| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 1Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David left and went down to the desert of Paran. | 1Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran. |
| 2There was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. This man was very wealthy; he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At that time he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. | 2A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. |
| 3The man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. She was both wise and beautiful, but the man was harsh and his deeds were evil. He was a Calebite. | 3His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings--he was a Calebite. |
| 4When David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his sheep, | 4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. |
| 5he sent ten servants, saying to them, "Go up to Carmel to see Nabal and give him greetings in my name. | 5So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. |
| 6Then you will say to my brother, "Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours! | 6Say to him: 'Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours! |
| 7Now I hear that they are shearing sheep for you. When your shepherds were with us, we neither insulted them nor harmed them the whole time they were in Carmel. | 7"'Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. |
| 8Ask your own servants; they can tell you! May my servants find favor in your sight, for we have come at the time of a holiday. Please provide us--your servants and your son David--with whatever you can spare." | 8Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.'" |
| 9So David's servants went and spoke all these words to Nabal in David's name. Then they paused. | 9When David's men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David's name. Then they waited. |
| 10But Nabal responded to David's servants, "Who is David, and who is this son of Jesse? This is a time when many servants are breaking away from their masters! | 10Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. |
| 11Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don't even know where they came from!" | 11Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?" |
| 12So David's servants went on their way. When they had returned, they came and told David all these things. | 12David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. |
| 13Then David instructed his men, "Each of you strap on your sword!" So each one strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men followed David up, while two hundred stayed behind with the equipment. | 13David said to his men, "Each of you strap on your sword!" So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies. |
| 14But one of the servants told Nabal's wife Abigail, "David sent messengers from the desert to greet our lord, but he screamed at them. | 14One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal's wife, "David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. |
| 15These men were very good to us. They did not insult us, nor did we sustain any loss during the entire time we were together in the field. | 15Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. |
| 16Both night and day they were a protective wall for us the entire time we were with them, while we were tending our flocks. | 16Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. |
| 17Now be aware of this, and see what you can do. For disaster has been planned for our lord and his entire household. He is such a wicked person that no one tells him anything!" | 17Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him." |
| 18So Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two containers of wine, five prepared sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred lumps of pressed figs. She loaded them on donkeys | 18Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. |
| 19and said to her servants, "Go on ahead of me. I will come after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. | 19Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. |
| 20Riding on her donkey, she went down under cover of the mountain. David and his men were coming down to meet her, and she encountered them. | 20As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. |
| 21Now David had been thinking, "In vain I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the desert. I didn't take anything from him. But he has repaid my good with evil. | 21David had just said, "It's been useless--all my watching over this fellow's property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. |
| 22God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!" | 22May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!" |
| 23When Abigail saw David, she got down quickly from the donkey, threw herself down before David, and bowed to the ground. | 23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. |
| 24Falling at his feet, she said, "My lord, I accept all the guilt! But please let your female servant speak with my lord! Please listen to the words of your servant! | 24She fell at his feet and said: "Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. |
| 25My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means 'fool,' and he is indeed foolish! But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent. | 25Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name--his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. |
| 26"Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and as surely as you live, it is the LORD who has kept you from shedding blood and taking matters into your own hands. Now may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be like Nabal. | 26And now, my lord, as surely as the LORD your God lives and as you live, since the LORD has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. |
| 27Now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the servants who follow my lord. | 27And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you. |
| 28Please forgive the sin of your servant, for the LORD will certainly establish the house of my lord, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD. May no evil be found in you all your days! | 28"Please forgive your servant's presumption. The LORD your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the LORD's battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live. |
| 29When someone sets out to chase you and to take your life, the life of my lord will be wrapped securely in the bag of the living by the LORD your God. But he will sling away the lives of your enemies from the sling's pocket! | 29Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the LORD your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. |
| 30The LORD will do for my lord everything that he promised you, and he will make you a leader over Israel. | 30When the LORD has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, |
| 31Your conscience will not be overwhelmed with guilt for having poured out innocent blood and for having taken matters into your own hands. When the LORD has granted my lord success, please remember your servant." | 31my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant." |
| 32Then David said to Abigail, "Praised be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you this day to meet me! | 32David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. |
| 33Praised be your good judgment! May you yourself be rewarded for having prevented me this day from shedding blood and taking matters into my own hands! | 33May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. |
| 34Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives--he who has prevented me from harming you--if you had not come so quickly to meet me, by morning's light not even one male belonging to Nabal would have remained alive!" | 34Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak." |
| 35Then David took from her hand what she had brought to him. He said to her, "Go back to your home in peace. Be assured that I have listened to you and responded favorably." | 35Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request." |
| 36When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like that of the king. Nabal was having a good time and was very intoxicated. She told him absolutely nothing until morning's light. | 36When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until daybreak. |
| 37In the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed. | 37Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone. |
| 38After about ten days the LORD struck Nabal down and he died. | 38About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died. |
| 39When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, "Praised be the LORD who has vindicated me and avenged the insult that I suffered from Nabal! The LORD has kept his servant from doing evil, and he has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds." Then David sent word to Abigail and asked her to become his wife. | 39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise be to the LORD, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal's wrongdoing down on his own head." Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife. |
| 40So the servants of David went to Abigail at Carmel and said to her, "David has sent us to you to bring you back to be his wife." | 40His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, "David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife." |
| 41She arose, bowed her face toward the ground, and said, "Your female servant, like a lowly servant, will wash the feet of the servants of my lord." | 41She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, "I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord's servants." |
| 42Then Abigail quickly went and mounted her donkey, with five of her female servants accompanying her. She followed David's messengers and became his wife. | 42Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David's messengers and became his wife. |
| 43David had also married Ahinoam from Jezreel; the two of them became his wives. | 43David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. |
| 44(Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.) | 44But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim. |
|
