1And then Samuel died. And all Israel gathered, and mourned for him, and buried him at his home at Ramah. Then David went down to the Desert of Paran.

2And there was a man in Maon, who had property in Carmel. And he was very wealthy. He had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep there in Carmel. 3His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail; and she was an intelligent and beautiful woman; but Nabal was surly and mean in his dealings; and he was of the house of Caleb. 4And while in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5And David sent ten young men, and told them, “Go up to Carmel, to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6And say this to him who lives in prosperity, ‘Peace be to you, your house, and to all that you have. 7And now I have heard that you have shearers. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harm them, nor was there anything of theirs missing, all the while they were in Carmel. 8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore, let the young men find favor in your eyes; for we come in a festive day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants, and to your son, David.’”

9And when David's men arrived, they spoke all those words to Nabal in the name of David. 10And Nabal answered, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants now a days who break away, every man from his master. 11Shall I take my bread, water, and the meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men, when I do not know where they are from?” 12So David's young men returned and told David what he said. 13And David told his men, “Every man strap on his sword.” And David also strapped on his sword; And about four hundred men followed David; while two hundred stayed back with the baggage.

14But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, “David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master; and he railed on them. 15But those men have been very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor missed anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields: 16They were like a wall around us, night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. 17Now, consider what you must do; for trouble is coming to Nabal and all his household; for he is such a worthless fellow, that no one can speak to him.”

18Then Abigail hurried, and took two hundred loaves, two bottles of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five measures of parched grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19And she said to her servants, “Go on ahead of me; and I’ll come after you.” But she did not tell her husband, Nabal. 20And as she rode on the donkey and came down by the top of the mountain, David and his men were coming toward her; and she met them. 21Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I watched over this fellow in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; and he has returned evil to me for good. 22So, may God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if I leave any male that belongs to him alive by morning light.”

23And when Abigail saw David, she quickly alighted from her donkey, and fell on her face and bowed before David, 24And she said, “Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be; and let me speak to you, and hear my words. 25Please do not regard this scoundrel, Nabal; for as his name (stupid) is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I did not see the young men you sent. 26Now, therefore, as the LORD lives, and as you live, seeing the LORD has kept you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies, and any who intend evil to you be as Nabal. 27And now let this gift which I have brought to my lord, be given to the young men who follow you. 28I pray you will forgive the trespass of your handmaid; for the LORD will certainly make you a sure house, because you fight the battles of the LORD, and evil has not been found in you all your days. 29Even when a man is in pursuit of you, and seeks your life; but the soul of my lord shall be bound securely in the bundle of life with the LORD your God; and the souls of your enemies, He shall sling, as out of the middle of a sling. 30And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has rewarded my lord with all the good that He has spoken regarding you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel; 31That this shall not grieve you, nor your conscience, that you have shed blood without cause, or that you have avenged yourself; but when the LORD shall have dealt well with you, then remember your handmaid.”

32And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, Who sent you this day to meet me: 33And blessed be your judgement, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with my own hand. 34For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, Who has kept me back from hurting you, had you not hurried and intercepted me, surely there had not been any men left alive to Nabal by the morning light.” 35So David accepted from her what she had brought him, and told her, “Go in peace to your house; I have listened to your voice, and have granted your petition.”

36And Abigail returned to Nabal; and 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, more or less, until morning. 37But in the morning, when Nabal was sober, and his wife had told him all these things, his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38And about ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal, so that he died. 39And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD, Who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil; for the LORD has returned Nabal’s wickedness upon his own head.” And David sent and talked with Abigail, to ask her to be his wife. 40And when the servants of David had come to Abigail in Carmel, they said to her, “David sent us to you, to ask you to marry him.” 41And she arose, bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, “Behold, let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of David’s servants.” 42And Abigail hurriedly arose, got on a donkey, with five of her maidens and followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.

43David also took Ahinoam, of Jezreel; they were both his wives. 44In the meantime, Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Palti, son of Laish, who was from Gallim.