| Berean Study Bible | NET Bible |
| 1When Samuel died, all Israel gathered to mourn for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David set out and went down to the Wilderness of Paran. | 1Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David left and went down to the desert of Paran. |
| 2Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. He was a very wealthy man with a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. | 2There was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. This man was very wealthy; he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At that time he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. |
| 3His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings. | 3The man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. She was both wise and beautiful, but the man was harsh and his deeds were evil. He was a Calebite. |
| 4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. | 4When David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his sheep, |
| 5So David sent ten young men and instructed them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel. Greet him in my name | 5he sent ten servants, saying to them, "Go up to Carmel to see Nabal and give him greetings in my name. |
| 6and say to him, ‘Long life to you, and peace to you and your house and to all that belongs to you. | 6Then you will say to my brother, "Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours! |
| 7Now I hear that it is time for shearing. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harass them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were in Carmel. | 7Now I hear that they are shearing sheep for you. When your shepherds were with us, we neither insulted them nor harmed them the whole time they were in Carmel. |
| 8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, for we have come on the day of a feast. Please give whatever you can afford to your servants and to your son David.’ ” | 8Ask your own servants; they can tell you! May my servants find favor in your sight, for we have come at the time of a holiday. Please provide us--your servants and your son David--with whatever you can spare." |
| 9When David’s young men arrived, they relayed all these words to Nabal on behalf of David. Then they waited. | 9So David's servants went and spoke all these words to Nabal in David's name. Then they paused. |
| 10But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters. | 10But Nabal responded to David's servants, "Who is David, and who is this son of Jesse? This is a time when many servants are breaking away from their masters! |
| 11Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to these men whose origin I do not know?” | 11Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don't even know where they came from!" |
| 12So David’s men turned around and went back, and they relayed to him all these words. | 12So David's servants went on their way. When they had returned, they came and told David all these things. |
| 13And David said to his men, “Strap on your swords!” So David and all his men put on their swords, and about four hundred men followed David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies. | 13Then David instructed his men, "Each of you strap on your sword!" So each one strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men followed David up, while two hundred stayed behind with the equipment. |
| 14Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s young men informed Nabal’s wife Abigail, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he scolded them. | 14But one of the servants told Nabal's wife Abigail, "David sent messengers from the desert to greet our lord, but he screamed at them. |
| 15Yet these men were very good to us. When we were in the field, we were not harassed, and nothing of ours went missing the whole time we lived among them. | 15These men were very good to us. They did not insult us, nor did we sustain any loss during the entire time we were together in the field. |
| 16They were a wall around us, both day and night, the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. | 16Both night and day they were a protective wall for us the entire time we were with them, while we were tending our flocks. |
| 17Now consider carefully what you must do, because disaster looms over our master and all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that nobody can speak to him!” | 17Now be aware of this, and see what you can do. For disaster has been planned for our lord and his entire household. He is such a wicked person that no one tells him anything!" |
| 18Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys | 18So Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two containers of wine, five prepared sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred lumps of pressed figs. She loaded them on donkeys |
| 19and said to her young men, “Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. | 19and said to her servants, "Go on ahead of me. I will come after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. |
| 20As Abigail came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming down toward her, and she met them. | 20Riding on her donkey, she went down under cover of the mountain. David and his men were coming down to meet her, and she encountered them. |
| 21Now David had just finished saying, “In vain I have protected all that belonged to this man in the wilderness. Nothing that belongs to him has gone missing, yet he has paid me back evil for good. | 21Now David had been thinking, "In vain I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the desert. I didn't take anything from him. But he has repaid my good with evil. |
| 22May God punish David, and ever so severely, if I let one of Nabal’s men survive until morning.” | 22God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!" |
| 23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him. | 23When Abigail saw David, she got down quickly from the donkey, threw herself down before David, and bowed to the ground. |
| 24She fell at his feet and said, “My lord, may the blame be on me alone, but please let your servant speak to you; hear the words of your servant. | 24Falling at his feet, she said, "My lord, I accept all the guilt! But please let your female servant speak with my lord! Please listen to the words of your servant! |
| 25My lord should pay no attention to this scoundrel Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name means Fool, and folly accompanies him. I, your servant, did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent. | 25My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means 'fool,' and he is indeed foolish! But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent. |
| 26Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and avenging yourself with your own hand. May your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be like Nabal. | 26"Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and as surely as you live, it is the LORD who has kept you from shedding blood and taking matters into your own hands. Now may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be like Nabal. |
| 27Now let this gift your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow you. | 27Now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the servants who follow my lord. |
| 28Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the LORD will surely make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because he fights the LORD’s battles. May no evil be found in you as long as you live. | 28Please forgive the sin of your servant, for the LORD will certainly establish the house of my lord, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD. May no evil be found in you all your days! |
| 29And should someone pursue you and seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound securely by the LORD your God in the bundle of the living. But He shall fling away the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling. | 29When someone sets out to chase you and to take your life, the life of my lord will be wrapped securely in the bag of the living by the LORD your God. But he will sling away the lives of your enemies from the sling's pocket! |
| 30When the LORD has done for my lord all the good He promised, and when He has appointed you ruler over Israel, | 30The LORD will do for my lord everything that he promised you, and he will make you a leader over Israel. |
| 31then my lord will have no remorse or guilt of conscience over needless bloodshed and revenge. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, may you remember your maidservant.” | 31Your conscience will not be overwhelmed with guilt for having poured out innocent blood and for having taken matters into your own hands. When the LORD has granted my lord success, please remember your servant." |
| 32Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day! | 32Then David said to Abigail, "Praised be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you this day to meet me! |
| 33Blessed is your discernment, and blessed are you, because today you kept me from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. | 33Praised be your good judgment! May you yourself be rewarded for having prevented me this day from shedding blood and taking matters into my own hands! |
| 34Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, then surely no male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by morning light.” | 34Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives--he who has prevented me from harming you--if you had not come so quickly to meet me, by morning's light not even one male belonging to Nabal would have remained alive!" |
| 35Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him, and he said to her, “Go home in peace. See, I have heeded your voice and granted your request.” | 35Then David took from her hand what she had brought to him. He said to her, "Go back to your home in peace. Be assured that I have listened to you and responded favorably." |
| 36When Abigail returned to Nabal, there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning light. | 36When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like that of the king. Nabal was having a good time and was very intoxicated. She told him absolutely nothing until morning's light. |
| 37In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these events, and his heart failed within him and he became like a stone. | 37In the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed. |
| 38About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal dead. | 38After about ten days the LORD struck Nabal down and he died. |
| 39On hearing that Nabal was dead, David said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has upheld my cause against the reproach of Nabal and has restrained His servant from evil. For the LORD has brought the wickedness of Nabal down upon his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking for her in marriage. | 39When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, "Praised be the LORD who has vindicated me and avenged the insult that I suffered from Nabal! The LORD has kept his servant from doing evil, and he has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds." Then David sent word to Abigail and asked her to become his wife. |
| 40When his servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said, “David has sent us to take you as his wife.” | 40So the servants of David went to Abigail at Carmel and said to her, "David has sent us to you to bring you back to be his wife." |
| 41She arose, then bowed facedown and said, “Here is your maidservant, ready to serve and to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” | 41She arose, bowed her face toward the ground, and said, "Your female servant, like a lowly servant, will wash the feet of the servants of my lord." |
| 42So Abigail hurried and got on a donkey, and attended by five of her maidens, she followed David’s messengers and became his wife. | 42Then Abigail quickly went and mounted her donkey, with five of her female servants accompanying her. She followed David's messengers and became his wife. |
| 43David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. So she and Abigail were both his wives. | 43David had also married Ahinoam from Jezreel; the two of them became his wives. |
| 44But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim. | 44(Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.) |
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