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.