David, Nabal and Abigail

25 Now Samuel died,^(A) and all Israel assembled and mourned^(B) for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah.^(C) Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran.^[a]

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

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^(I) to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!^(J)

⁷ “‘Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat^(K) 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^(L) 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^(M) 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^(N) 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^(O), “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went^(P) up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.^(Q)

¹⁴ One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings,^(R) but he hurled insults at them. ¹⁵ Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat^(S) us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing.^{(T) 16} Night and day they were a wall^(U) 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^(V) 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^[b] of roasted grain,^(W) a hundred cakes of raisins^(X) and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.^{(Y) 19} Then she told her servants, “Go on ahead;^(Z) I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell^(AA) 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.^(AB) He has paid^(AC) me back evil^(AD) for good. ²² May God deal with David,^[c] be it ever so severely,^(AE) if by morning I leave alive one male^(AF) of all who belong to him!”

²³ When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground.^{(AG) 24} She fell at his feet and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord,^(AH) and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. ²⁵ Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool^(AI),^(AJ) and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. ²⁶ And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed^(AK) and from avenging^(AL) yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal.^{(AM) 27} And let this gift,^(AN) which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you.

²⁸ “Please forgive^(AO) your servant’s presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting^(AP) dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord’s battles,^(AQ) and no wrongdoing^(AR) will be found in you as long as you live. ²⁹ Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life,^(AS) the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl^(AT) away as from the pocket of a sling.^{(AU) 30} When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler^(AV) over Israel, ³¹ my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember^(AW) your servant.”^(AX)

³² David said to Abigail, “Praise^(AY) be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. ³³ May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed^(AZ) this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. ³⁴ Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal^(BA) would have been left alive by daybreak.”

³⁵ Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted^(BB) your request.”

³⁶ When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high^(BC) spirits and very drunk.^(BD) So she told^(BE) him nothing at all until daybreak. ³⁷ Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone.^{(BF) 38} About ten days later, the Lord struck^(BG) Nabal and he died.

³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise be to the Lord, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.”

Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife. ⁴⁰ His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, “David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.”

⁴¹ She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” ⁴² Abigail^(BH) quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David’s messengers and became his wife. ⁴³ David had also married Ahinoam^(BI) of Jezreel, and they both were his wives.^{(BJ) 44} But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel^[d](BK) son of Laish, who was from Gallim.^(BL)

Job

42 Then Job replied to the Lord:

Epilogue

⁷ After the Lord had said these things to Job^(K), he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “I am angry with you and your two friends,^(L) because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.^{(M) 8} So now take seven bulls and seven rams^(N) and go to my servant Job^(O) and sacrifice a burnt offering^(P) for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer^(Q) and not deal with you according to your folly.^(R) You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”^{(S) 9} So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite^(T) did what the Lord told them; and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.^(U)

¹⁰ After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes^(V) and gave him twice as much as he had before.^{(W) 11} All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before^(X) came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him,^(Y) and each one gave him a piece of silver^[a] and a gold ring.

¹² The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. ¹³ And he also had seven sons and three daughters. ¹⁴ The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. ¹⁵ Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

¹⁶ After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. ¹⁷ And so Job died, an old man and full of years.^(Z)

Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon’s Fall

19 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude^(A) in heaven shouting:

³ And again they shouted:

⁴ The twenty-four elders^(J) and the four living creatures^(K) fell down^(L) and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

⁵ Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,^(P) like the roar of rushing waters^(Q) and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts^(Y) of God’s holy people.)

⁹ Then the angel said to me,^(Z) “Write this:^(AA) Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”^(AB) And he added, “These are the true words of God.”^(AC)

¹⁰ At this I fell at his feet to worship him.^(AD) But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!^(AE) For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”^(AF)

The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast

¹¹ I saw heaven standing open^(AG) and there before me was a white horse, whose rider^(AH) is called Faithful and True.^(AI) With justice he judges and wages war.^{(AJ) 12} His eyes are like blazing fire,^(AK) and on his head are many crowns.^(AL) He has a name written on him^(AM) that no one knows but he himself.^{(AN) 13} He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,^(AO) and his name is the Word of God.^{(AP) 14} The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen,^(AQ) white^(AR) and clean. ¹⁵ Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword^(AS) with which to strike down^(AT) the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”^[a](AU) He treads the winepress^(AV) of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:^(AW)

¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds^(AY) flying in midair,^(AZ) “Come,^(BA) gather together for the great supper of God,^{(BB) 18} so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people,^(BC) free and slave,^(BD) great and small.”^(BE)

¹⁹ Then I saw the beast^(BF) and the kings of the earth^(BG) and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse^(BH) and his army. ²⁰ But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet^(BI) who had performed the signs^(BJ) on its behalf.^(BK) With these signs he had deluded^(BL) those who had received the mark of the beast^(BM) and worshiped its image.^(BN) The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake^(BO) of burning sulfur.^{(BP) 21} The rest were killed with the sword^(BQ) coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse,^(BR) and all the birds^(BS) gorged themselves on their flesh.