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
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
1 Samuel 25
Darby Translation
25 And Samuel died; and all Israel were gathered together, and lamented him; and they buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
2 And there was a man at Maon, whose business was at Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep at Carmel.
3 And the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance; but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was a Calebite.
4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
5 Then David sent out 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 shall ye say: Long life [to thee]! and peace be to thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be to all that thou hast!
7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers; now thy shepherds who were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there aught missed by them, all the while they were in Carmel.
8 Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee. Therefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, what thy hand may find to thy servants, and to thy son David.
9 And David's young men came, and spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.
10 And Nabal answered David's servants and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master.
11 And shall I take my bread, and my water, and my flesh which I have killed for my shearers, and give [it] to men whom I know not whence they are?
12 And David's young men turned their way, and went back, and came and reported to him according to all those words.
13 And David said to his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword; and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the baggage.
14 And one of [Nabal's] young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our master; and he has insulted them.
15 And the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we companied with them, when we were in the fields.
16 They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the while we were with them feeding the sheep.
17 And now know and consider what thou wilt do, for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household; and he is such a son of Belial, that one cannot speak to him.
18 And Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two skin-bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched [corn], and a hundred raisin-cakes, and two hundred fig-cakes, and laid them on asses.
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 was riding on the ass, and coming down by the covert of the hill, behold, David and his men came down opposite to her; and she met them.
21 Now David had said, Surely, in vain have I kept all that this [man] had in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that was his; and he has requited me evil for good.
22 So and more also do God to the enemies of David, if I leave of all that is his by the morning light any male.
23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
24 and fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, [upon] me let the iniquity be; but let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear the words of thy handmaid.
25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; and I thy handmaid did not see the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.
26 And now, my lord, [as] Jehovah liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah has restrained thee from coming with bloodshed, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
27 And now this blessing which thy bondmaid has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men that follow my lord.
28 I pray thee, forgive the transgression of thy handmaid: for Jehovah will certainly make my lord a lasting house; because my lord fights the battles of Jehovah, and evil has not been found in thee all thy days.
29 And if a man is risen up to pursue thee and to seek thy life, the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with Jehovah thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out from the hollow of the sling.
30 And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah shall do to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning thee, and shall appoint thee ruler over Israel,
31 that this shall be no stumbling-block to thee, nor offence of heart for my lord, either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. And when Jehovah shall deal well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.
32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me.
33 And blessed be thy discernment, and blessed be thou, who hast kept me this day from coming with bloodshed, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
34 But indeed, as Jehovah the God of Israel liveth, who has restrained me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, there had not been left to Nabal by the morning light any male.
35 So David received of her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was drunken to excess; so she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
37 And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things; and his heart died within him, and he became [as] a stone.
38 And it came to pass in about ten days that Jehovah smote Nabal, and he died.
39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Jehovah, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil; but Jehovah has returned Nabal's evil upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her as his wife.
40 And the servants of David came to Abigail to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, David has sent us to thee, to take thee as his wife.
41 And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thy handmaid be a bondwoman to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.
42 And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.
43 David had also taken Ahinoam of Jizreel; and they became, even both of them, his wives.
44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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