4. And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.
5. And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:
6. And thus shall you say to him that lives in prosperity, Peace be both to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be unto all that you have.
7. And now I have heard that you have shearers: now your shepherds which were with us, we hurt not, neither was there anything missing from them, all the while they were in Carmel.
8. Ask your young men, and they will show you. Therefore let the young men find favor in your eyes: for we come on a feast day: give, I pray you, whatsoever comes to your hand unto your servants, and to your son David.
9. And when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.
10. And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now days that break away each man from his master.
11. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not from where they be?
12. So David's young men turned away, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.
13. And David said unto his men, Gird you on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the supplies.
14. But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master; and he railed at them.
15. But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields:
16. They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
17. Now therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.
18. Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep already dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
19. And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.
20. And it was so, as she rode on the donkey, that she came down under cover of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them.
21. Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he has repaid me evil for good.
22. God do so and more also unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that belong to him by the morning light even one male.
23. And when Abigail saw David, she hastened, and got off the donkey, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
24. And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let your handmaid, I pray you, speak in your audience, and hear the words of your handmaid.