¹⁶ Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’”

² And Joab sent to ^(A)Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. ^(B)Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead.

¹⁴ There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. ¹⁵ But there was found in it ^(A)a poor, wise man, and he by his ^(B)wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. ¹⁶ But I say that ^(C)wisdom is better than might, though ^(D)the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.

¹⁷ The words of the wise heard in ^(E)quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. ^18 (F)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but ^(G)one sinner destroys much good.

³² And David said to Abigail, ^(A)“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, ^(B)who have kept me this day from bloodguilt ^(C)and from working salvation with my own hand!

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; ^(A)he was a Calebite.