1 Samuel 25

Samuel Dies

1Samuel died, and all Israel gathered and mourned for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah.

Then David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

Nabal Refuses David’s Request

2There was a man in Maon whose work was in Carmel. The man was very great and had three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was good in understanding and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his deeds. He was a Calebite. 4David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5So David sent ten young men. David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, come to Nabal, and ask him in my name about his well-being. 6Thus you shall say: ‘Long life to you, and peace to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that belongs to you. 7And now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us; we did not humiliate them, and nothing of theirs was missing all the days they were in Carmel. 8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let the young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a good day. Please give whatever your hand finds to your servants and to your son David.’” 9David’s young men came and spoke to Nabal according to all these words in David’s name. Then they waited. 10Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Many servants today are breaking away, each from his master. 11Shall I take my bread, my water, and my meat that I slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men whose origin I do not know?”

David Prepares to Attack Nabal

12David’s young men turned on their way, returned, and came and told him according to all these words. 13David said to his men, “Each man strap on his sword.” So each man strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.

A Servant Warns Abigail

14But one young man from the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to bless our master, but he screamed insults at them. 15Yet the men were very good to us. We were not humiliated, and we did not miss anything all the days we went about with them while we were in the field. 16They were a wall around us both night and day all the days we were with them shepherding the flock. 17And now know and see what you should do, for evil is determined against our master and against all his house. He is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him.”

Abigail Prepares a Gift

18Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves, two skins of wine, five sheep prepared for food, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and put them upon donkeys. 19She said to her young men, “Pass on before me. Look, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell Nabal her husband. 20And it happened as she was riding on the donkey and going down by the hidden part of the mountain, behold, David and his men were coming down toward her, and she met them.

David Vows to Destroy Nabal’s House

21Now David had said, “Surely for emptiness I guarded all that belongs to this man in the wilderness, so that nothing was missing from all that belonged to him, and he returned evil to me for good. 22Thus may God do to David’s enemies and more also if I leave by morning from all who belong to him one who urinates against a wall.”

Abigail Intercedes

23When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey, fell before David upon her face, and bowed down to the ground. 24She fell at his feet and said, “Upon me, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your female servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your female servant. 25Please let not my lord set his heart toward this worthless man, toward Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I, your female servant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. 26And now, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your life lives, since the LORD has restrained you from coming into bloodguilt and from saving yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies and those seeking evil against my lord be like Nabal. 27And now, let this blessing that your female servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who walk at the feet of my lord. 28Please forgive the transgression of your female servant, for the LORD will surely make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil shall not be found in you all your days. 29Though a human being arises to pursue you and seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God, but the life of your enemies he shall sling away from the hollow of the sling. 30And it shall be when the LORD does for my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and appoints you ruler over Israel, 31then this shall not be for you a stumbling or a troubled heart to my lord, either that you poured out blood without cause or that my lord saved himself. And when the LORD does good to my lord, remember your female servant.”

David Blesses Abigail

32David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me. 33Blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have restrained me this day from coming into bloodguilt and from saving myself with my own hand. 34For truly, as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who restrained me from doing evil to you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by the morning light there would not have remained to Nabal one who urinates against a wall.” 35Then David took from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have listened to your voice and lifted up your face.”

Nabal Dies

36Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he had a feast in his house like the feast of a king. Nabal’s heart was merry within him, and he was very drunk. So she did not tell him anything, small or great, until the morning light. 37And it happened in the morning, when the wine had gone out from Nabal, that his wife told him these things. His heart died within him, and he became like stone. 38And it happened about ten days later that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

David Marries Abigail

39David heard that Nabal was dead and said, “Blessed be the LORD, who pleaded the case of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and restrained his servant from evil. The evil of Nabal the LORD has returned upon his own head.” Then David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her for himself as wife. 40David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel and spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as wife.” 41She arose, bowed with her face to the ground, and said, “Look, your female servant is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42Abigail hurried and arose and rode on a donkey, with five of her young women walking at her feet. She went after the messengers of David and became his wife.

David’s Wives

43David had also taken Ahinoam from Jezreel, and the two of them became his wives. 44But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim.