| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness 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. |
| 2Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And 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 name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb. | 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 wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, | 4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. |
| 5David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him 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. |
| 6And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! | 6Say to him: 'Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours! |
| 7Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while 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 young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’ ” | 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 when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and waited. | 9When David's men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David's name. Then they waited. |
| 10Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. | 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. |
| 11Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are 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 young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words. | 12David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. |
| 13Then David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies. | 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. |
| 14Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled 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. |
| 15But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. | 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. |
| 16They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. | 16Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. |
| 17Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.” | 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." |
| 18Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and 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 she said to her servants, “Go on before me; see, I am coming 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. |
| 20So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met 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 said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good. | 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. |
| 22May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light.” | 22May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!" |
| 23Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. | 23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. |
| 24So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. | 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. |
| 25Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you 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. |
| 26Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as 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. |
| 27And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men 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 trespass of your maidservant. For the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil is not found in you throughout 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. |
| 29Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. | 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. |
| 30And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, | 30When the LORD has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, |
| 31that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.” | 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: “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who 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. |
| 33And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. | 33May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. |
| 34For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!” | 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." |
| 35So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.” | 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." |
| 36Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning 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. |
| 37So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. | 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. |
| 38Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. | 38About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died. |
| 39So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as 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. |
| 40When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.” | 40His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, "David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife." |
| 41Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to 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." |
| 42So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, 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 also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives. | 43David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. |
| 44But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the 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. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | 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. |
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