David, Nabal, and Abigail
1 Samuel died, 25:1 1Sm 28:3 and all Israel assembled to mourn for him, 25:1 Dt 34:8 and they buried him by his home in Ramah. 25:1 2Kg 21:18; 2Ch 33:20 David then went down to the Wilderness of Paran. 25:1 LXX reads to Maon, 25:1 Gn 21:21; Nm 10:12; 13:3
2 A man in Maon 25:2 1Sm 23:24 had a business in Carmel; 25:2 Jos 15:55 he was a very rich man with three thousand sheep and one thousand goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, 25:3 Jos 15:13; 1Sm 30:14 was harsh and evil in his dealings.
4 While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep, 5 so David sent ten young men instructing them, "Go up to Carmel, and when you come to Nabal, greet him 25:5 Or Nabal, ask him for peace in my name. 6 Then say this: ‘Long life to you, 25:6 Lit ‘To life and peace to you, peace to your family, and peace to all that is yours. 25:6 1Ch 12:187 I hear that you are shearing. 25:7 Lit you have shearers When your shepherds were with us, we did not harass them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were in Carmel. 25:7 1Sm 23:24–25; 25:15–168 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, for we have come on a feast 25:8 Lit good day. 25:8 Neh 8:10–12 Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your son David.’ "
9 David’s young men went and said all these things to Nabal on David’s behalf, 25:9 Lit name and they waited. 25:9 LXX reads and he became arrogant10 Nabal asked them, "Who is David? 25:10 Jdg 9:28 Who is Jesse’s son? Many slaves these days are running away from their masters. 11 Am 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."
12 David’s young men retraced their steps. When they returned to him, they reported all these words. 13 He said to his men, "All of you, put on your swords! " So each man put on his sword, and David also put on his sword. About four hundred men followed David while two hundred stayed with the supplies. 25:13 1Sm 23:13; 30:9–10
14 One of Nabal’s young men informed Abigail, Nabal’s wife, "Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, 25:14 1Sm 13:10; 15:13 but he screamed at them. 15 The men treated us very well. When we were in the field, we weren’t harassed 25:15 1Sm 25:7,21 and nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among them. 16 They were a wall around us, both day and night, 25:16 Ex 14:22 the entire time we were with them herding the sheep. 17 Now consider carefully 25:17 Lit Now know and see what you should 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! "
18 Abigail hurried, taking two hundred loaves of bread, two clay jars of wine, five butchered sheep, a bushel 25:18 Lit sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 25:18 2Sm 16:1; 1Ch 12:4019 Then she said to her male servants, "Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you." 25:19 Gn 32:16,20 But she did not tell her husband, Nabal.
20 As she rode the donkey down a mountain pass hidden from view, she saw David and his men coming toward her and met them. 21 David 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. 22 May God punish me 25:22 LXX; MT reads David’s enemies and do so severely 25:22 1Sm 3:17; 20:13 if I let any of his males 25:22 Lit of those of his who are urinating against the wall survive until morning." 25:22 1Kg 14:10
23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey and knelt down with her face to the ground and paid homage to David. 25:23 1Sm 20:4124 She knelt 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. 25 My lord should pay no attention to this worthless fool Nabal, for he lives up to his name: 25:25 Lit for as is his name is, so he is His name means ‘stupid,’ and stupidity is all he knows. 25:25 Lit and foolishness is with him I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men whom you sent. 26 Now 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 25:26 Heb 10:30 by your own hand—may your enemies and those who intend to harm my lord be like Nabal. 25:26 2Sm 18:3227 Let this gift 25:27 Gn 33:11; 1Sm 30:26 your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive your servant’s offense, 25:28 1Sm 25:24 for the Lord is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord 25:28 1Sm 2:35; 22:14; 2Sm 7:11,16 because he fights the Lord’s battles. 25:28 1Sm 18:17 Throughout your life, may evil 25:28 Or trouble not be found in you. 25:28 1Sm 24:11; Ps 7:3
29 "Someone is pursuing you and intends to take your life. My lord’s life is tucked safely in the place 25:29 Lit bundle where the Lord your God protects the living, but he is flinging away your enemies’ lives like stones from a sling. 25:29 Jr 10:1830 When the Lord does for my lord all the good he promised you and appoints you ruler over Israel, 25:30 1Sm 13:1431 there 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." 25:31 Gn 40:14; 1Sm 25:30
32 Then David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, 25:32 Ex 18:10 who sent you to meet me today! 33 May your discernment be blessed, and may you be blessed. Today you kept me from participating in bloodshed and avenging myself by my own hand. 25:33 1Sm 25:2634 Otherwise, 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 males 25:34 Lit had anyone urinating against a wall left by morning light." 35 Then David accepted what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. 25:35 1Sm 20:42; 2Kg 5:19 See, I have heard what you said and have granted your request." 25:35 Gn 19:21
36 Then Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was in his house, holding a feast fit for a king. 25:36 2Sm 13:23 Nabal’s heart was cheerful, 25:36 Lit Nabal’s heart was good on him and he was very drunk, so she didn’t say anything 25:36 Lit anything at all to him 25:36 1Sm 25:19 until morning light.
37 In the morning when Nabal sobered up, 25:37 Lit when the wine had gone out of Nabal his wife told him about these events. His heart died 25:37 Lit Then his heart died within him and he became a stone. 38 About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal dead. 25:38 1Sm 26:10
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the Lord who championed my cause against Nabal’s insults 25:39 1Sm 24:15 and restrained his servant from doing evil. 25:39 1Sm 25:26,34 The Lord brought Nabal’s evil deeds back on his own head." 25:39 2Sm 3:28–29
Then David sent messengers to speak to Abigail about marrying him. 40 When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, "David sent us to bring you to him as a wife."
41 She stood up, paid homage with her face to the ground, 25:41 1Sm 25:23 and said, "Here I am, your servant, a slave to wash the feet of my lord’s servants." 25:41 Mk 1:742 Then Abigail got up quickly, and with her five female servants accompanying her, rode on the donkey following David’s messengers. 25:42 Gn 24:61–67 And so she became his wife.
43 David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, 25:43 Jos 15:56 and the two of them became his wives. 44 But Saul gave his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti 25:44 1Sm 18:27; 2Sm 3:14–15 son of Laish, who was from Gallim. 25:44 Is 10:30
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