1Samuel 25-27; Psalms 85 - Prayer Tents

Abigail Intercedes for Nabal

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

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.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

David Spares Saul Again

26Now some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah to tell him, "David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which overlooks Jeshimon."H2130H935H7586H1390H559H1732H5641H1389H2444H6440H3452 2So Saul took 3,000 of Israel's elite troops and went to hunt him down in the wilderness of Ziph.H7586H6965H3381H4057H2128H7969H505H977H376H3478H1245H1732H4057H2128 3Saul camped along the road beside the hill of Hakilah, near Jeshimon, where David was hiding. When David learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness,H7586H2583H1389H2444H6440H3452H1870H1732H3427H4057H7200H7586H935H310H4057 4he sent out spies to verify the report of Saul's arrival.H1732H7971H7270H3045H7586H935H3559 5David slipped over to Saul's camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors.H1732H6965H935H4725H7586H2583H1732H7200H4725H7586H7901H74H1121H5369H8269H6635H7586H7901H4570H5971H2583H5439 6"Who will volunteer to go in there with me?" David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother. "I'll go with you," Abishai replied.H6030H1732H559H288H2850H52H1121H6870H251H3097H559H3381H7586H4264H52H559H3381 7So David and Abishai went right into Saul's camp and found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him.H1732H52H935H5971H3915H7586H7901H3463H4570H2595H4600H776H4763H74H5971H7901H5439 8"God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!" Abishai whispered to David. "Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won't need to strike twice!"H559H52H1732H430H5462H341H3027H3117H5221H2595H776H6471H259H8138 9"No!" David said. "Don't kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the LORD's anointed one?H1732H559H52H7843H7971H3027H3068H4899H5352 10Surely the LORD will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle.H1732H559H3068H2416H3068H5062H3117H935H4191H3381H4421H5595 11The LORD forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed! But take his spear and that jug of water beside his head, and then let's get out of here!"H3068H2486H7971H3027H3068H4899H3947H2595H4763H6835H4325H3212 12So David took the spear and jug of water that were near Saul's head. Then he and Abishai got away without anyone seeing them or even waking up, because the LORD had put Saul's men into a deep sleep.H1732H3947H2595H6835H4325H7586H7226H3212H7200H3045H6974H3463H8639H3068H5307 13David climbed the hill opposite the camp until he was at a safe distance.H1732H5674H5676H5975H7218H2022H7350H7227H4725 14Then he shouted down to the soldiers and to Abner son of Ner, "Wake up, Abner!" "Who is it?" Abner demanded.H1732H7121H5971H74H1121H5369H559H6030H74H74H6030H559H7121H4428 15"Well, Abner, you're a great man, aren't you?" David taunted. "Where in all Israel is there anyone as mighty? So why haven't you guarded your master the king when someone came to kill him?H1732H559H74H376H3478H8104H113H4428H935H259H5971H7843H4428H113 16This isn't good at all! I swear by the LORD that you and your men deserve to die, because you failed to protect your master, the LORD's anointed! Look around! Where are the king's spear and the jug of water that were beside his head?"H1697H2896H6213H3068H2416H1121H4194H8104H113H3068H4899H7200H4428H2595H6835H4325H4763 17Saul recognized David's voice and called out, "Is that you, my son David?" And David replied, "Yes, my lord the king.H7586H5234H1732H6963H559H6963H1121H1732H1732H559H6963H113H4428 18Why are you chasing me? What have I done? What is my crime?H559H113H7291H310H5650H6213H7451H3027 19But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the LORD. For they have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the LORD's people, and they have said, 'Go, worship pagan gods.'H113H4428H8085H1697H5650H3068H5496H7306H4503H1121H120H779H6440H3068H1644H3117H5596H5159H3068H559H3212H5647H312H430 20Must I die on foreign soil, far from the presence of the LORD? Why has the king of Israel come out to search for a single flea? Why does he hunt me down like a partridge on the mountains?"H1818H5307H776H6440H3068H4428H3478H3318H1245H259H6550H7291H7124H2022 21Then Saul confessed, "I have sinned. Come back home, my son, and I will no longer try to harm you, for you valued my life today. I have been a fool and very, very wrong."H559H7586H2398H7725H1121H1732H7489H5315H3365H5869H3117H5528H7686H7235H3966 22"Here is your spear, O king," David replied. "Let one of your young men come over and get it.H1732H6030H559H4428H2595H259H5288H5674H3947 23The LORD gives his own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the LORD placed you in my power, for you are the LORD's anointed one.H3068H7725H376H6666H530H3068H5414H3027H3117H14H7971H3027H3068H4899 24Now may the LORD value my life, even as I have valued yours today. May he rescue me from all my troubles."H5315H1431H3117H5869H5315H1431H5869H3068H5337H6869 25And Saul said to David, "Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed." Then David went away, and Saul returned home.H7586H559H1732H1288H1121H1732H6213H6213H3201H3201H1732H3212H1870H7586H7725H4725

David among the Philistines

27But David kept thinking to himself, "Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe."H1732H559H3820H5595H259H3117H3027H7586H2896H3588H4422H4422H776H6430H7586H2976H1245H1366H3478H4422H3027

2So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.H1732H6965H5674H8337H3967H376H397H1121H4582H4428H1661

3David and his men and their families settled there with Achish at Gath. David brought his two wives along with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow from Carmel.H1732H3427H397H1661H582H376H1004H1732H8147H802H293H3159H26H3762H5037H802

4Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.H5046H7586H1732H1272H1661H1245H3254H3254

5One day David said to Achish, "If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city."H1732H559H397H4672H2580H5869H5414H4725H259H5892H7704H3427H5650H3427H4467H5892

6So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day),H397H5414H6860H3117H6860H4428H3063H3117

7and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.H4557H3117H1732H3427H7704H6430H3117H702H2320

8David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times.H1732H582H5927H6584H1651H1511H6003H2007H5769H3427H776H935H7793H776H4714

9David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.H1732H5221H776H376H802H2421H3947H6629H1241H2543H1581H899H7725H935H397

10"Where did you make your raid today?" Achish would ask. And David would reply, "Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites."H397H559H408H6584H3117H1732H559H5045H3063H5045H3397H5045H7017

11No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines.H1732H2421H376H802H2421H935H1661H559H5046H559H6213H1732H4941H3117H3427H7704H6430

12Achish believed David and thought to himself, "By now the people of Israel must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!"H397H539H1732H559H5971H3478H887H887H5650H5769

85[For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.] Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel.H5329H4210H1121H7141H3068H7521H776H7725H7622H7622H3290 2You forgave the guilt of your people—yes, you covered all their sins. InterludeH5375H5771H5971H3680H2403H5542 3You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger.H622H5678H7725H2740H639 4Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more.H7725H430H3468H3708H6565 5Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations?H599H5769H4900H639H1755H1755 6Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you?H2421H7725H5971H8055 7Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.H7200H2617H3068H5414H3468 8I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways.H8085H410H3068H1696H1696H7965H5971H2623H7725H3690 9Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory.H3468H7138H3373H3519H7931H776 10Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed!H2617H571H6298H6664H7965H5401 11Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven.H571H6779H776H6664H8259H8064 12Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest.H3068H5414H2896H776H5414H2981 13Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps.H6664H1980H6440H7760H1870H6471