1 Samuel 25

And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

Samuel passed away, leaving all of Israel in deep sorrow. They mourned him, laying him to rest in his home at Ramah. Meanwhile, David, filled with grief, journeyed into the solitude of the Paran wilderness.

And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

In the town of Maon lived a man of immense wealth. His vast lands stretched out in Carmel, teeming with a flock of three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was a man of great stature, busily tending to his sheep in Carmel.

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

Nabal was the man's name, married to the wise and beautiful Abigail. Yet, Nabal was a harsh and wicked man, descending from Caleb's lineage.

And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.

David, while in the wilderness, came to know that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:

David dispatched ten young lads, instructing them, "Head to Carmel, find Nabal, and extend my warm greetings to him."

And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

Simply tell the one living in abundance, "May you, your home, and all you possess be filled with peace."

And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.

I've heard you have workers now; your shepherds who were with us, we treated them kindly. Nothing was lost or taken from them during their time in Carmel.

Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

Ask your own young men, and they'll tell you. So please look kindly on my young men, for we've come on a feast day. Share generously with your servants and your son David, whatever you can spare.

And when David’s young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.

When David's young messengers arrived, they relayed David's message to Nabal with sincerity and respect, then fell silent.

And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.

Nabal responded to David's servants with a dismissive tone, "Who is this David? Who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays, it seems every servant thinks he can just leave his master."

Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

Should I then share my hard-earned food and water, and the meat I've prepared for my workers, with strangers whose origins I know nothing about?

So David’s young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.

David's young followers, filled with a mix of emotions, retraced their steps. They returned to him, their hearts heavy, and relayed everything they had heard.

And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.

David turned to his men, his voice firm and resolute, "Arm yourselves with your swords." Without hesitation, each man strapped on his sword, their faces set with determination. David too, fastened his own sword, its weight a familiar comfort. Following their leader, about four hundred men rose, ready to face whatever lay ahead. Meanwhile, two hundred stayed behind, guarding their belongings with equal resolve.

But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.

A young man confided in Abigail, Nabal's wife, with a troubled heart. He said, "David, from the wilderness, sent messengers to greet our master. But he responded with harsh words."

But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:

The men treated us kindly, we were safe and lacked nothing when we were with them in the fields.

They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

They were our constant shield, day and night, as we tended the sheep.

Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.

Understand and decide your actions, for harm is planned against our leader and his family. He's so wicked, it's impossible to reason with him.

Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.

In a rush, Abigail quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five prepared sheep, five measures of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She loaded them all onto the donkeys, her heart pounding with urgency.

And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.

She quietly instructed her servants, "Go ahead, I'll follow you." But she kept this secret from her husband, Nabal.

And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert on the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

As she journeyed on her donkey, she descended the hidden hillside path. Suddenly, David and his men appeared, moving towards her. Their paths crossed in an unexpected encounter.

Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.

David felt deeply frustrated, thinking, "I've protected this man's belongings in the wilderness for nothing. Despite my kindness, he repays me with harm."

So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

May God deal harshly with David's foes, and more, if by dawn I leave alive a single male of all who belong to Nabal.

And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

Upon seeing David, Abigail's heart raced. She quickly dismounted her donkey, and with a rush of humility and respect, she fell to her knees, her face touching the earth before David.

And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.

She collapsed before him, pleading, "My lord, let me bear this sin. Please, allow your servant to speak and listen to my words."

Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

Please, my lord, don't pay attention to this wicked man, Nabal. His name means 'fool', and he lives up to it. I, your servant, didn't see the men you sent.

Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

My dear, by God's grace and your own life, He has kept you from acting in violence and seeking revenge. May those who wish you harm meet the same fate as Nabal.

And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.

Now, this gift that I, your humble servant, have brought to you, my lord, please pass it on to the young men who faithfully serve you.

I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.

Please forgive me for my mistakes. I'm confident that God will bless you with stability and success because you've always fought for His cause, and you've never done anything wrong in your life.

Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.

Someone is after you, seeking to harm you. But don't worry, your life is securely tied to God. He will protect you and cast your enemies away, just like a stone from a sling.

And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;

When the time comes, and God fulfills all the wonderful promises He made to you, making you the leader of Israel, it will be a joyous day.

That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.

Then you won't carry the grief and guilt, my lord, of having shed blood for no reason or taken revenge with your own hand. When the Lord blesses you, remember me, your humble servant.

And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:

David, with gratitude in his heart, said to Abigail, "Praise be to the Lord God of Israel, who guided you to cross my path today."

And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

Thank you for your wise counsel, and for you, who've saved me today from causing harm and seeking revenge with my own hands. You are truly a blessing.

For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

Truly, as the living God of Israel has protected me from harming you, if you hadn't rushed to meet me, by dawn, not a single soul in Nabal's house would have been spared.

So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.

David gratefully accepted her offering, gently telling her, "Return home in peace. I've listened to you and granted your request."

And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

Abigail approached Nabal during his grand feast, akin to a royal banquet. Nabal was in high spirits, heavily intoxicated. So, she chose to withhold her news, neither less nor more, until the light of dawn.

But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

When morning came, Nabal sobered up and his wife revealed the truth. Shock seized his heart, leaving him as cold and unresponsive as a stone.

And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.

Around ten days later, God, in His divine judgment, struck down Nabal, ending his life.

And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.

When David learned of Nabal's death, he felt a wave of relief and gratitude. "Thank God," he said, "for defending my honor against Nabal's insults and keeping me from doing wrong. Nabal's own evil deeds have come back to haunt him." Then, David reached out to Abigail, expressing his desire to make her his wife.

And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.

When David's men reached Abigail in Carmel, they gently told her, "David has sent us to bring you to him, to become his wife."

And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

She stood up, humbly bowing her head to the ground, and pleaded, "Please, allow me, your humble servant, to wash the feet of my lord's servants."

And Abigail hasted, and arose and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

Abigail, filled with urgency, quickly got up and rode a donkey, followed by her five loyal maids. She pursued David's messengers and ultimately, became his beloved wife.

David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.

David, deeply moved, embraced Ahinoam of Jezreel as his wife, joining her with his other beloved spouse.

But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.

Saul, in a heartbreaking act, gave his daughter Michal, who was also David's wife, to Phalti of Gallim.