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^(A) 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^(B) of Jezreel, and they both were his wives.^{(C) 44} But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel^[a](D) son of Laish, who was from Gallim.^(E)

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!^(A) This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed^(B) you^(C) king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave your master’s house to you,^(D) and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. ⁹ Why did you despise^(E) the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down^(F) Uriah^(G) the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed^(H) him with the sword of the Ammonites.