Study Desk

As she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them.

She fell at his feet and said, "Upon me alone, my lord, be the guilt; please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.

My lord, do not take seriously this ill-natured fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.

Abigail came to Nabal; he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the morning light.

In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him; he became like a stone.

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the Lord who has judged the case of Nabal's insult to me, and has kept back his servant from evil; the Lord has returned the evildoing of Nabal upon his own head." Then David sent and wooed Abigail, to make her his wife.

When David's servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, "David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife."

Abigail got up hurriedly and rode away on a donkey; her five maids attended her. She went after the messengers of David and became his wife.

David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel; both of them became his wives.

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

Then David set out and came to the place where Saul had encamped; and David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.

So David and Abishai went to the army by night; there Saul lay sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the army lay around him.

But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for who can raise his hand against the Lord 's anointed, and be guiltless?"

David said, "As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him down; or his day will come to die; or he will go down into battle and perish.

The Lord forbid that I should raise my hand against the Lord 's anointed; but now take the spear that is at his head, and the water jar, and let us go."

This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord 's anointed. See now, where is the king's spear, or the water jar that was at his head?"

And he added, "Why does my lord pursue his servant? For what have I done? What guilt is on my hands?

Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering; but if it is mortals, may they be cursed before the Lord , for they have driven me out today from my share in the heritage of the Lord , saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.'

The Lord rewards everyone for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord gave you into my hand today, but I would not raise my hand against the Lord 's anointed.

Then Saul said to David, "Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them." So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.