25Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral. They buried him at his house in Ramah. Then David moved down to the wilderness of Maon.H8050H4191H3478H6908H5594H6912H1004H7414H1732H6965H3381H4057H6290 2There was a wealthy man from Maon who owned property near the town of Carmel. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and it was sheep-shearing time.H376H4584H4639H3760H376H3966H1419H7969H505H6629H505H5795H1494H6629H3760 3This man's name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings.H8034H376H5037H8034H802H26H802H2896H7922H3303H8389H376H7186H7451H4611H3614 4When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep,H1732H8085H4057H5037H1494H6629 5he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal.H1732H7971H6235H5288H1732H559H5288H5927H3760H935H5037H7592H7965H8034 6"Peace and prosperity to you, your family, and everything you own!H559H2416H7965H7965H1004H7965 7I am told that it is sheep-shearing time. While your shepherds stayed among us near Carmel, we never harmed them, and nothing was ever stolen from them.H8085H1494H7462H3637H3972H6485H3117H3760 8Ask your own men, and they will tell you this is true. So would you be kind to us, since we have come at a time of celebration? Please share any provisions you might have on hand with us and with your friend David."H7592H5288H5046H5288H4672H2580H5869H935H2896H3117H5414H4672H3027H5650H1121H1732 9David's young men gave this message to Nabal in David's name, and they waited for a reply.H1732H5288H935H1696H5037H1697H8034H1732H5117 10"Who is this fellow David?" Nabal sneered to the young men. "Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters.H5037H6030H1732H5650H559H1732H1121H3448H7231H5650H3117H6555H376H6440H113 11Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?"H3947H3899H4325H2878H2873H1494H5414H582H3045 12So David's young men returned and told him what Nabal had said.H1732H5288H2015H1870H7725H935H5046H1697 13"Get your swords!" was David's reply as he strapped on his own. Then 400 men started off with David, and 200 remained behind to guard their equipment.H1732H559H582H2296H376H2719H2296H376H2719H1732H2296H2719H5927H310H1732H702H3967H376H3967H3427H3627 14Meanwhile, one of Nabal's servants went to Abigail and told her, "David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed insults at them.H259H5288H5046H26H5037H802H559H1732H7971H4397H4057H1288H113H5860 15These men have been very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us.H582H3966H2896H3637H6485H3972H3117H1980H7704 16In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep.H2346H3915H3119H3117H7462H6629 17You need to know this and figure out what to do, for there is going to be trouble for our master and his whole family. He's so ill-tempered that no one can even talk to him!"H3045H7200H6213H7451H3615H113H1004H1121H1100H1696 18Abigail wasted no time. She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She packed them on donkeysH26H4116H3947H3967H3899H8147H5035H3196H2568H6629H6213H2568H5429H7039H3967H6778H3967H1690H7760H2543 19and said to her servants, "Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly." But she didn't tell her husband Nabal what she was doing.H559H5288H5674H6440H935H310H5046H376H5037 20As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her.H7392H2543H3381H5643H2022H1732H582H3381H7125H6298 21David had just been saying, "A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good.H1732H559H8267H8104H2088H4057H3972H6485H7725H7451H2896 22May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!"H3541H3254H6213H430H341H1732H7604H5704H1242H216H8366H7023 23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him.H26H7200H1732H4116H3381H2543H5307H639H1732H6440H7812H776 24She fell at his feet and said, "I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say.H5307H7272H559H113H5771H519H1696H241H8085H1697H589 25I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don't pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent.H7760H113H3820H376H1100H5037H8034H5037H8034H5039H519H7200H5288H113H7971 26"Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, since the LORD has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies and those who try to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is.H113H3068H2416H5315H2416H3068H4513H935H1818H3467H3027H341H1245H7451H113H5037 27And here is a present that I, your servant, have brought to you and your young men.H1293H8198H935H113H5414H5288H1980H7272H113 28Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way. The LORD will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty, for you are fighting the LORD's battles. And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life.H5375H6588H519H3068H6213H6213H113H539H1004H113H3898H4421H3068H7451H4672H3117 29"Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the LORD your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling!H120H6965H7291H1245H5315H5315H113H6887H6872H2416H3068H430H5315H341H7049H8432H3709H7050 30When the LORD has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel,H3068H6213H113H2896H1696H6680H5057H3478 31don't let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won't have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the LORD has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!"H6330H4383H3820H113H8210H1818H2600H113H3467H3068H3190H113H2142H519 32David replied to Abigail, "Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today!H1732H559H26H1288H3068H430H3478H7971H3117H7125 33Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands.H1288H2940H1288H3607H3117H935H1818H3467H3027 34For I swear by the LORD, the God of Israel, who has kept me from hurting you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal's men would still be alive tomorrow morning."H199H3068H430H3478H2416H4513H7489H3884H4116H935H7125H3498H5037H1242H216H8366H7023 35Then David accepted her present and told her, "Return home in peace. I have heard what you said. We will not kill your husband."H1732H3947H3027H935H559H5927H7965H1004H7200H8085H6963H5375H6440 36When Abigail arrived home, she found that Nabal was throwing a big party and was celebrating like a king. He was very drunk, so she didn't tell him anything about her meeting with David until dawn the next day.H26H935H5037H4960H1004H4960H4428H5037H3820H2896H3966H7910H5046H1697H6996H1419H1242H216 37In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and he lay paralyzed on his bed like a stone.H1242H3196H3318H5037H802H5046H1697H3820H4191H7130H68 38About ten days later, the LORD struck him, and he died.H6235H3117H3068H5062H5037H4191 39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise the LORD, who has avenged the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin." Then David sent messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife.H1732H8085H5037H4191H559H1288H3068H7378H7379H2781H3027H5037H2820H5650H7451H3068H7725H7451H5037H7218H1732H7971H1696H26H3947H802 40When the messengers arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail, "David has sent us to take you back to marry him."H5650H1732H935H26H3760H1696H559H1732H7971H3947H802 41She bowed low to the ground and responded, "I, your servant, would be happy to marry David. I would even be willing to become a slave, washing the feet of his servants!"H6965H7812H639H776H559H519H8198H7364H7272H5650H113 42Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her servant girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and went with David's messengers. And so she became his wife.H26H4116H6965H7392H2543H2568H5291H1980H7272H3212H310H4397H1732H802 43David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel, making both of them his wives.H1732H3947H293H3157H8147H802 44Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti son of Laish.H7586H5414H4324H1323H1732H802H6406H1121H3919H1554
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