Psalm 57^[a](A)

For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.^[b] When he had fled from Saul into the cave.^(B)

² A certain man in Maon,^(A) who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy.^(B) He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing^(C) in Carmel. ³ His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail.^(D) She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite.^(E)

⁴ While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. ⁵ So he sent ten young men and said to them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. ⁶ Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health^(F) to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!^(G)

⁷ “‘Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat^(H) them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. ⁸ Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever^(I) you can find for them.’”

⁹ When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited.

¹⁰ Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who^(J) is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. ¹¹ Why should I take my bread^(K) and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”

¹² David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. ¹³ David said to his men^(L), “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went^(M) up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.^(N)

¹⁴ One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings,^(O) but he hurled insults at them. ¹⁵ Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat^(P) us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing.^{(Q) 16} Night and day they were a wall^(R) around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. ¹⁷ Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked^(S) man that no one can talk to him.”

¹⁸ Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs^[a] of roasted grain,^(T) a hundred cakes of raisins^(U) and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.^{(V) 19} Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead;^(W) I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell^(X) her husband Nabal.

²⁰ As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. ²¹ David had just said, “It’s been useless—all my watching over this fellow’s property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing.^(Y) He has paid^(Z) me back evil^(AA) for good. ²² May God deal with David,^[b] be it ever so severely,^(AB) if by morning I leave alive one male^(AC) of all who belong to him!”

Lawsuits Among Believers

6 If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?^{(A) 2} Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world?^(B) And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? ³ Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! ⁴ Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? ⁵ I say this to shame you.^(C) Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?^{(D) 6} But instead, one brother^(E) takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!^(F)

⁷ The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?^{(G) 8} Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.^{(H) 9} Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?^(I) Do not be deceived:^(J) Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers^(K) nor men who have sex with men^{[a](L) 10} nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers^(M) will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were.^(N) But you were washed,^(O) you were sanctified,^(P) you were justified^(Q) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.