1 Samuel 25
New King James Version
Death of Samuel
25 Then (A)Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and (B)lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down (C)to the Wilderness of [a]Paran.
David and the Wife of Nabal
2 Now there was a man (D)in Maon whose business was in (E)Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 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; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of (F)Caleb.
4 When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was (G)shearing his sheep, 5 David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6 And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: (H)‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! 7 Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, (I)nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore [b]let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on (J)a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’ ”
9 So when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and waited.
10 Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, (K)“Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. 11 (L)Shall I then take my bread and my water and my [c]meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”
12 So David’s young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words. 13 Then David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred (M)stayed with the supplies.
14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he [d]reviled them. 15 But the men were very good to us, and (N)we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. 16 They were (O)a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for (P)harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a (Q)scoundrel[e] that one cannot speak to him.”
18 Then Abigail made haste and (R)took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 And she said to her servants, (S)“Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has (T)repaid me evil for good. 22 (U)May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I (V)leave (W)one male of all who belong to him by morning light.”
23 Now when Abigail saw David, she (X)dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. 24 So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant [f]speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. 25 Please, let not my lord [g]regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: [h]Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. 26 Now therefore, my lord, (Y)as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, since the Lord has (Z)held you back from coming to bloodshed and from (AA)avenging[i] yourself with your own hand, now then, (AB)let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now (AC)this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For (AD)the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord (AE)fights the battles of the Lord, (AF)and evil is not found in you throughout your days. 29 Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be (AG)bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall (AH)sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. 30 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you (AI)ruler over Israel, 31 that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”
32 Then David said to Abigail: (AJ)“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have (AK)kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. 34 For indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has (AL)kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely (AM)by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!” 35 So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, (AN)“Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and (AO)respected your person.”
36 Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, (AP)holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. 37 So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38 Then it happened, after about ten days, that the Lord (AQ)struck Nabal, and he died.
39 So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, (AR)“Blessed be the Lord, who has (AS)pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has (AT)kept His servant from evil! For the Lord has (AU)returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.”
And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.”
41 Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to (AV)wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, [j]attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife. 43 David also took Ahinoam (AW)of Jezreel, (AX)and so both of them were his wives.
44 But Saul had given (AY)Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to [k]Palti the son of Laish, who was from (AZ)Gallim.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 25:1 So with MT, Syr., Tg., Vg.; LXX Maon
- 1 Samuel 25:8 be gracious to the young men
- 1 Samuel 25:11 Lit. slaughter
- 1 Samuel 25:14 scolded or scorned at
- 1 Samuel 25:17 Lit. son of Belial
- 1 Samuel 25:24 speak to you
- 1 Samuel 25:25 pay attention to
- 1 Samuel 25:25 Lit. Fool
- 1 Samuel 25:26 Lit. saving yourself
- 1 Samuel 25:42 Lit. with five of her maidens at her feet
- 1 Samuel 25:44 Paltiel, 2 Sam. 3:15
1 Samuel 25
Amplified Bible
Samuel’s Death
25 Now Samuel died; and all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah. Then David left and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
Nabal and Abigail
2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business and possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel 3 (now the man’s name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings; he was a [a]Calebite). 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal, and [b]greet him in my name; 6 and this is what you shall say, ‘[c]Have a long life! Peace be to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have. 7 Now I have heard that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us and we have not harmed them, nor were they missing anything 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 sight [and be well-treated], for we have come on a [d]good (festive) day. [e]Please, give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”
9 When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David; then they waited. 10 But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? [f]There are many servants today, each of whom is breaking away from his master. 11 So should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?” 12 So David’s young men made their way back and returned; and they came and told him everything that was said [to them by Nabal]. 13 David said to his men, “Each man put on your sword.” So each man put on his sword. David also put on his sword, and about four hundred men went up behind David while two hundred stayed back with the provisions and supplies.
14 But one of Nabal’s young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Listen, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless (greet) our master, and he shouted at them [in contempt]. 15 But David’s men were very good to us, and we were not harmed or treated badly, nor did we miss anything as long as we were with them, when we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall [of protection] to us both night and day, all the time that we were with them tending the sheep. 17 Now then, know this and consider what you should do, for evil is [already] planned against our master and against all his household; but he is such a [g]worthless and wicked man that one cannot speak [reasonably] to him.”
Abigail Intercedes
18 Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two jugs of wine, five sheep already prepared [for roasting], five measures of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19 She said to her young men (servants), “Go on ahead of me; behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 It happened that as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by [way of] the hidden part of the mountain, that suddenly David and his men were coming down toward her, and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected and guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missing of all that belonged to him; and he has repaid me evil for good. 22 May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave [alive] even one [h]male of any who belong to him.”
23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from the donkey, and [i]kneeled face downward before David and bowed down to the ground [in respect]. 24 [j]Kneeling at his feet she said, “My lord, let the blame and guilt be on me alone. And please let your maidservant speak [k]to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant. 25 Please do not let my lord [l]pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal (fool) is his [m]name and foolishness (stupidity) is with him; but I your maidservant did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent.
26 So now, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has prevented you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord, be as [self-destructive as] Nabal. 27 Now this gift, which your maidservant has brought my lord, let it be given to the young men who [n]accompany and follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the Lord will certainly make my lord a secure and enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not be found in you all your days. 29 Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound in the [precious] bundle of the living with the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies—those He will hurl out as from the center of a sling. 30 And it will happen when the Lord does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken (promised) concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel, 31 that this [incident] will not cause grief or [bring] a troubled conscience to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the Lord deals well with my lord, then remember [with favor] your maidservant.”
32 David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day. 33 And blessed be your discretion and discernment, and blessed be you, who has kept me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself by my own hand. 34 Nevertheless, as the Lord the God of Israel lives, who has prevented me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, most certainly by the morning light there would not have been left to Nabal so much as one male.” 35 So David [o]accepted what she had brought to him and said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and have [p]granted your request.”
36 Then Abigail came to Nabal, and he was holding a feast in his house [for the shearers], like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s [q]mood was joyous because he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the morning light. 37 But in the morning, when [r]Nabal was sober, and his wife told him these things, his [s]heart died within him and he became [paralyzed and helpless] like a stone. 38 About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.
David Marries Abigail
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach [suffered] at the hand of Nabal and has kept His servant from [retaliating with] evil. For the Lord has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, proposing to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David sent us to you to take you [to him] to be his wife.” 41 And she stood and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your maidservant is [ready to be] a maid to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 Then Abigail quickly got up, and rode on a donkey, with five of her maidens who [t]attended her; and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.
43 David had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both became his wives.
44 But Saul had given Michal his [younger] daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 25:3 I.e. a descendant of Caleb.
- 1 Samuel 25:5 Lit ask him of his peace (welfare). It was customary to greet someone by asking him of his welfare (Heb shalom), like “How are you?” However, David specifies the greeting in v 6 without the actual question, so the question here (v 5) is just a way of saying, “greet him.”
- 1 Samuel 25:6 Lit To life!
- 1 Samuel 25:8 The time of shearing was a time of celebration and generosity.
- 1 Samuel 25:8 David and his men had given protection to Nabal’s flocks and shepherds, and it was appropriate for David to ask for compensation for this service.
- 1 Samuel 25:10 Nabal was insulting David and his men by implying that as far as he was concerned, they could be nothing but runaway slaves.
- 1 Samuel 25:17 Lit son of Belial.
- 1 Samuel 25:22 Lit who urinates against a wall.
- 1 Samuel 25:23 Lit fell.
- 1 Samuel 25:24 Lit Falling.
- 1 Samuel 25:24 Lit in your ears.
- 1 Samuel 25:25 Lit set his heart to.
- 1 Samuel 25:25 Nabal means “worthless, good for nothing.”
- 1 Samuel 25:27 Lit walk at the feet of.
- 1 Samuel 25:35 Lit took from her hand.
- 1 Samuel 25:35 Lit lifted up your face, an idiom used in various positive ways, probably based on the idea of a superior person permitting someone to look him in the eye.
- 1 Samuel 25:36 Lit heart.
- 1 Samuel 25:37 Lit the wine had gone out of.
- 1 Samuel 25:37 Nabal probably suffered a stroke.
- 1 Samuel 25:42 Lit walked at her feet.
1 Samuel 25
English Standard Version
The Death of Samuel
25 (A)Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled (B)and mourned for him, and they buried him (C)in his house at (D)Ramah.
David and Abigail
Then David rose and went down to (E)the wilderness of Paran. 2 And there was a man in (F)Maon whose business was in (G)Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. (H)He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; (I)he was a Calebite. 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal (J)was shearing his sheep. 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] (K)‘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, (L)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 (M)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, (N)“Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? (O)There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Shall I take (P)my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to (Q)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. 13 And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And (R)about four hundred men went up after David, (S)while two hundred (T)remained with the baggage.
14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, (U)and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them. 16 They were (V)a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, (W)for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such (X)a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”
18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs[b] of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys. 19 And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, (Y)so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has (Z)returned me evil for good. 22 (AA)God do so to the enemies of David[c] and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”
23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried (AB)and got down from the donkey (AC)and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, (AD)“On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 25 Let not my lord regard (AE)this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal[d] is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. 26 Now then, my lord, (AF)as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because (AG)the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from (AH)saving with your own hand, now then (AI)let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now let this (AJ)present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord (AK)a sure house, because my lord (AL)is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live. 29 If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God. And the lives of your enemies (AM)he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. 30 And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince[e] over Israel, 31 my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord (AN)working salvation himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”
32 And David said to Abigail, (AO)“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, (AP)who have kept me this day from bloodguilt (AQ)and from working salvation with my own hand! 34 For as surely (AR)as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, (AS)who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” 35 Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, (AT)“Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”
36 And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, (AU)he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart (AV)was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing (AW)at all until the morning light. 37 In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. 38 And about ten days later (AX)the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, (AY)“Blessed be the Lord who has (AZ)avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, (BA)and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. (BB)The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and (BC)spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” 41 And she rose (BD)and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.
43 David also took Ahinoam of (BE)Jezreel, (BF)and both of them became his wives. 44 Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 25:6 Or shall say to him who lives
- 1 Samuel 25:18 A seah was about 7.7 quarts or 7.3 liters
- 1 Samuel 25:22 Septuagint to David
- 1 Samuel 25:25 Nabal means fool
- 1 Samuel 25:30 Or leader
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
