| New International Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 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. | 1Samuel died, and all Israel assembled to mourn for him, and they buried him by his home in Ramah. David then went down to the Wilderness of Paran. |
| 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. | 2A man in Maon had a business in Carmel; he was a very rich man with three thousand sheep and one thousand goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel. |
| 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. | 3The man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings. |
| 4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. | 4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep, |
| 5So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. | 5so David sent ten young men instructing them, "Go up to Carmel, and when you come to Nabal, greet him in my name. |
| 6Say to him: 'Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours! | 6Then say this: 'Long life to you, and peace to you, peace to your family, and peace to all that is yours. |
| 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. | 7I hear that you are shearing. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harass them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were in Carmel. |
| 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.'" | 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 day. Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your son David.'" |
| 9When David's men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David's name. Then they waited. | 9David's young men went and said all these things to Nabal on David's behalf, and they waited. |
| 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. | 10Nabal asked them, "Who is David? Who is Jesse's son? Many slaves these days are running away from their masters. |
| 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?" | 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 turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. | 12David's young men retraced their steps. When they returned to him, they reported all these words. |
| 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. | 13He 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. |
| 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. | 14One of Nabal's young men informed Abigail, Nabal's wife: "Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed at them. |
| 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. | 15The men treated us very well. When we were in the field, we weren't harassed and nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among them. |
| 16Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. | 16They were a wall around us, both day and night, the entire time we were with them herding the sheep. |
| 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." | 17Now consider carefully 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!" |
| 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. | 18Abigail hurried, taking two hundred loaves of bread, two clay jars of wine, five butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. |
| 19Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. | 19Then she said to her male servants, "Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. |
| 20As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. | 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, "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. | 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 deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!" | 22May God punish me and do so severely if I let any of his males survive until morning." |
| 23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. | 23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey and knelt down with her face to the ground and paid homage to David. |
| 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. | 24She 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. |
| 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. | 25My lord should pay no attention to this worthless fool Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name means 'stupid,' and stupidity is all he knows. I, your servant, didn't see my lord's young men whom you sent. |
| 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. | 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 by your own hand--may your enemies and those who intend to harm my lord be like Nabal. |
| 27And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you. | 27Let this gift your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. |
| 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. | 28Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord because he fights the LORD's battles. Throughout your life, may evil not be found in you. |
| 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. | 29"Someone is pursuing you and intends to take your life. My lord's life is tucked safely in the place where the LORD your God protects the living, but he is flinging away your enemies' lives like stones from a sling. |
| 30When the LORD has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, | 30When the LORD does for my lord all the good he promised you and appoints you ruler over Israel, |
| 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." | 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." |
| 32David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. | 32Then David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today! |
| 33May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. | 33May your discernment be blessed, and may you be blessed. Today you kept me from participating in bloodshed and avenging myself by my own hand. |
| 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." | 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 males left by morning light." |
| 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." | 35Then David accepted what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. See, I have heard what you said and have granted your request." |
| 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. | 36Then Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was in his house, holding a feast fit for a king. Nabal's heart was cheerful, and he was very drunk, so she didn't say anything to him until morning light. |
| 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. | 37In the morning when Nabal sobered up, his wife told him about these events. His heart died and he became a stone. |
| 38About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died. | 38About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal dead. |
| 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. | 39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD who championed my cause against Nabal's insults and restrained his servant from doing evil. The LORD brought Nabal's evil deeds back on his own head." Then David sent messengers to speak to Abigail about marrying him. |
| 40His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, "David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife." | 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 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." | 41She stood up, paid homage with her face to the ground, and said, "Here I am, your servant, a slave to wash the feet of my lord's servants." |
| 42Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David's messengers and became his wife. | 42Then Abigail got up quickly, and with her five female servants accompanying her, rode on the donkey following David's messengers. And so she became his wife. |
| 43David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. | 43David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and the two of them became his wives. |
| 44But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim. | 44But Saul gave his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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