¹ And Samuel died, and all Israel was gathered, and mourned for him. And they buried him in his house, in Ramah. And David rose up and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

² And a certain man was in Maon, and his work was in Carmel. And the man was very great, and there were three thousand sheep and a thousand goats to him. And he was shearing his flock in Carmel.

³ And the man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name, Abigail. And the woman was of good understanding, and beautiful of form. And the man was cruel and evil in his dealings. And He was of Caleb.

⁴ And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his flock.

⁵ And David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, Go up to Carmel, and you shall come to Nabal and ask him of his welfare in my name.

⁶ And say this, Long life and peace to you! And peace to your house, and peace to all that you have.

⁷ And now, I have heard that you have shearers. And your shepherds have been with us; we have not shamed them, nor was anything missing to them all the days they were in Carmel.

⁸ Ask your young men, and they will tell you. And may the young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come at a good day. Please give that which your hand finds to your servants, and to your son, to David.

⁹ And the young men of David came and spoke to Nabal according to all these words, in the name of David, and rested.

¹⁰ And Nabal answered David's servants and said, Who is David, and who the son of Jesse? The servants have multiplied today, who have broken away, a man from their masters.

¹¹ And shall I take my bread, and my water, and my meat which I have killed for my shearers, and give to men whom I have not known, from where they are?

¹² And the young men of David turned to their way, and returned and came and told him according to all these words.

¹³ And David said to his men, Each man gird on his sword. And David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David and two hundred stayed by the baggage.

¹⁴ And one young man of the youths told Abigail the wife of Nabal, saying, Behold, David has sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our lord, and he screamed at them.

¹⁵ And the men were good to us, and have not shamed us, and we have not missed anything all the days we have gone up and down with them when we were in the field.

¹⁶ They have been a wall to us both by day and by night, all the days we have been with them, feeding the flock.

¹⁷ And now, know and consider what you should do; for evil has been determined against our lord, and on all his house. And he is a son of worthlessness, no one can speak to him.

¹⁸ And Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five prepared sheep, and five measures of roasted grain , and a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. And she set them on the asses.

¹⁹ And she said to her young men, Pass on before me. Behold, I am coming after you. But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

²⁰ And it happened she was riding on the ass and coming down by the cover of the mountain. And, behold, David and his men were coming down to meet her; and she met them.

²¹ And David had said, Surely, in vain I have guarded all that belongs to this fellow in the wilderness, so that not anything was missed of all that was his. And he has returned to me evil for good.

²² So may God do to the enemies of David, and may He do more so, if I leave any of all that is to him to the light of the morning, of one who urinates against a wall.

²³ And Abigail saw David, and she hurried, and she dismounted from the ass and fell on her face before David and bowed to the earth.

²⁴ And she fell at his feet and said, On me, even me, my lord, be the iniquity. And I beg you, let your handmaid speak in your ears; and hear the words of your handmaid.

²⁵ I beg you, do not let my lord set his heart toward this man of worthlessness, on Nabal. For as his name is , so is he. Nabal is his name, and foolishness is with him. And I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.

²⁶ And now, my lord, as Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, in that Jehovah has withheld you from coming in with blood, and delivering your hand for you; even now let your enemies be as Nabal, even those seeking evil to my lord.

²⁷ And now this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, even let it be given to the young men who go after my lord.

²⁸ I beg you, bear with the transgression of your handmaid, for Jehovah shall certainly make a sure house for my lord. For my lord has fought the battles of Jehovah, and evil has not been found in you all your days.

²⁹ And if a man rises up to pursue you, and to seek your soul (and the soul of my lord has been bound up in the bundle of life with Jehovah your God). And the souls of your enemies, He shall sling them from the hollow of the sling.

³⁰ And it shall be, when Jehovah does to my lord according to all the good which He has spoken concerning you, and has commanded you to be ruler over Israel,

³¹ that this shall not be for a cause of staggering, or of stumbling of heart to my lord, either to shed blood for nothing, or that my lord saved himself. And may Jehovah do good to my lord, and you remember your handmaid.

³² And David said to Abigail, Blessed is Jehovah the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today.

³³ And blessed is your discernment. And blessed are you in that you have kept me from coming in with blood this day, and from delivering myself with my own hand.

³⁴ And, indeed, as Jehovah the God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from doing evil to you, for unless you had hurried and had come to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal one who urinates against the wall till the light of morning.

³⁵ And David received from her hand what she had brought to him. And he said to her, Go in peace to your house. See, I have heard your voice, and have accepted your face.

³⁶ And Abigail came to Nabal. And, behold, he was at a feast in his house, like the feast of the king. And Nabal's heart felt good within him, and he was drunk to excess. And she did not tell him a word, more or less, until the light of the morning.