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.H8050H4191H3478H6908H5594H6912H1004H7414H1732H6965H3381H4057H62902There 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.H376H4584H4639H3760H376H3966H1419H7969H505H6629H505H5795H1494H6629H37603This 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.H8034H376H5037H8034H802H26H802H2896H7922H3303H8389H376H7186H7451H4611H36144When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep,H1732H8085H4057H5037H1494H66295he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal.H1732H7971H6235H5288H1732H559H5288H5927H3760H935H5037H7592H7965H80346"Peace and prosperity to you, your family, and everything you own!H559H2416H7965H7965H1004H79657I 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.H8085H1494H7462H3637H3972H6485H3117H37608Ask 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."H7592H5288H5046H5288H4672H2580H5869H935H2896H3117H5414H4672H3027H5650H1121H17329David's young men gave this message to Nabal in David's name, and they waited for a reply.H1732H5288H935H1696H5037H1697H8034H1732H511710"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.H5037H6030H1732H5650H559H1732H1121H3448H7231H5650H3117H6555H376H6440H11311Should 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?"H3947H3899H4325H2878H2873H1494H5414H582H304512So David's young men returned and told him what Nabal had said.H1732H5288H2015H1870H7725H935H5046H169713"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.H1732H559H582H2296H376H2719H2296H376H2719H1732H2296H2719H5927H310H1732H702H3967H376H3967H3427H362714Meanwhile, 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.H259H5288H5046H26H5037H802H559H1732H7971H4397H4057H1288H113H586015These 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.H582H3966H2896H3637H6485H3972H3117H1980H770416In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep.H2346H3915H3119H3117H7462H662917You 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!"H3045H7200H6213H7451H3615H113H1004H1121H1100H169618Abigail 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 donkeysH26H4116H3947H3967H3899H8147H5035H3196H2568H6629H6213H2568H5429H7039H3967H6778H3967H1690H7760H254319and said to her servants, "Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly." But she didn't tell her husband Nabal what she was doing.H559H5288H5674H6440H935H310H5046H376H503720As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her.H7392H2543H3381H5643H2022H1732H582H3381H7125H629821David 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.H1732H559H8267H8104H2088H4057H3972H6485H7725H7451H289622May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!"H3541H3254H6213H430H341H1732H7604H5704H1242H216H8366H7023
Abigail Intercedes for Nabal
23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him.H26H7200H1732H4116H3381H2543H5307H639H1732H6440H7812H77624She fell at his feet and said, "I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say.H5307H7272H559H113H5771H519H1696H241H8085H1697H58925I 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.H7760H113H3820H376H1100H5037H8034H5037H8034H5039H519H7200H5288H113H797126"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.H113H3068H2416H5315H2416H3068H4513H935H1818H3467H3027H341H1245H7451H113H503727And here is a present that I, your servant, have brought to you and your young men.H1293H8198H935H113H5414H5288H1980H7272H11328Please 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.H5375H6588H519H3068H6213H6213H113H539H1004H113H3898H4421H3068H7451H4672H311729"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!H120H6965H7291H1245H5315H5315H113H6887H6872H2416H3068H430H5315H341H7049H8432H3709H705030When the LORD has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel,H3068H6213H113H2896H1696H6680H5057H347831don'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!"H6330H4383H3820H113H8210H1818H2600H113H3467H3068H3190H113H2142H51932David replied to Abigail, "Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today!H1732H559H26H1288H3068H430H3478H7971H3117H712533Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands.H1288H2940H1288H3607H3117H935H1818H3467H302734For 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."H199H3068H430H3478H2416H4513H7489H3884H4116H935H7125H3498H5037H1242H216H8366H702335Then David accepted her present and told her, "Return home in peace. I have heard what you said. We will not kill your husband."H1732H3947H3027H935H559H5927H7965H1004H7200H8085H6963H5375H644036When 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.H26H935H5037H4960H1004H4960H4428H5037H3820H2896H3966H7910H5046H1697H6996H1419H1242H21637In 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.H1242H3196H3318H5037H802H5046H1697H3820H4191H7130H6838About ten days later, the LORD struck him, and he died.H6235H3117H3068H5062H5037H4191
David Marries Abigail
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.H1732H8085H5037H4191H559H1288H3068H7378H7379H2781H3027H5037H2820H5650H7451H3068H7725H7451H5037H7218H1732H7971H1696H26H3947H80240When the messengers arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail, "David has sent us to take you back to marry him."H5650H1732H935H26H3760H1696H559H1732H7971H3947H80241She 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!"H6965H7812H639H776H559H519H8198H7364H7272H5650H11342Quickly 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.H26H4116H6965H7392H2543H2568H5291H1980H7272H3212H310H4397H1732H80243David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel, making both of them his wives.H1732H3947H293H3157H8147H80244Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti son of Laish.H7586H5414H4324H1323H1732H802H6406H1121H3919H1554
Ashburn, VA
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