1Samuel 25

1 And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:1

2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:2

3 Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:3

4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:4

5 And David sent out ten young men, and David said to the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:AKJV — 1Samuel 25:5

6 And thus shall you say to him that lives in prosperity, Peace be both to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:6

7 And now I have heard that you have shearers: now your shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing to them, all the while they were in Carmel.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:7

8 Ask your young men, and they will show you. Why let the young men find favor in your eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray you, whatever comes to your hand to your servants, and to your son David.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:8

9 And when David’ young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:9

10 And Nabal answered David’ servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:10

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, whom I know not from where they be?AKJV — 1Samuel 25:11

12 So David’ young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:12

13 And David said to his men, Gird you 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 stayed by the stuff.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:13

14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’ wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:14

15 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:AKJV — 1Samuel 25:15

16 They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:16

17 Now therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:17

18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:18

19 And she said to her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:19

20 And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert on the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:20

21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him: and he has requited me evil for good.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:21

22 So and more also do God to the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that urinates against the wall.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:22

23 And when Abigail saw David, she hurried, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,AKJV — 1Samuel 25:23

24 And fell at his feet, and said, On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be: and let your handmaid, I pray you, speak in your audience, and hear the words of your handmaid.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:24

25 Let not my lord, I pray you, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I your handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom you did send.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:25

26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, seeing the LORD has withheld you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:26

27 And now this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, let it even be given to the young men that follow my lord.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:27

28 I pray you, forgive the trespass of your handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil has not been found in you all your days.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:28

29 Yet a man is risen to pursue 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 souls of your enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:29

30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and shall have appointed you ruler over Israel;AKJV — 1Samuel 25:30

31 That this shall be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood causeless, or that my lord has avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember your handmaid.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:31

32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent you this day to meet me:AKJV — 1Samuel 25:32

33 And blessed be your advice, and blessed be you, which have kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with my own hand.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:33

34 For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, which has kept me back from hurting you, except you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there had not been left to Nabal by the morning light any that urinates against the wall.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:34

35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to your house; see, I have listened to your voice, and have accepted your person.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:35

36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal’ heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: why she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:36

37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:37

38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:38

39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept his servant from evil: for the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:39

40 And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, David sent us to you, to take you to him to wife.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:40

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.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:41

42 And Abigail hurried, and arose and rode on an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:42

43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:43

44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’ wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.AKJV — 1Samuel 25:44