1 Samuel 25:5-12

English Standard Version

⁵ So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. ⁶ And thus you shall greet him:^{[a] (A)}‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. ⁷ I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, ^(B)and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel. ⁸ Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come ^(C)on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

⁹ When David's young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited. ¹⁰ And Nabal answered David's servants, ^(D)“Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? ^(E)There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. ¹¹ Shall I take ^(F)my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to ^(G)men who come from I do not know where?” ¹² So David's young men turned away and came back and told him all this.