and appoints you ruler over Israel,

30When the LORD has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel,

31there will not be remorse or a troubled conscience for my lord because of needless bloodshed or my lord's revenge. And when the LORD does good things for my lord, may you remember me your servant."

31don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the LORD has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!”

32Then David said to Abigail, "Praise to the LORD God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today!

32David replied to Abigail, “Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today!

33Your discernment is blessed, and you are blessed. Today you kept me from participating in bloodshed and avenging myself by my own hand.

33Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands.

34Otherwise, as surely as the LORD God of Israel lives, who prevented me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, Nabal wouldn't have had any men left by morning light."

34For I swear by the LORD, the God of Israel, who has kept me from hurting you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal’s men would still be alive tomorrow morning.”

35Then David accepted what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. See, I have heard what you said and have granted your request."

35Then David accepted her present and told her, “Return home in peace. I have heard what you said. We will not kill your husband.”

36Then Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was in his house, holding a feast fit for a king. Nabal was in a good mood and very drunk, so she didn't say anything to him until morning light.

36When Abigail arrived home, she found that Nabal was throwing a big party and was celebrating like a king. He was very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything about her meeting with David until dawn the next day.

37In the morning when Nabal sobered up, his wife told him about these events. Then he had a seizure and became paralyzed.

37In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and he lay paralyzed on his bed like a stone.

38About 10 days later, the LORD struck Nabal dead.

38About ten days later, the LORD struck him, and he died. David Marries Abigail

39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise the LORD who championed my cause against Nabal's insults and restrained His servant from doing evil. The LORD brought Nabal's evil deeds back on his own head." Then David sent messengers to speak to Abigail about marrying him.

39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the LORD, who has avenged the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin.” Then David sent messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife.

40When David's servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, "David sent us to bring you to him as a wife."

40When the messengers arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail, “David has sent us to take you back to marry him.”

41She stood up, then bowed her face to the ground and said, "Here I am, your servant, to wash the feet of my lord's servants."

41She bowed low to the ground and responded, “I, your servant, would be happy to marry David. I would even be willing to become a slave, washing the feet of his servants!”

42Then Abigail got up quickly, and with her five female servants accompanying her, rode on the donkey following David's messengers. And so she became his wife.

42Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her servant girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and went with David’s messengers. And so she became his wife.

43David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and the two of them became his wives.

43David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel, making both of them his wives.

44But Saul gave his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

44Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti son of Laish.

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.