Study Desk

Saul took three thousand of the best soldiers in Israel and went looking for David and his men east of Wild Goat Rocks.

He came to a cave close to some sheep pens by the road and went in to relieve himself. It happened to be the very cave in which David and his men were hiding far back in the cave.

and he said to his men, "May the Lord keep me from doing any harm to my master, whom the Lord chose as king! I must not harm him in the least, because he is the king chosen by the Lord !"

So David convinced his men that they should not attack Saul. Saul got up, left the cave, and started away.

David promised that he would. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went back to their hiding place.

Samuel died, and all the Israelites came together and mourned for him. Then they buried him at his home in Ramah. After this, David went to the wilderness of Paran.

There was a man of the clan of Caleb named Nabal, who was from the town of Maon, and who owned land near the town of Carmel. He was a very rich man, the owner of three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. His wife Abigail was beautiful and intelligent, but he was a mean, bad-tempered man. Nabal was shearing his sheep in Carmel,

so he sent ten young men with orders to go to Carmel, find Nabal, and give him his greetings.

He instructed them to say to Nabal: "David sends you greetings, my friend, with his best wishes for you, your family, and all that is yours.

"Buckle on your swords!" he ordered, and they all did. David also buckled on his sword and left with about four hundred of his men, leaving two hundred behind with the supplies.

Please think this over and decide what to do. This could be disastrous for our master and all his family. He is so mean that he won't listen to anybody!"

She was riding her donkey around a bend on a hillside when suddenly she met David and his men coming toward her.

Please, don't pay any attention to Nabal, that good-for-nothing! He is exactly what his name means—a fool! I wasn't there when your servants arrived, sir.

Please forgive me, sir, for any wrong I have done. The Lord will make you king, and your descendants also, because you are fighting his battles; and you will not do anything evil as long as you live.

When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, "Praise the Lord ! He has taken revenge on Nabal for insulting me and has kept me his servant from doing wrong. The Lord has punished Nabal for his evil." Then David sent a proposal of marriage to Abigail.

His servants went to her at Carmel and said to her, "David sent us to take you to him to be his wife."

Abigail bowed down to the ground and said, "I am his servant, ready to wash the feet of his servants."

She rose quickly and mounted her donkey. Accompanied by her five maids, she went with David's servants and became his wife.

David had married Ahinoam from Jezreel, and now Abigail also became his wife.

Meanwhile, Saul had given his daughter Michal, who had been David's wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from the town of Gallim.