1 Samuel 25
25
David, Nabal and Abigail
1When Samuel died, the whole nation of Israel gathered together. They were filled with sorrow because he was dead. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David went down into the Desert of Paran.
2A certain man in Maon was very wealthy. He owned property there at Carmel. He had 1,000 goats and 3,000 sheep. He was clipping the wool off the sheep in Carmel. 3His name was Nabal. His wife’s name was Abigail. She was a wise and beautiful woman. But her husband was rude and mean in the way he treated others. He was from the family of Caleb.
4David was staying in the Desert of Paran. While he was there, he heard that Nabal was clipping the wool off his sheep. 5So he sent for ten young men. He said to them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel. Greet him for me. 6Say to him, ‘May you live a long time! May everything go well with you and your family! And may things go well with everything that belongs to you!
7“ ‘I hear that you are clipping the wool off your sheep. When your shepherds were with us, we treated them well. The whole time they were at Carmel nothing that belonged to them was stolen. 8Ask your own servants. They’ll tell you. We’ve come to you now at a happy time of the year. Please be kind to my men. Please give me and my men anything you can find for us.’ ”
9When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal the message from David. Then they waited.
10Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are running away from their masters these days. 11Why should I give away my bread and water? Why should I give away the meat I’ve prepared for those who clip the wool off my sheep? Why should I give food to men who come from who knows where?”
12So David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported to David every word Nabal had spoken. 13David said to his men, “Each of you put on your swords!” So they did. David put his sword on too. About 400 men went up with David. Two hundred men stayed behind with the supplies.
14One of the servants warned Abigail, Nabal’s wife. He said, “David sent some messengers from the desert to give his greetings to our master. But Nabal shouted at them and was rude to them. 15David’s men had been very good to us. They treated us well. The whole time we were near them out in the fields, nothing was stolen. 16We were taking care of our sheep near them. During that time, they were like a wall around us night and day. They kept us safe. 17Now think it over. See what you can do. Horrible trouble will soon come to our master and his whole family. He’s such an evil man that no one can even talk to him.”
18Abigail didn’t waste any time. She got 200 loaves of bread and two bottles of wine. The bottles were made out of animal skins. She got five sheep that were ready to be cooked. She got a bushel of grain that had been cooked. She got 100 raisin cakes. And she got 200 cakes of pressed figs. She loaded all of it on the backs of donkeys. 19Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead. I’ll follow you.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal about it.
20Abigail rode her donkey into a mountain valley. There she saw David and his men. They were coming down toward her. 21David had just said, “Everything we’ve done hasn’t been worth a thing! I watched over that fellow’s property in the desert. I made sure none of it was stolen. But he has paid me back evil for good. 22I won’t leave even one of his men alive until morning. If I do, may God punish me greatly!”
23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey. She bowed down in front of David with her face toward the ground. 24She fell at his feet. She said, “Pardon your servant, sir. Please let me speak to you. Listen to what I’m saying. Let me take the blame myself. 25Please don’t pay any attention to that evil man Nabal. His name means Foolish Person. And that’s exactly what he is. He’s always doing foolish things. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to see the men you sent. 26Sir, the Lord has kept you from killing Nabal and his men. He has kept you from using your own hands to get even. So may what’s about to happen to Nabal happen to all your enemies. May it happen to everyone who wants to harm you. And may it happen just as surely as the Lord your God and you are alive. 27I’ve brought a gift for you. Give it to the men who follow you.
28“Please forgive me if I shouldn’t have done that. The Lord your God will certainly give you and your family line a kingdom that will last. That’s because you fight the Lord’s battles. You won’t do anything wrong as long as you live. 29Someone may chase you and try to kill you. But the Lord your God will keep your life safe like a treasure hidden in a bag. And he’ll destroy your enemies. Their lives will be thrown away, just as a stone is thrown from a sling. 30The Lord will do for you every good thing he promised to do. He’ll appoint you ruler over Israel. 31When that happens, you won’t have this heavy load on your mind. You won’t have to worry about how you killed people without any reason. You won’t have to worry about how you got even. The Lord your God will give you success. When that happens, please remember me.”
32David said to Abigail, “Give praise to the Lord. He is the God of Israel. He has sent you today to find me. 33May the Lord bless you for what you have done. You have shown a lot of good sense. You have kept me from killing Nabal and his men this day. You have kept me from using my own hands to get even. 34It’s a good thing you came quickly to meet me. If you hadn’t come, not one of Nabal’s men would have been left alive by sunrise. And that’s just as sure as the Lord, the God of Israel, is alive. He has kept me from harming you.”
35Then David accepted from her what she had brought him. He said, “Go home in peace. I’ve heard your words. I’ll do what you have asked.”
36Abigail went back to Nabal. He was having a dinner party in the house. It was the kind of dinner a king would have. He had been drinking too much wine. He was very drunk. So she didn’t tell him anything at all until sunrise. 37The next morning Nabal wasn’t drunk anymore. Then his wife told him everything. When she did, his heart grew weak. He became like a stone. 38About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal down. And he died.
39David heard that Nabal was dead. So he said, “Give praise to the Lord. Nabal was rude to me. But the Lord stood up for me. He has kept me from doing something wrong. He has paid Nabal back for the wrong things he did.”
Then David sent a message to Abigail. He asked her to become his wife. 40His servants went to Carmel. They said to Abigail, “David has sent us to you. He wants you to come back with us and become his wife.”
41Abigail bowed down with her face toward the ground. She said, “I am your servant. I’m ready to serve him. I’m ready to wash the feet of his servants.” 42Abigail quickly got on a donkey and went with David’s messengers. Her five female servants went with her. She became David’s wife. 43David had also married Ahinoam from Jezreel. Both of them became his wives. 44But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s first wife, to Paltiel. Paltiel was from Gallim. He was the son of Laish.
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1 Samuel 25: NIrV
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1 Samuel 25
25
David, Nabal, and Abigail
1Samuel died, # 1Sm 28:3 and all Israel assembled to mourn for him, # Dt 34:8 and they buried him by his home in Ramah. # 2Kg 21:18; 2Ch 33:20 David then went down to the Wilderness of Paran. # LXX reads to Maon # Gn 21:21; Nm 10:12; 13:3
2A man in Maon # 1Sm 23:24 had a business in Carmel; # Jos 15:55 he was a very rich man with 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, # Jos 15:13; 1Sm 30:14 was harsh and evil in his dealings.
4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep, 5so David sent 10 young men instructing them, “Go up to Carmel, and when you come to Nabal, greet him in my name. # Or Nabal, and ask him for peace 6Then say this: ‘Long life to you, # Lit To life and peace to you, to your family, and to all that is yours. # 1Ch 12:18 7I hear that you are shearing. # 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. # 1Sm 23:24-25; 25:15-16 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 # Lit good day. # Neh 8:10-12 Please give whatever you can afford to your servants and to your son David.’ ”
9David’s young men went and said all these things to Nabal on David’s behalf, # Lit name and they waited. # LXX reads and he became arrogant 10Nabal asked them, “Who is David? # Jdg 9:28 Who is Jesse’s son? Many slaves these days are running 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.”
12David’s men retraced their steps. When they returned to him, they reported all these words. 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. # 1Sm 23:13; 30:9-10
14One of Nabal’s young men informed Abigail, Nabal’s wife: “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, # 1Sm 13:10; 15:13 but he yelled at them. 15The men treated us well. When we were in the field, we weren’t harassed # 1Sm 25:7,21 and nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among them. 16They were a wall around us, both day and night, # Ex 14:22 the entire time we were herding 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! ”
18Abigail hurried, taking 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, a bushel # Lit sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. # 2Sm 16:1; 1Ch 12:40 19Then she said to her male servants, “Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you.” # Gn 32:16,20 But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20As she rode the donkey down a mountain pass hidden from view, she saw David and his men coming toward her and met them. 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. 22May God punish me # LXX; MT reads David’s enemies and do so severely # 1Sm 3:17; 20:13 if I let any of his men # Lit of those of his who are urinating against the wall survive until morning.” # 1Kg 14:10
23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey and fell with her face to the ground in front of David. # 1Sm 20:41 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. 25My lord should pay no attention to this worthless man Nabal, for he lives up to his name: # Lit for as is his name is, so he is His name is Nabal, # = Fool and stupidity is all he knows. # Lit and foolishness is with him I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men whom 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 # Heb 10:30 by your own hand. May your enemies and those who want trouble for my lord be like Nabal. # 2Sm 18:32 27Accept this gift # Gn 33:11; 1Sm 30:26 your servant has brought to my lord, and let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28Please forgive your servant’s offense, # 1Sm 25:24 for the Lord is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord # 1Sm 2:35; 22:14; 2Sm 7:11,16 because he fights the Lord’s battles. # 1Sm 18:17 Throughout your life, may evil # Or trouble not be found in you. # 1Sm 24:11; Ps 7:3
29“When someone pursues you and attempts to take your life, my lord’s life will be tucked safely in the place # Lit bundle where the Lord your God protects the living. However, He will fling away your enemies’ lives like stones from a sling. # Jr 10:18 30When the Lord does for my lord all the good He promised and appoints you ruler over Israel, # 1Sm 13:14 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.” # Gn 40:14; 1Sm 25:30
32Then David said to Abigail, “Praise to the Lord God of Israel, # Ex 18:10 who 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. # 1Sm 25:26 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 # Lit had anyone urinating against a wall left by morning light.” 35Then David accepted what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. # 1Sm 20:42; 2Kg 5:19 See, I have heard what you said and have granted your request.” # Gn 19:21
36Then Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was in his house, holding a feast fit for a king. # 2Sm 13:23 Nabal was in a good mood # Lit Nabal’s heart was good on him and very drunk, so she didn’t say anything # Lit anything small or great to him # 1Sm 25:19 until morning light.
37In the morning when Nabal sobered up, # Lit when the wine had gone out of Nabal his wife told him about these events. Then he had a seizure # Lit Then his heart died within him and became paralyzed. # Lit became a stone 38About 10 days later, the Lord struck Nabal dead. # 1Sm 26:10
39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the Lord who championed my cause against Nabal’s insults # 1Sm 24:15 and restrained His servant from doing evil. # 1Sm 25:26,34 The Lord brought Nabal’s evil deeds back on his own head.” # 2Sm 3:28-29
Then David sent messengers to speak to Abigail about marrying him. 40When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David sent us to bring you to him as a wife.”
41She stood up, then bowed her face to the ground # 1Sm 25:23 and said, “Here I am, your servant, to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” # Mk 1:7 42Then Abigail got up quickly, and with her five female servants accompanying her, rode on the donkey following David’s messengers. # Gn 24:61-67 And so she became his wife.
43David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, # Jos 15:56 and the two of them became his wives. 44But Saul gave his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti # 1Sm 18:27; 2Sm 3:14-15 son of Laish, who was from Gallim. # Is 10:30
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