David Has His Men Ask Nabal for Food for Them |
1 Samuel 25:1-44 The Book of 1 Samuel [in Smaller Chunks] |
Samuel, [the priest,] died & all the Israelites were gathered together & [mourned] for him & buried him [at] his house in Ramah. David arose & went down to the Wilderness of Paran. |
There was a man named Nabal in Mahon whose possessions were in Carmel. He was very [prosperous] & had 3,000 sheep, 1,000 goats & was shearing his sheep in Carmel. |
His wife [was] Abigail & she was [wise] & beautiful, but [Nabal] was [harsh] & evil in his [dealings] & was of the house of Caleb. [While] in the wilderness, David heard [that] Nabal [was shearing] his sheep. |
David sent 10 young men & [told them, Go] up to Carmel & go & greet Nabal [by] name & say to him [who] lives in prosperity, Peace be to both you & your house & peace be to all that you [have.] |
[The reason I know] you have shearers [is that] your shepherds were with us & we [didn’t] hurt them & neither was [anything of theirs] missing [the whole time] they were in Carmel. Ask your young men & they will [tell] you. |
[For this reason,] let the young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a good day & I pray [that] you give to [us,] your servants & your son, David, [whatever] your hand [can spare.] |
When David’s young men came, they [spoke] to Nabal [all that] David [had said & finished.] Nabal answered David’s servants & said, Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? |
There [are] many servants [these] days [who] break away from his master. Shall I then take my bread, water & [meat,] that I have killed for my shearers & give it to men, whom I don’t [know where they’re from?] |
David’s young men [returned] & told him [everything that was said.] David said to his men, Everyone [strap on] your sword & they [did] & David [did, too.] About 400 men went up [with] David & 200 [stayed to protect their] stuff. |
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, [Look,] David sent messengers [from] the wilderness to [greet] our master & [Nabal scolded] them. [David’s] men were very good to us. |
But [their] men were very good to us & we weren’t hurt. Neither were we [missing] anything [the whole time we talked] with them, when we were in the fields. They [were like] a wall [protecting] us both night & day, all the [time] we were with them keeping the sheep. |
Therefore, now know [this] & consider what you will do: for evil is determined against our master & all his household: for he is such a [wicked man] that [no one] can speak to him. |
Abigail [hurried] & took 200 loaves [of bread,] 2 bottles of wine, 5 [slaughtered] sheep, 5 measures of [dried corn,] 100 clusters of raisins & 200 [fig] cakes & laid them on [donkeys.] |
She [told] her servants, Go on [ahead] of me & I [will] come after you, but she [didn’t tell] her husband, Nabal. [When] she rode her [donkey] down by the [mountain ravine, she saw] David & his men [come] down [toward] her & she met them. |
Now, David had said [to his men,] Surely, I have [protected] in vain all [Nabal] has in the wilderness, so that [he] missed nothing that [belonged] to him & he has [repaid] me evil for good. |
[May] God also do so & more to the enemies of David, if [by daylight] I leave [any male’s of Nabal’s family alive.] When Abigail saw David, she [hurried & got] off the [donkey.] |
[Abigail] fell before David & bowed [facing] the ground, at his feet & said, Let this [sin] be upon me, your handmaid. I pray [that] you speak [with me & listen to what I,] your handmaid, [say.] |
I pray [that] you, my lord, regard not this [wicked man,] even Nabal. Nabal is his name & he is [a fool just as his name suggests.] But, I, your handmaid [didn’t] see the young men you [sent.] |
As the Lord [God] lives & your soul lives & seeing [that] the Lord [God kept] you from [shedding] blood & avenging yourself [by] your own hand. Now let your enemies & [those who] seek your [harm,] be [like] Nabal. |
And now, [may] this blessing [of food that] your handmaid has brought to [you,] my lord, be given to the young men who follow [you.] I pray [that] you forgive the [sin] of your handmaid; |
For the Lord [God] will certainly make for [David,] my lord, a [secure] house, because [David] fights the battles of the Lord [God] & evil hasn’t been found in you, all your [life.] |
[Still, if] a man [has] risen to pursue you & seek your [life,] then [your] life shall be [securely tied] to the Lord your God [with] the bundle of [the living.] The [Lord] shall sling out the souls of your enemies [like stones from] the middle of a [slingshot.] |
It shall [happen,] when the Lord [God has] done all the good that He has [promised] concerning you & [has] appointed you ruler over Israel, my lord, that [you won’t have any] grief [or a troubled] heart for either [needlessly shedding] blood, of [for avenging yourself.] |
But remember [me,] your handmaid, when the Lord [God has] dealt well with, you,] my lord. David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, [Who] sent you [today] to meet me & blessed [is] your advice which has kept me from [shedding] blood & avenging myself, [by] my own hand [today.] |
As the Lord God of Israel lives, [He] has kept me back from hurting you, for in [your] very deed [of hurrying] to come to meet me, [there] surely [wouldn’t] be left [any male’s of Nabal’s family alive] by [sunrise.] |
So, David received [by] her hand [all the food] she had brought to him. [David] said to [Abigail,] Go in peace to your house. I have [listened] to you & have accepted [you.] |
[When,] Abigail came to Nabal, he held a feast in his house [fit for] a king. Nabal’s heart was very merry, [because] he was very [drunk, so] she didn’t [tell] him [anything] until morning light. |
It [happened] in the morning, when Nabal [was sober,] his wife told him [everything] & his heart died within him & he became [like] a stone. It [happened] about 10 days [afterward,] the Lord [struck] Nabal & he died. |
When David heard Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord, [Who] has avenged my cause [of disgrace with] Nabal & has kept [me,] His servant, from evil, for the Lord [has] returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head. |
And David sent servants, [to propose] to Abigail, to take her, [to be his] wife. When [his] servants [spoke] to Abigail in Carmel, saying, David sent us to you, to take you to [marry] him & to [be his] wife. |
[Abigail] arose & bowed [facing] the [ground] & said, [Look,] let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord, [David.] Abigail arose & [hurried] & rode on a [donkey] with 5 of [her] damsels, [who waited on her] & she [followed David’s] messengers & became his wife |
David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel & they were also both his wives, [since king] Saul had given his daughter, Michal, David’s [first] wife to Phalti, the son of Laish, [who] was [of] Gallim. |