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.
37. The next morning, Nabal was sober, so his wife told him everything. He had a heart attack and became as stiff as a rock.
38. About ten days later, the Lord gave him a stroke and Nabal died.
39. When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the Lord! He judged Nabal to be wrong for insulting me and kept me from doing something wrong. The Lord made Nabal pay for what he did.” Then David sent a message to Abigail and asked her to be his wife.
40. His servants went to Carmel with this message, “David sent us to get you. He wants you to be his wife.”
41. Abigail bowed her face to the ground. She said, “I am willing to be your slave woman, even if it is only to wash the feet of my master’s servants.”