Beginning
The Death of Samuel
25 Samuel died and all Israel assembled to mourn for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah.
David, Nabal, and Abigail
David got up and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.[a] 2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel of Judah,[b] and the man was very rich. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 The man’s name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, while the man was harsh and wicked in his dealings. He was a descendant of Caleb.
4 While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 David sent ten young men, saying to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, find Nabal, and greet him in my name. 6 Then say, ‘May you live long. Peace to you, peace to your family, and peace to all that you have. 7 Now, I’ve heard that the sheep shearers are with you. Now, your shepherds have been with us. We didn’t harm them, and they didn’t miss anything all the time they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men and they’ll tell you. Therefore let my[c] young men find favor with you since we came on a special[d] day. Please give whatever you have available to your servants and to your son David.’”
9 David’s young men came to Nabal and told him all this[e] in David’s name, and then they waited. 10 Nabal answered David’s servants: “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are breaking away from their masters. 11 Should I take my food, my water, and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men who came from who knows where?”[f]
12 David’s men turned and went on[g] their way. They came back and told David[h] everything. 13 David told his men, “Put on your swords.” They put on their swords, and David put on his sword. Then about 400 men followed David, while 200 stayed with the supplies.
Abigail Intercedes with David
14 Now, one of the young men told Nabal’s wife Abigail: “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet[i] our lord, but he screamed insults at them. 15 The men were very good to us. They didn’t harm us, and we didn’t miss anything all the time we moved around with them when we were in the field. 16 They were a wall around us both day and night, all the time we were with them taking care of the sheep. 17 Now, be aware of this[j] and consider what you should do. Calamity is being planned against our master and against his entire household. He’s such a worthless person[k] that no one can talk to him.”
18 Abigail quickly took 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five measures of roasted grain, 100 bunches of raisins, and 200 fig cakes and loaded them on donkeys. 19 She told her young men, “Go ahead of me, I’ll be coming right behind you.” But she said nothing to her husband Nabal. 20 She was riding on the donkey and as she went down a protected part[l] of the mountain, David was there with his men, coming down to meet her, and she went toward them.
21 Now David had said, “Surely it was for nothing that I protected everything that belonged to this man in the wilderness, and nothing was missing of all that belonged to him. But he has repaid me[m] with evil for good! 22 May the Lord do this to the enemies of David[n]—and more also—if by the morning I’ve left alive a single male[o] of all those who belong to him.”
23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got down from the donkey and fell on her face before David, prostrating herself on the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and pleaded, “Your majesty, let the guilt be on me alone, and please let your servant[p] speak to you.[q] Listen to the words of your servant.[r] 25 Please, your majesty, don’t pay attention to this worthless man Nabal, for he’s just like his name. Nabal[s] is his name and folly is his constant companion. But I, your servant,[t] didn’t see your majesty’s young men whom you sent. 26 Now, your majesty, as the Lord lives and as you live, the Lord has kept you from shedding blood[u] and from delivering yourself by your own actions. Now, may your enemies and those seeking to do evil to your majesty be like Nabal. 27 Now let this present that your servant[v] has brought to your majesty be given to the young men who follow[w] your majesty. 28 Please forgive the offense of your servant.[x] For the Lord will certainly make a strong dynasty for your majesty, for your majesty is fighting the Lord’s battles. May evil not be found in you for all of your life.[y] 29 If anyone should arise to pursue you and seek your life, may the life of your majesty be bound up with the Lord your God in a bundle of the living, and may he sling out the lives of your enemies from the pocket of a sling. 30 When the Lord does for your majesty all the good that he promised concerning you and appoints you Commander-in-Chief[z] over Israel, 31 this shouldn’t be an obstacle or stumbling block for your majesty’s conscience, that he poured out blood without cause or that your majesty delivered himself. When the Lord does good things for your majesty, remember your servant.”[aa]
32 David told Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today. 33 Blessed be your good judgment, and blessed be you, who today stopped me from shedding blood[ab] and delivering myself by my own actions. 34 For as surely as the Lord God of Israel lives, the one who restrained me from harming you—indeed, had you not quickly come to meet me, by dawn[ac] there wouldn’t be a single male[ad] left to Nabal.”
35 David took from her what she had brought him and told her, “Go up to your house in peace. Look, I’ve heard your request and will grant it.”
Nabal’s Death
36 Abigail returned to Nabal, and he was there in his house holding a festival like the festival of a king. Nabal’s heart was glad, and he was very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything at all[ae] until morning. 37 After Nabal became sober the next morning,[af] his wife told him all that had happened.[ag] Nabal’s[ah] heart failed and he became paralyzed.[ai] 38 About ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.
39 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has judged the dispute over my insult at the hand of Nabal, and has held back his servant from evil. The Lord has repaid Nabal’s wickedness.”
Then David sent word to Abigail that he would take her as his wife. 40 David’s servants went to Abigail at Carmel and told her, “David sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”
41 She got up, prostrated herself face down on the ground, and replied, “Your servant would be a slave to wash the feet of your majesty’s servants.” 42 Then Abigail quickly got up and got on a donkey, with five young women walking behind her.[aj] She followed David’s messengers, and she became his wife. 43 David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. 44 Meanwhile, Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Laish’s son Palti from Gallim.
David Again Spares Saul’s Life
26 People from Ziph came to Saul in Gibeah and informed him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hachilah which is across from Jeshimon, isn’t he?” 2 So Saul rose and went down with 3,000 select men of Israel to the Wilderness of Ziph, to look for David in the Wilderness of Ziph. 3 Saul camped by the road on the hill of Hachilah, across from Jeshimon, while David was staying in the wilderness. When he realized[ak] that Saul had come after him in the wilderness, 4 David sent out spies and found out for certain that Saul had arrived. 5 David rose and went to the place where Saul was camped. David saw the place where Saul and Abner, his Commander-in-Chief, lay down. Saul was lying down within the encampment, and the army was[al] camped all around him.
6 David said[am] to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai, Zeruiah’s son, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?”
Abishai said, “I’ll go down with you.”
7 David and Abishai went to the army[an] at night, and Saul was lying there asleep in the encampment. His spear was stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army[ao] were lying all around him. 8 Abishai told David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Let me run the spear through him into the ground with a single blow. I won’t need to strike him twice!”
9 David told Abishai, “Don’t destroy him. Who can raise his hand to strike the Lord’s anointed and remain innocent? 10 As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him down, or his time will come to die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 The Lord forbid that I should raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed. Now take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let’s go.” 12 So David took the spear and the jug of water at Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw, and no one knew, because no one was awake. They were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen over them.
13 Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away with a large distance between them. 14 David called out to the army[ap] and to Ner’s son Abner, “Abner, won’t you answer me?”
Abner answered: “Who are you who calls out to the king?”
15 David told Abner, “Are you not a man, and who is like you in Israel? Why didn’t you guard your lord, the king? Indeed, a soldier came to destroy the king, your lord. 16 This thing that you did is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die,[aq] you who didn’t guard your lord, the Lord’s anointed. Where is the king’s spear and where is the jug of water that was at his head?”
17 Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?”
David replied, “It is my voice, your majesty.”[ar] 18 David[as] said, “Why is your majesty pursuing his servant? For what have I done, and what evil do I bear toward you? 19 Now let your majesty[at] listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. But if it is people, may they be cursed in the Lord’s presence, because they have driven me out today from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord by saying, ‘Go serve other gods.’ 20 Now, don’t let my blood fall to the ground away from the Lord’s presence. Indeed, the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea, like someone hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
Saul Apologizes Again
21 Then Saul said, “I’ve wronged you. Return, my son David, for I won’t harm you again because my life was precious to you[au] today. Look, I’ve acted foolishly and have made a very great mistake.”
22 David replied, “Here’s the king’s spear. Have one of the young men come over and get it. 23 The Lord repays a person for his righteousness and his faithfulness. The Lord gave you into my control today, but I refused to raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed. 24 Look, just as your life was valuable in my eyes today, so may my life be valuable in the Lord’s eyes, and may he deliver me from all trouble.”
25 Saul told David, “Blessed are you, my son David. In whatever you do you will surely succeed.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.
David Escapes to Philistine Territory
27 David told himself, “One of these days I’ll perish by Saul’s hand. There is nothing better for me to do than to escape to Philistine territory. Saul will give up searching for me anymore within the borders of Israel, so I’ll escape from him.” 2 So David got up, and he and the 600 men who were with him went to Maoch’s son Achish, the king of Gath. 3 David stayed with Achish in Gath along with his men, each of whom was with his household. David had his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, who had been the wife of Nabal of Carmel. 4 Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, and he did not continue to search for him.
Achish Gives Ziklag to David
5 David told Achish, “If it pleases you, give me a place in one of the outlying towns,[av] so I may live there. Why should your servant live with you in the royal city?” 6 So that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and therefore, Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah until the present time. 7 David lived in Philistine territory for a year and four months.
David’s Raids on the Land
8 David and his men went up and raided the descendants of Geshur, the descendants of Girzi, and the Amalekites, for they had been living in the land since ancient times, from the entrance of[aw] Shur all the way to the land of Egypt. 9 David struck the land and did not leave a man or woman alive. He took sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing, and then came back and went to Achish.
10 Achish said, “Where did you raid today?”
David answered, “Against the Negev[ax] of Judah, against the Negev[ay] of the Jerahmeelites, and against the Negev[az] of the Kenites.” 11 David did not leave a man or woman alive to bring to Gath. He told himself,[ba] “Otherwise, they’ll say, ‘This is what David is doing, and this has been his practice all the time he has lived in Philistine territory.’”
12 Achish believed David, telling himself,[bb] “He has certainly made himself repulsive to his people in Israel. He will be my servant forever.”
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