1. Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn him; they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David went down to the wilderness of Paran.
2. There was a man of Maon who had property in Carmel; he was very wealthy, owning three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At the time, he was present for the shearing of his flock in Carmel.
3. The man’s name was Nabal and his wife was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and attractive, but Nabal, a Calebite, was harsh and bad-mannered.
4. While in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal was shearing his flock,
5. so he sent ten young men, instructing them: “Go up to Carmel. Pay Nabal a visit and greet him in my name.
6. Say to him, ‘Peace be with you, my brother, and with your family, and with all who belong to you.
7. I have just heard that shearers are with you. Now, when your shepherds were with us, we did them no injury, neither did they miss anything while they were in Carmel.
8. Ask your servants and they will tell you. Look kindly on these young men, since we come at a festival time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can.’”
9. When David’s young men arrived, they delivered the entire message to Nabal in David’s name, and then waited.
10. But Nabal answered the servants of David: “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays there are many servants who run away from their masters.
11. Must I take my bread, my wine, my meat that I have slaughtered for my own shearers, and give them to men who come from who knows where?”
12. So David’s young men retraced their steps and on their return reported to him all that had been said.
13. Thereupon David said to his men, “Let everyone strap on his sword.” And everyone did so, and David put on his own sword. About four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.
14. Abigail, Nabal’s wife, was informed of this by one of the servants, who said: “From the wilderness David sent messengers to greet our master, but he screamed at them.
15. Yet these men were very good to us. We were not harmed, neither did we miss anything all the while we were living among them during our stay in the open country.