25Now 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 Maon.H8050H4191H3478H6908H5594H6912H1004H7414H1732H6965H3381H4057H62902A 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.H376H4584H4639H3760H376H3966H1419H7969H505H6629H505H5795H1494H6629H37603His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings.H8034H376H5037H8034H802H26H802H2896H7922H3303H8389H376H7186H7451H4611H36144While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep.H1732H8085H4057H5037H1494H66295So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name.H1732H7971H6235H5288H1732H559H5288H5927H3760H935H5037H7592H7965H80346Say to him: 'Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!H559H2416H7965H7965H1004H79657"'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.H8085H1494H7462H3637H3972H6485H3117H37608Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my young men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.'"H7592H5288H5046H5288H4672H2580H5869H935H2896H3117H5414H4672H3027H5650H1121H17329When David's men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David's name. Then they waited.H1732H5288H935H1696H5037H1697H8034H1732H511710Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days.H5037H6030H1732H5650H559H1732H1121H3448H7231H5650H3117H6555H376H6440H11311Why 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?"H3947H3899H4325H2878H2873H1494H5414H582H304512David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word.H1732H5288H2015H1870H7725H935H5046H169713David said to his men, "Put on your swords!" So they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.H1732H559H582H2296H376H2719H2296H376H2719H1732H2296H2719H5927H310H1732H702H3967H376H3967H3427H362714One of the servants told Nabal's wife Abigail: "David sent messengers from the desert to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them.H259H5288H5046H26H5037H802H559H1732H7971H4397H4057H1288H113H586015Yet 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.H582H3966H2896H3637H6485H3972H3117H1980H770416Night and day they were a wall around us all the time we were herding our sheep near them.H2346H3915H3119H3117H7462H662917Now 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."H3045H7200H6213H7451H3615H113H1004H1121H1100H169618Abigail lost no time. 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.H26H4116H3947H3967H3899H8147H5035H3196H2568H6629H6213H2568H5429H7039H3967H6778H3967H1690H7760H254319Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.H559H5288H5674H6440H935H310H5046H376H503720As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them.H7392H2543H3381H5643H2022H1732H582H3381H7125H629821David had just said, "It's been useless--all my watching over this fellow's property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good.H1732H559H8267H8104H2088H4057H3972H6485H7725H7451H289622May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!"H3541H3254H6213H430H341H1732H7604H5704H1242H216H8366H702323When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground.H26H7200H1732H4116H3381H2543H5307H639H1732H6440H7812H77624She fell at his feet and said: "My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say.H5307H7272H559H113H5771H519H1696H241H8085H1697H58925May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name--his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent.H7760H113H3820H376H1100H5037H8034H5037H8034H5039H519H7200H5288H113H797126"Now since the LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal.H113H3068H2416H5315H2416H3068H4513H935H1818H3467H3027H341H1245H7451H113H503727And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you.H1293H8198H935H113H5414H5288H1980H7272H11328Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the LORD'S battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live.H5375H6588H519H3068H6213H6213H113H539H1004H113H3898H4421H3068H7451H4672H311729Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master 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.H120H6965H7291H1245H5315H5315H113H6887H6872H2416H3068H430H5315H341H7049H8432H3709H705030When the LORD has done for my master every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel,H3068H6213H113H2896H1696H6680H5057H347831my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant."H6330H4383H3820H113H8210H1818H2600H113H3467H3068H3190H113H2142H51932David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me.H1732H559H26H1288H3068H430H3478H7971H3117H712533May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.H1288H2940H1288H3607H3117H935H1818H3467H302734Otherwise, 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."H199H3068H430H3478H2416H4513H7489H3884H4116H935H7125H3498H5037H1242H216H8366H702335Then 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."H1732H3947H3027H935H559H5927H7965H1004H7200H8085H6963H5375H644036When 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 until daybreak.H26H935H5037H4960H1004H4960H4428H5037H3820H2896H3966H7910H5046H1697H6996H1419H1242H21637Then 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.H1242H3196H3318H5037H802H5046H1697H3820H4191H7130H6838About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal and he died.H6235H3117H3068H5062H5037H419139When 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.H1732H8085H5037H4191H559H1288H3068H7378H7379H2781H3027H5037H2820H5650H7451H3068H7725H7451H5037H7218H1732H7971H1696H26H3947H80240His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, "David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife."H5650H1732H935H26H3760H1696H559H1732H7971H3947H80241She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, "Here is your maidservant, ready to serve you and wash the feet of my master's servants."H6965H7812H639H776H559H519H8198H7364H7272H5650H11342Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five maids, went with David's messengers and became his wife.H26H4116H6965H7392H2543H2568H5291H1980H7272H3212H310H4397H1732H80243David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives.H1732H3947H293H3157H8147H80244But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.H7586H5414H4324H1323H1732H802H6406H1121H3919H1554