1. Then Samuel died, and all of Israel gathered together, and they mourned him. And they buried him at his house in Ramah. And David, rising up, descended to the desert of Paran.
2. Now there was a certain man in the wilderness of Maon, and his possessions were at Carmel. And this man was exceedingly great. And three thousand sheep, and one thousand goats were his. And it happened that he was shearing his sheep at Carmel.
3. Now the name of this man was Nabal. And the name of his wife was Abigail. And she was a very prudent and beautiful woman. But her husband was hard-hearted, and very wicked, and malicious. And he was of the stock of Caleb.
4. Therefore, when David, in the desert, had heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep,
5. he sent ten young men, and he said to them: "Ascend to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name peacefully.
6. And you shall say: 'Peace be to my brothers and to you, and peace to your house, and peace to whatever you have.
7. I have heard that your shepherds, who were with us in the desert, were shearing. We have never troubled them, nor was anything from the flock missing to them at any time, during the entire time that they have been with us in Carmel.
8. Question your servants, and they will tell you. Now therefore, may your servants find favor in your eyes. For we have arrived on a good day. Whatever your hand will find, give it to your servants and to your son David.' "
9. And when the servants of David had arrived, they spoke to Nabal all these words in the name of David. And then they were silent.
10. But Nabal, responding to the servants of David, said: "Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Today, servants who are fleeing from their lords are increasing.
11. Therefore, shall I take my bread, and my water, and the meat of the cattle that I have slain for my shearers, and give it to men, when I do not know where they are from?"
12. And so the servants of David traveled back along their way. And returning, they went and reported to him all the words that he had said.
13. Then David said to his servants, "Let each one gird his sword." And each one girded his sword. And David also girded his sword. And about four hundred men followed David. But two hundred remained behind with the supplies.
14. Then it was reported to Abigail, the wife of Nabal, by one of his servants, saying: "Behold, David has sent messengers from the desert, so that they might speak kindly to our lord. But he turned them away.
15. These men were good enough to us, and were not troublesome. Neither did we ever lose anything, during the entire time that we conversed with them in the desert.
16. They were a wall to us, as much in the night as in the day, during all the days that we were with them, pasturing the sheep.
17. For this reason, consider and realize what you should do. For evil has been decided against your husband and against your house. And he is a son of Belial, so that no one is able to speak to him."
18. And so Abigail hurried, and she took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five cooked sheep, and five measures of cooked grain, and one hundred clusters of dried grapes, and two hundred masses of dried figs, and she set them upon donkeys.
19. And she said to her servants: "Go before me. Behold, I will follow after your back." But she did not reveal it to her husband, Nabal.