1And Samuel died, and all Israel were gathered together, and made lamentation for him, and buried him within his own house, in Ramah,and David arose and went down into the wilderness of Maon. 2Now there was, a man, in Maon, whose cattle were in Carmel, and, the man, was exceeding great, and, he, had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats,and so it was, that he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3Now, the name of the man, was Nabal, and, the name of his wife, Abigail,and, the woman, was of good understanding, and of beautiful figure,but, the man, was unfeeling and of evil practices, and he was a Calebite. 4So then David heard in the wilderness,that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5David, therefore, sent ten young men,and David said unto the young men,Go up to Carmel, and enter in unto Nabal, and ye shall ask him, in my name, of his welfare; 6and say thusLong life to thee! Mayest, thou, prosper, And, thy household, prosper, And, all that thou hast, prosper! 7Now, therefore, have I heard that thou hast shearers,Well, the shepherds that thou hast, have been with us, we reproached them not, neither missed they, anything, all the days they were in Carmel. 8Ask thy young men, that they may tell thee, that so my young men may find favour in thine eyes, for, on a good day, have we come! Give, I pray thee, what thy hand findeth, to thy servants, and to thy son, to David! 9So Davids young men came, and spake unto Nabal, according to all these words, in the name of David,and waited. 10Then Nabal answered the servants of David, and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays, many are the servants that have broken away, every one from the presence of his lord: 11Shall I, then, take my bread, and my wine, and my slain beasts, that I have slaughtered for my shearers,and give unto men of whom I know not whence they are? 12So the young men of David turned away for their journey,and came back, and drew near, and told him, according to all these words. 13Then said David unto his menGird on you every man his sword. And they girded on them, every man his sword, and, David also, girded on his sword,and there went up after Davidabout four hundred men, and, two hundred, abode by the stores. 14But a certain one of her young men told, Abigail, Nabals wife, saying,Lo! David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our lord, and he treated them with contempt. 15But, the men, were exceeding good to us,and we were not harmed, neither missed we, anything, all the days we went to and fro with them, while we were in the fields: 16A wall, became they unto us, both by night and by day, all the days we were with them, tending the flock. 17Now, therefore, know thou, and see, what thou canst do, for mischief is determined against our lord, and against all his household,but, he, is such an abandoned man, that one cannot speak unto him. 18Then Abigail hastenedand took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep made ready, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred cakes of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs,and put them on the asses. 19And she said to her young menPass on before me, behold me coming after you; but, to her husband, Nabal, told she nothing. 20And so it was, as she was riding on her ass, and descending within the covert of the hill, lo! David and his men, descending over against her,so she met them. 21Now, David, had saidSurely, in vain, did I guard all that pertained to this man in the wilderness, so that there was, nothing, missed of all that he had,seeing he hath returned to me evil for good. 22So may God do to David and so may he add, if I leave remaining, of all that he hath, until the morning,so much as a little boy. 23And, when Abigail saw David, she hastened, and alighted from off her ass,and fell down before David upon her face, and prostrated herself on the ground; 24yea she fell at his feet, and saidOn me, even me, my lord, be the transgression,But, I pray thee, let thy handmaid speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid. 25Let it not be, I pray thee, that my lord regard this abandoned manNabal; For, as his name is, so, is he. Nabal, is his name, and, baseness, is with him,But, I, thy handmaid, saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. \fs15 26Now, therefore, my lordBy the life of Yahweh, and by the life of thine own soul,seeing Yahweh hath withholden thee from coming in with bloodshed, and from saving thyself, with thine own hand, now, therefore, like Nabal, be thine enemies, and they who are making search for my lord, wrongfully. 27Now, therefore, this blessing which thy maid-servant hath brought to my lord, let it even be given unto the young men who are going to and fro at the feet of my lord. 28Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid,for Yahweh, will certainly make, for my lord an assured house, for, the battles of Yahweh, is my lord fighting, and, wrong, shall not be found in thee, all thy days; 29yea, though there hath arisen a sun of earth to pursue thee, and to seek thy life, yet shall the life of my lord be bound up in the bundle of the living, with Yahweh thy God, but, as for the life of thine enemies, he shall sling it out with the middle of the hollow of the sling. 30And it shall be, when Yahweh shall do for my lord, according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee,and shall put thee in charge as leader over Israel, 31then shall this not become to thee a staggering and stumbling of heart, unto my lordthat thou didst either shed blood without need, or that the hand of my lord saved himself. And, when Yahweh hath dealt well with my lord, then remember thou thy handmaid. 32Then said David unto Abigail,Blessed, be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day, to meet me; 33and, blessed, be thy discreet judgment, and, blessed, be thou thyself,who hast kept me, this day, from coming in with bloodshed, and from saving myself, with mine own hand. 34Nevertheless, by the life of Yahweh, God of Israel, who hath restrained me from harming, thee, surely, except thou hadst hastened and come to meet me, there had not been left unto Nabal, by the light of the morning, so much as a little boy. 35So David received at her hand, that which she had brought him,and, unto herself, he saidGo up, in peace, unto thy house, see! I have hearkened unto thy voice, and accepted thy person. 36And, when Abigail came unto Nabal, lo! he, had a banquet in his house, like the banquet of a king, and, the heart of Nabal, was glad accordingly, he having drunk deeply,so she told him nothingless or more, until the light of the morning. 37And it came to pass, in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, and his wife told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38And it came to pass, in about ten days, that Yahweh smote Nabal, that he died. 39And, when David heard that Nabal was dead, he saidBlessed, be Yahweh, who hath maintained the plea of my reproach, at the hand of Nabal, and hath restrained, his servant, from wrong, yea, the wrong of Nabal, hath Yahweh turned back on his own head. Then sent David, and spake with Abigail, to take her to himself wife. 40And the servants of David came unto Abigail the Carmelitess,and spake unto her, saying, David, hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to himself to wife. 41And she arose, and bowed herself down with her face to the earth,and saidLo! thy handmaid, as serving-woman to bathe the feet of the servants of my lord. 42And Abigail hastened, and mounted, and rode upon her ass, with her five damsels that used to journey at her feet,and she went her way after the messengers of David, and became his wife. 43David took, Ahinoam also, out of Jezreel,and, they two, became his wives. 44Saul, indeed, had given his daughter Michal, Davids wife,to Palti, sun of Laish, who was of Gallim.