Old/New Testament
25 Then Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him and buried him in his own house at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
2 Now, there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. And the man was exceedingly mighty and had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3 Also, the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife: Abigail. And she was a woman of singular wisdom and beautiful. But the man was harsh and evil in his endeavors. He was of the family of Caleb.
4 And in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal sheared his sheep.
5 Therefore, David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel. And go to Nabal and ask him, in my name, how he is doing.
6 “And you shall say this as a greeting, “Peace to you and your house and all that you have.
7 “Behold, I have heard that you have shearers. Now, your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor did they lose anything all the time they were in Carmel.
8 “Ask your servants and they will tell you. Therefore, let these young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a good day. Please give whatever comes to hand to your servants, and to your son David.”
9 And when David’s young men came, they told Nabal all those words in the name of David, and then held their peace.
10 Then, Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away, each man from his master.
11 “Shall I then take my bread and my water and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men of whose origin I do not know?”
12 So David’s servants turned their way and went back and came and told him all those things.
13 And David said to his men, “Every man gird his sword!” And every man girded his sword. David also girded his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, and two hundred stayed by the carriage.
14 Now, one of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master and he scorned them.
15 “Nevertheless, the men were very good to us and we had no displeasure. Nor did we lose anything while we were with them, when we were in the fields.
16 “They were as a wall to us, both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping sheep.
17 “Now, therefore, take heed and consider what you shall do. For evil will surely come upon our master, and upon all his family. For he is so wicked that a man cannot speak to him.”
18 Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred cakes and two bottles of wine and five sheep, already dressed, and five measures of parched corn and a hundred clusters of raisins (and two hundred of figs) and laid them on donkeys.
19 Then she said to her servants, “Go before me! Behold, I will follow you.” Yet she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 And as she rode on her donkey, she came down by a secret place of the mountain. And behold, David and his men came down opposite her. And she met them.
21 And David said, “Indeed, for nothing have I kept all that this fellow had in the wilderness, so that nothing was lost of all that pertained to him. For he has requited me evil for good.
22 “This and more also may God do to the enemies of David if I leave any male that he has before the dawning of the day.”
23 And when Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted her donkey, and fell before David on her face and bowed herself to the ground
24 and fell at his feet, and said, “Oh, my lord, I have committed the iniquity! And please let your handmaid speak to you, and hear the words of your handmaid!
25 “Please do not let my lord pay any attention to this wicked man, Nabal! For as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him. But I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.
26 “Now, therefore, my lord. As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives (the LORD Who has restrained you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself your own hand), so now your enemies shall be as Nabal, and those who intend to do my lord evil.
27 “And now, this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.
28 “Please forgive the trespass of your handmaid. For the LORD will make my lord a sure House, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD. And no misery has been found in you in all your life.
29 “Yet a man has risen up to persecute you, and to seek your soul. But the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God. And the soul of your enemies God shall cast out, as out of the middle of a sling.
30 “And when the LORD shall have done to my lord all the good that He has promised you, and shall have made you ruler over Israel,
31 “then it shall be no grief to you, nor offense of mind to my lord, that he has either shed blood without cause or that my lord has not avenged himself. And when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, remember your handmaid.”
32 Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, Who sent you this day to meet me.
33 “And blessed be your counsel, and blessed be you, who hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and that I have not avenged myself by my own hand.
34 “For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives (Who has restrained me from hurting you), except that you had hurried and met me, surely no male would have been left to Nabal by the dawning of the day.”
35 Then David received from her hand that which she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. Behold, I have heard your voice and have granted your petition.”
36 So Abigail came to Nabal. And behold, he made 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, neither less nor more, until the morning arose.
37 Then, in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him those words. And his heart died within him. And he was like a stone.
38 And about ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal, so that he died.
39 Now when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD, Who has judged the cause of my rebuke of the hand of Nabal and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has repaid the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head!” Also, David sent to commune with Abigail, to take her as his wife.
40 And when the servants of David had come to Abigail, to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David sent us to you, to take you as his wife.”
41 And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, “Behold, let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
42 And Abigail hurried and arose and rode upon a donkey. And her five maids followed her. And she went after the messengers of David and was his wife.
43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel. And they were both his wives.
44 Now Saul had given Michal, his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti, the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
26 Again the Ziphites came to Saul, to Gibeah, saying, “Does not David hide himself on the hill of Hachilah, before Jeshimon?”
2 Then Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 And Saul camped on the hill of Hachilah (which is before Jeshimon), by the roadside. Now David remained in the wilderness. And he saw that Saul came after him, into the wilderness.
4 For David had sent out spies and understood that Saul had indeed come.
5 Then David arose and came to the place where Saul had camped. And David beheld the place where Saul lay and Abner, the son of Ner, who was his chief captain (for Saul lay in the fort and the people camped all around him).
6 Then David spoke, and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul, to the camp?” Then Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
7 So David and Abishai came down to the people at night. And behold, Saul lay sleeping inside the fort, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head: And Abner and the people lay all around him.
8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has closed your enemy into your hand this day! Now, therefore, please let me strike him once with a spear to the earth. And I will not strike him again.”
9 And David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him. For who can lay his hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”
10 Moreover David said, “As the LORD lives, either the LORD shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall descend into battle and perish.
11 “The LORD keep me from laying my hand upon the LORD’s anointed! But now, please take the spear that is at his head, and the pot of water, and let us go from here.”
12 So David took the spear and the pot of water from Saul’s head, and they got away. And no man saw it or knew it, nor did any awaken, but they were all asleep. For the LORD had sent a dead sleep upon them.
13 Then David went to the other side and stood on the top of a hill, far away, a great space being between them.
14 And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Do you not hear, Abner?” Then Abner answered, and said, “Who are you who cries to the king?”
15 And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man?! And who is like you in Israel?! Why, then, have you not kept your lord the king?! For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord!
16 “This is not well done by you! As the LORD lives, you are worthy to die, because you have not kept your master, the LORD’s anointed! And now, see where the king’s spear is, and the pot of water that was at his head!”
17 And Saul knew David’s voice, and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?!” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king!”
18 And he said, “Why does my lord persecute his servant like this?! For what have I done?! Or what evil is in my hand?!
19 “Now, therefore, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant! If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him smell the savor of a Sacrifice! But if the children of men have done it, cursed be they before the LORD! For they have cast me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods!’
20 “Now, therefore, do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD! For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as one would hunt a partridge in the mountains!”
21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned! Come back, my son David! For I will do you no more harm, because my soul was precious in your eyes this day! Behold, I have done foolishly and have erred exceedingly!”
22 Then David answered, and said, “Behold the king’s spear! Let one of the young men come over and fetch it!
23 “And let the LORD reward every man according to his righteousness and faithfulness! For the LORD had delivered you into my hands this day, but I would not lay my hand upon the LORD’s anointed!
24 “And behold, just as your life was highly valued this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued in the eyes of the LORD, so that He may deliver me out of all tribulation!”
25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David! For you shall do great things and also prevail!” So, David went his way. And Saul returned to his place.
32 “Do not fear, little flock. For it is your Father’s pleasure to give you the Kingdom.
33 “Sell what you have and give alms. Make purses which do not grow old - a treasure that can never fail in Heaven - where no thief comes or moth destroys.
34 “For where your treasure is, there your hearts will be also.
35 “Let your waist be girded, your lights burning,
36 “and you yourselves like men who wait for their master to return from the wedding feast. So that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately.
37 “Blessed are those servants whom the Lord shall find awake when He comes. Truly I say to you, He will gird himself, make them sit down at table, and come forth and serve them.
38 “And if He comes in the second watch, or comes in the third watch, and shall find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 “Now understand this: that if the good man of the house had known at what hour the thief would have come, he would have watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
40 “Therefore, you also be prepared. For the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not suspect.”
41 Then Peter said to Him, “Master, did You tell this parable only to us, or to everyone?”
42 And the Lord said, “Who is a faithful steward, and wise; whom the master shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in season?
43 “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, shall find so doing.
44 “Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
45 “But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master delays his coming’, and begins to beat the servants and maidens, and to eat and drink and get drunk,
46 “the master of that servant will come on a day he does not suspect, and at an hour when he is unaware, and will cut him off, and give him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 “And that servant who knew his master’s will and neither prepared himself nor did according to his will, shall be beaten with many lashes.
48 “But the one who did not know it and still committed things worthy of lashes, shall be beaten with few. For to whom much is given, much shall be required. And to whom much has been committed, much more will be requested.
49 “I have come to cast fire on the Earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!
50 “But I must be baptized with a baptism, and how I am grieved till it be accomplished.
51 “Do you think that I have come to give peace on Earth? I tell you no, but rather division.
52 “For from now on there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.
53 “The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
54 Then He said to the people, “When you see a cloud rise out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower comes.’ And so it does.
55 “And when the south wind blows, you say that it will be hot. And it happens.
56 “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the Earth and of the sky. But why can you not discern this time?
57 “Indeed, and why do you not judge what is right even among yourselves?
58 “While you go with your adversary to the ruler, work diligently on the way to be delivered from him. Lest he draws you to the judge and the judge delivers you to the jailer. And the jailer casts you into prison.
59 I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the last cent.
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