| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 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. | 1Samuel died, and all Israel assembled to mourn for him, and they buried him by his home in Ramah. David then went down to the Wilderness of Paran. |
| 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. | 2A man in Maon had a business in Carmel; he was a very rich man with 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel. |
| 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. | 3The man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings. |
| 4When David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his sheep, | 4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep, |
| 5he sent ten servants, saying to them, "Go up to Carmel to see Nabal and give him greetings in my name. | 5so David sent 10 young men instructing them, "Go up to Carmel, and when you come to Nabal, greet him in my name. |
| 6Then you will say to my brother, "Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours! | 6Then say this: 'Long life to you, and peace to you, to your family, and to all that is yours. |
| 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. | 7I hear that you are 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. |
| 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." | 8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, for we have come on a feast day. Please give whatever you can afford to your servants and to your son David.'" |
| 9So David's servants went and spoke all these words to Nabal in David's name. Then they paused. | 9David's young men went and said all these things to Nabal on David's behalf, and they waited. |
| 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! | 10Nabal asked them, "Who is David? Who is Jesse's son? Many slaves these days are running away from their masters. |
| 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!" | 11Am I supposed to take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don't know where they are from." |
| 12So David's servants went on their way. When they had returned, they came and told David all these things. | 12David's men retraced their steps. When they returned to him, they reported all these words. |
| 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. | 13He said to his men, "All of you, put on your swords!" So David and all his men put on their swords. About 400 men followed David while 200 stayed with the supplies. |
| 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. | 14One of Nabal's young men informed Abigail, Nabal's wife: "Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he yelled at 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. | 15The men treated us well. When we were in the field, we weren't harassed and nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among 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. | 16They were a wall around us, both day and night, the entire time we were herding the sheep. |
| 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!" | 17Now consider carefully what you must do, because there is certain to be trouble for our master and his entire family. He is such a worthless fool nobody can talk to him!" |
| 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 | 18Abigail hurried, taking 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. |
| 19and said to her servants, "Go on ahead of me. I will come after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. | 19Then she said to her male servants, "Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. |
| 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. | 20As she rode the donkey down a mountain pass hidden from view, she saw David and his men coming toward her and met them. |
| 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. | 21David had just said, "I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the wilderness for nothing. He was not missing anything, yet he paid me back evil for good. |
| 22God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!" | 22May God punish me and do so severely if I let any of his men survive until morning." |
| 23When Abigail saw David, she got down quickly from the donkey, threw herself down before David, and bowed to the ground. | 23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey and fell with her face to the ground in front of David. |
| 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! | 24She fell at his feet and said, "The guilt is mine, my lord, but please let your servant speak to you directly. Listen to the words of your servant. |
| 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. | 25My lord should pay no attention to this worthless man Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name is Nabal, and stupidity is all he knows. I, your servant, didn't see my lord's young men whom you sent. |
| 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. | 26Now my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, it is the LORD who kept you from participating in bloodshed and avenging yourself by your own hand. May your enemies and those who want trouble for my lord be like Nabal. |
| 27Now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the servants who follow my lord. | 27Accept this gift your servant has brought to my lord, and let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. |
| 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! | 28Please forgive your servant's offense, for the LORD is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord because he fights the LORD's battles. Throughout your life, may evil not be found in you. |
| 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! | 29"When someone pursues you and attempts to take your life, my lord's life will be tucked safely in the place where the LORD your God protects the living. However, He will fling away your enemies' lives like stones from a sling. |
| 30The LORD will do for my lord everything that he promised you, and he will make you a leader over Israel. | 30When the LORD does for my lord all the good He promised and appoints you ruler over Israel, |
| 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." | 31there will not be remorse or a troubled conscience for my lord because of needless bloodshed or my lord's revenge. And when the LORD does good things for my lord, may you remember me your servant." |
| 32Then David said to Abigail, "Praised be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you this day to meet me! | 32Then David said to Abigail, "Praise to the LORD God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today! |
| 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! | 33Your discernment is blessed, and you are blessed. Today you kept me from participating in bloodshed and avenging myself by my own hand. |
| 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!" | 34Otherwise, as surely as the LORD God of Israel lives, who prevented me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, Nabal wouldn't have had any men left by morning light." |
| 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." | 35Then David accepted what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. See, I have heard what you said and have granted your request." |
| 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. | 36Then Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was in his house, holding a feast fit for a king. Nabal was in a good mood and very drunk, so she didn't say anything to him until morning light. |
| 37In the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed. | 37In the morning when Nabal sobered up, his wife told him about these events. Then he had a seizure and became paralyzed. |
| 38After about ten days the LORD struck Nabal down and he died. | 38About 10 days later, the LORD struck Nabal dead. |
| 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. | 39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise the LORD who championed my cause against Nabal's insults and restrained His servant from doing evil. The LORD brought Nabal's evil deeds back on his own head." Then David sent messengers to speak to Abigail about marrying him. |
| 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." | 40When David's servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, "David sent us to bring you to him as a wife." |
| 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." | 41She stood up, then bowed her face to the ground and said, "Here I am, your servant, to wash the feet of my lord's servants." |
| 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. | 42Then Abigail got up quickly, and with her five female servants accompanying her, rode on the donkey following David's messengers. And so she became his wife. |
| 43David had also married Ahinoam from Jezreel; the two of them became his wives. | 43David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and the two of them became his wives. |
| 44(Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.) | 44But Saul gave his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim. |
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