17. Nabal was foolish to say what he did. Terrible trouble is coming to our master and all his family. You need to think of something to do.”
18. Abigail quickly gathered up 200 loaves of bread, two full wine bags, five cooked sheep, about a bushel of cooked grain, about 2 quarts of raisins, and 200 cakes of pressed figs. She put them on donkeys.
19. Then Abigail told her servants, “Go on. I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband.
20. Abigail rode her donkey down to the other side of the mountain. She met David and his men coming from the other direction.
21. David was saying, “I protected Nabal’s property in the desert. I made sure not one of his sheep was missing. I did all that for nothing. I was good to him, but he was rude to me.
22. I swear, I won’t let even one man in Nabal’s family live until tomorrow morning.”
23. Just then Abigail arrived. When she saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down with her face to the ground in front of him.
24. Abigail fell at his feet and said, “Sir, please let me talk to you. Listen to what I say. Blame me for what happened.
25. I didn’t see the men you sent. Sir, don’t pay any attention to that worthless man, Nabal. His name means ‘Foolish,’ and that is what he is.
26. The Lord has kept you from killing innocent people. As surely as the Lord lives and you as well, may your enemies and anyone else who wants to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is.
27. Now, I am bringing this gift to you. Please give these things to your men.
28. Please forgive me for doing wrong. I know the Lord will make your family strong because you fight his battles. People will never find anything bad about you as long as you live.
29. If someone chases you to kill you, the Lord your God will save your life. But he will throw away your enemies like a stone from a sling.
30. The Lord promised to do many good things for you, and he will keep his promises. He will make you leader over Israel.
31. So don’t do anything that would make you guilty of killing innocent people. Please don’t fall into that trap. Please remember me when the Lord blesses you.”
32. David answered Abigail, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel. Praise God for sending you to meet me.
33. God bless you for your good judgment. You kept me from killing innocent people today.
34. As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, if you hadn’t come quickly to meet me, not one man in Nabal’s family would have lived until tomorrow morning. But the Lord prevented me from hurting you.”
35. Then David accepted Abigail’s gifts. He told her, “Go home in peace. I have listened to your request, and I will do what you asked.”
36. Abigail went back to Nabal, who was in the house. He had been eating like a king, and he was drunk and feeling good. So Abigail told Nabal nothing until the next morning.