1 Samuel 25:1-17 ▼

1 And Samuel died, and all Israel gathered together and lamented for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

2 And there was a man in Maon, and his work was in Carmel. And the man was very rich, and He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

3 And the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance, and the man was harsh and evil in his deeds; and he was a Calebite.

4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

5 And David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and ask of his welfare in my name.

6 And you? shall say thus: ‘To life! And to you peace, and to your house peace, and to all that is unto you, peace!

7 And I have heard that shearers are unto you. Now the shepherds that are unto you were with us. We did not hurt them, nor was there missing anything from them all the days they were in Carmel.

8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. And let my young men find favor in your eyes, for on a good day we come. Give, please, whatever your hand finds to your servants, and to your son David.’”

9 And the young men of David came, and they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and they rested.

10 And Nabal answered the servants of David, and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Today there are many servants who break away, a man from the face of his master.

11 And shall I take my bread and my water and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men whom I do not know where they are from?”

12 And the young men of David turned to their way, and went back, and they came and declared to him according to all these words.

13 And David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” And every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And went with David about four hundred men, and two hundred stayed with the vessels.

14 And to Abigail wife of Nabal a young man, one of the young men, declared, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he reviled them.

15 And the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything all the days we accompanied them when we were in the fields.

16 They were a wall for us, both by night and by day, all the days we were with them pasturing the sheep.

17 And now know and consider what you will do. For harm is determined against our master and against all his house. And he is too much a son of worthlessness to speak to him.”