| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 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. They buried him at his home in Ramah. David got up and 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. | 2Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel of Judah, and the man was very rich. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and he 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 was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, while the man was harsh and wicked in his dealings. He was a descendant of Caleb. |
| 4When David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his sheep, | 4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep. |
| 5he sent ten servants, saying to them, "Go up to Carmel to see Nabal and give him greetings in my name. | 5David sent ten young men, saying to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, find Nabal, and 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, 'May you live long. Peace to you, peace to your family, and peace to all that you have. |
| 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. | 7Now, I've heard that the sheep shearers are with you. Now, your shepherds have been with us. We didn't harm them, and they didn't miss anything all the 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'll tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor with you since we came on a special day. Please give whatever you have available 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 came to Nabal and told him all this in David's name, and then 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 answered David's servants: "Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are breaking 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!" | 11Should I take my food, my water, and my meat that I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men who came from who knows where?" |
| 12So David's servants went on their way. When they had returned, they came and told David all these things. | 12David's men turned and went on their way. They came back and told David everything. |
| 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. | 13David told his men, "Put on your swords." They put on their swords, and David put on his sword. Then 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. | 14Now, one of the young men told Nabal's wife Abigail: "Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our lord, but he screamed insults 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 were very good to us. They didn't harm us, and we didn't miss anything all the time we moved around with them when we were in the field. |
| 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, all the time we were with them taking care of 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, be aware of this and consider what you should do. Calamity is being planned against our master and against his entire household. He's such a worthless person that no one 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 quickly took 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five measures of roasted grain, 100 bunches of raisins, and 200 fig cakes 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. | 19She told her young men, "Go ahead of me, I'll be coming right behind you." But she said nothing to 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. | 20She was riding on the donkey and as she went down a protected part of the mountain, David was there with his men, coming down to meet her, and she went toward 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. | 21Now David had said, "Surely it was for nothing that I protected everything that belonged to this man in the wilderness, and nothing was missing of all that belonged to him. But he has repaid me with 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 the LORD do this to the enemies of David —and more also—if by the morning I've left alive a single male of all those who belong to him." |
| 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 down from the donkey and fell on her face before David, prostrating herself on the ground. |
| 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 pleaded, "Your majesty, let the guilt be on me alone, and please let your servant speak to you. 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. | 25Please, your majesty, don't pay attention to this worthless man Nabal, for he's just like his name. Nabal is his name and folly is his constant companion. But I, your servant, didn't see your majesty'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, your majesty, as the LORD lives and as you live, the LORD has kept you from shedding blood and from delivering yourself by your own actions. Now, may your enemies and those seeking to do evil to your majesty be like Nabal. |
| 27Now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the servants who follow my lord. | 27Now let this present that your servant has brought to your majesty be given to the young men who follow your majesty. |
| 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 the offense of your servant. For the LORD will certainly make a strong dynasty for your majesty, for your majesty is fighting the LORD's battles. May evil not be found in you for all of your life. |
| 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! | 29If anyone should arise to pursue you and seek your life, may the life of your majesty be bound up with the LORD your God in a bundle of the living, and may he sling out the lives of your enemies from the pocket of 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 your majesty all the good that he promised concerning you and appoints you Commander-in-Chief 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." | 31this shouldn't be an obstacle or stumbling block for your majesty's conscience, that he poured out blood without cause or that your majesty delivered himself. When the LORD does good things for your majesty, remember your servant." |
| 32Then David said to Abigail, "Praised be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you this day to meet me! | 32David told Abigail, "Blessed be 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! | 33Blessed be your good judgment, and blessed be you, who today stopped me from shedding blood and delivering myself by my own actions. |
| 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!" | 34For as surely as the LORD God of Israel lives, the one who restrained me from harming you—indeed, had you not quickly come to meet me, by dawn there wouldn't be a single male left to Nabal." |
| 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." | 35David took from her what she had brought him and told her, "Go up to your house in peace. Look, I've heard your request and will grant it." |
| 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. | 36Abigail returned to Nabal, and he was there in his house holding a festival like the festival of a king. Nabal's heart was glad, and he was very drunk, so she didn't tell him anything at all until morning. |
| 37In the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed. | 37After Nabal became sober the next morning, his wife told him all that had happened. Nabal's heart failed and he became paralyzed. |
| 38After about ten days the LORD struck Nabal down and he died. | 38About ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. |
| 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 had died, he said, "Blessed be the LORD who has judged the dispute over my insult at the hand of Nabal, and has held back his servant from evil. The LORD has repaid Nabal's wickedness." Then David sent word to Abigail that he would take her 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." | 40David's servants went to Abigail at Carmel and told her, "David sent us to you to take you to him as his 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 got up, prostrated herself face down on the ground, and replied, "Your servant would be a slave to wash the feet of your majesty'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 quickly got up and got on a donkey, with five young women walking behind her. She followed David's messengers, and 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 both 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.) | 44Meanwhile, Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Laish's son Palti from Gallim. |
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