1 Samuel 25:1-11

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?”