1Samuel 25
25Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered for his funeral. They buried him at his house in Ramah. Then David moved down to the wilderness of Maon.H8050H4191H3478H6908H5594H6912H1004H7414H1732H6965H3381H4057H62902There was a wealthy man from Maon who owned property near the town of Carmel. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and it was sheep-shearing time.H376H4584H4639H3760H376H3966H1419H7969H505H6629H505H5795H1494H6629H37603This man's name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings.H8034H376H5037H8034H802H26H802H2896H7922H3303H8389H376H7186H7451H4611H36144When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep,H1732H8085H4057H5037H1494H66295he sent ten of his young men to Carmel with this message for Nabal.H1732H7971H6235H5288H1732H559H5288H5927H3760H935H5037H7592H7965H80346"Peace and prosperity to you, your family, and everything you own!H559H2416H7965H7965H1004H79657I am told that it is sheep-shearing time. While your shepherds stayed among us near Carmel, we never harmed them, and nothing was ever stolen from them.H8085H1494H7462H3637H3972H6485H3117H37608Ask your own men, and they will tell you this is true. So would you be kind to us, since we have come at a time of celebration? Please share any provisions you might have on hand with us and with your friend David."H7592H5288H5046H5288H4672H2580H5869H935H2896H3117H5414H4672H3027H5650H1121H17329David's young men gave this message to Nabal in David's name, and they waited for a reply.H1732H5288H935H1696H5037H1697H8034H1732H511710"Who is this fellow David?" Nabal sneered to the young men. "Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters.H5037H6030H1732H5650H559H1732H1121H3448H7231H5650H3117H6555H376H6440H11311Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?"H3947H3899H4325H2878H2873H1494H5414H582H304512So David's young men returned and told him what Nabal had said.H1732H5288H2015H1870H7725H935H5046H169713"Get your swords!" was David's reply as he strapped on his own. Then 400 men started off with David, and 200 remained behind to guard their equipment.H1732H559H582H2296H376H2719H2296H376H2719H1732H2296H2719H5927H310H1732H702H3967H376H3967H3427H362714Meanwhile, one of Nabal's servants went to Abigail and told her, "David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed insults at them.H259H5288H5046H26H5037H802H559H1732H7971H4397H4057H1288H113H586015These men have been very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us.H582H3966H2896H3637H6485H3972H3117H1980H770416In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep.H2346H3915H3119H3117H7462H662917You need to know this and figure out what to do, for there is going to be trouble for our master and his whole family. He's so ill-tempered that no one can even talk to him!"H3045H7200H6213H7451H3615H113H1004H1121H1100H169618Abigail wasted no time. She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep that had been slaughtered, nearly a bushel of roasted grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes. She packed them on donkeysH26H4116H3947H3967H3899H8147H5035H3196H2568H6629H6213H2568H5429H7039H3967H6778H3967H1690H7760H254319and said to her servants, "Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly." But she didn't tell her husband Nabal what she was doing.H559H5288H5674H6440H935H310H5046H376H503720As she was riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, she saw David and his men coming toward her.H7392H2543H3381H5643H2022H1732H582H3381H7125H629821David had just been saying, "A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good.H1732H559H8267H8104H2088H4057H3972H6485H7725H7451H289622May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!"H3541H3254H6213H430H341H1732H7604H5704H1242H216H8366H702323When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him.H26H7200H1732H4116H3381H2543H5307H639H1732H6440H7812H77624She fell at his feet and said, "I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say.H5307H7272H559H113H5771H519H1696H241H8085H1697H58925I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please don't pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent.H7760H113H3820H376H1100H5037H8034H5037H8034H5039H519H7200H5288H113H797126"Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, since the LORD has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies and those who try to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is.H113H3068H2416H5315H2416H3068H4513H935H1818H3467H3027H341H1245H7451H113H503727And here is a present that I, your servant, have brought to you and your young men.H1293H8198H935H113H5414H5288H1980H7272H11328Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way. The LORD will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty, for you are fighting the LORD's battles. And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life.H5375H6588H519H3068H6213H6213H113H539H1004H113H3898H4421H3068H7451H4672H311729"Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the LORD your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling!H120H6965H7291H1245H5315H5315H113H6887H6872H2416H3068H430H5315H341H7049H8432H3709H705030When the LORD has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel,H3068H6213H113H2896H1696H6680H5057H347831don't let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won't have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the LORD has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!"H6330H4383H3820H113H8210H1818H2600H113H3467H3068H3190H113H2142H51932David replied to Abigail, "Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today!H1732H559H26H1288H3068H430H3478H7971H3117H712533Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands.H1288H2940H1288H3607H3117H935H1818H3467H302734For I swear by the LORD, the God of Israel, who has kept me from hurting you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal's men would still be alive tomorrow morning."H199H3068H430H3478H2416H4513H7489H3884H4116H935H7125H3498H5037H1242H216H8366H702335Then David accepted her present and told her, "Return home in peace. I have heard what you said. We will not kill your husband."H1732H3947H3027H935H559H5927H7965H1004H7200H8085H6963H5375H644036When Abigail arrived home, she found that Nabal was throwing a big party and was celebrating like a king. He was very drunk, so she didn't tell him anything about her meeting with David until dawn the next day.H26H935H5037H4960H1004H4960H4428H5037H3820H2896H3966H7910H5046H1697H6996H1419H1242H21637In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and he lay paralyzed on his bed like a stone.H1242H3196H3318H5037H802H5046H1697H3820H4191H7130H6838About ten days later, the LORD struck him, and he died.H6235H3117H3068H5062H5037H419139When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise the LORD, who has avenged the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin." Then David sent messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife.H1732H8085H5037H4191H559H1288H3068H7378H7379H2781H3027H5037H2820H5650H7451H3068H7725H7451H5037H7218H1732H7971H1696H26H3947H80240When the messengers arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail, "David has sent us to take you back to marry him."H5650H1732H935H26H3760H1696H559H1732H7971H3947H80241She bowed low to the ground and responded, "I, your servant, would be happy to marry David. I would even be willing to become a slave, washing the feet of his servants!"H6965H7812H639H776H559H519H8198H7364H7272H5650H11342Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her servant girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and went with David's messengers. And so she became his wife.H26H4116H6965H7392H2543H2568H5291H1980H7272H3212H310H4397H1732H80243David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel, making both of them his wives.H1732H3947H293H3157H8147H80244Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti son of Laish.H7586H5414H4324H1323H1732H802H6406H1121H3919H1554
1Samuel 26
26Now some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah to tell him, "David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which overlooks Jeshimon."H2130H935H7586H1390H559H1732H5641H1389H2444H6440H3452 2So Saul took 3,000 of Israel's elite troops and went to hunt him down in the wilderness of Ziph.H7586H6965H3381H4057H2128H7969H505H977H376H3478H1245H1732H4057H2128 3Saul camped along the road beside the hill of Hakilah, near Jeshimon, where David was hiding. When David learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness,H7586H2583H1389H2444H6440H3452H1870H1732H3427H4057H7200H7586H935H310H4057 4he sent out spies to verify the report of Saul's arrival.H1732H7971H7270H3045H7586H935H3559 5David slipped over to Saul's camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors.H1732H6965H935H4725H7586H2583H1732H7200H4725H7586H7901H74H1121H5369H8269H6635H7586H7901H4570H5971H2583H5439 6"Who will volunteer to go in there with me?" David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother. "I'll go with you," Abishai replied.H6030H1732H559H288H2850H52H1121H6870H251H3097H559H3381H7586H4264H52H559H3381 7So David and Abishai went right into Saul's camp and found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him.H1732H52H935H5971H3915H7586H7901H3463H4570H2595H4600H776H4763H74H5971H7901H5439 8"God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!" Abishai whispered to David. "Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won't need to strike twice!"H559H52H1732H430H5462H341H3027H3117H5221H2595H776H6471H259H8138 9"No!" David said. "Don't kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the LORD's anointed one?H1732H559H52H7843H7971H3027H3068H4899H5352 10Surely the LORD will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle.H1732H559H3068H2416H3068H5062H3117H935H4191H3381H4421H5595 11The LORD forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed! But take his spear and that jug of water beside his head, and then let's get out of here!"H3068H2486H7971H3027H3068H4899H3947H2595H4763H6835H4325H3212 12So David took the spear and jug of water that were near Saul's head. Then he and Abishai got away without anyone seeing them or even waking up, because the LORD had put Saul's men into a deep sleep.H1732H3947H2595H6835H4325H7586H7226H3212H7200H3045H6974H3463H8639H3068H5307 13David climbed the hill opposite the camp until he was at a safe distance.H1732H5674H5676H5975H7218H2022H7350H7227H4725 14Then he shouted down to the soldiers and to Abner son of Ner, "Wake up, Abner!" "Who is it?" Abner demanded.H1732H7121H5971H74H1121H5369H559H6030H74H74H6030H559H7121H4428 15"Well, Abner, you're a great man, aren't you?" David taunted. "Where in all Israel is there anyone as mighty? So why haven't you guarded your master the king when someone came to kill him?H1732H559H74H376H3478H8104H113H4428H935H259H5971H7843H4428H113 16This isn't good at all! I swear by the LORD that you and your men deserve to die, because you failed to protect your master, the LORD's anointed! Look around! Where are the king's spear and the jug of water that were beside his head?"H1697H2896H6213H3068H2416H1121H4194H8104H113H3068H4899H7200H4428H2595H6835H4325H4763 17Saul recognized David's voice and called out, "Is that you, my son David?" And David replied, "Yes, my lord the king.H7586H5234H1732H6963H559H6963H1121H1732H1732H559H6963H113H4428 18Why are you chasing me? What have I done? What is my crime?H559H113H7291H310H5650H6213H7451H3027 19But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the LORD. For they have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the LORD's people, and they have said, 'Go, worship pagan gods.'H113H4428H8085H1697H5650H3068H5496H7306H4503H1121H120H779H6440H3068H1644H3117H5596H5159H3068H559H3212H5647H312H430 20Must I die on foreign soil, far from the presence of the LORD? Why has the king of Israel come out to search for a single flea? Why does he hunt me down like a partridge on the mountains?"H1818H5307H776H6440H3068H4428H3478H3318H1245H259H6550H7291H7124H2022 21Then Saul confessed, "I have sinned. Come back home, my son, and I will no longer try to harm you, for you valued my life today. I have been a fool and very, very wrong."H559H7586H2398H7725H1121H1732H7489H5315H3365H5869H3117H5528H7686H7235H3966 22"Here is your spear, O king," David replied. "Let one of your young men come over and get it.H1732H6030H559H4428H2595H259H5288H5674H3947 23The LORD gives his own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the LORD placed you in my power, for you are the LORD's anointed one.H3068H7725H376H6666H530H3068H5414H3027H3117H14H7971H3027H3068H4899 24Now may the LORD value my life, even as I have valued yours today. May he rescue me from all my troubles."H5315H1431H3117H5869H5315H1431H5869H3068H5337H6869 25And Saul said to David, "Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed." Then David went away, and Saul returned home.H7586H559H1732H1288H1121H1732H6213H6213H3201H3201H1732H3212H1870H7586H7725H4725
1Samuel 27
27But David kept thinking to himself, "Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe."H1732H559H3820H5595H259H3117H3027H7586H2896H3588H4422H4422H776H6430H7586H2976H1245H1366H3478H4422H30272So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.H1732H6965H5674H8337H3967H376H397H1121H4582H4428H16613David and his men and their families settled there with Achish at Gath. David brought his two wives along with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow from Carmel.H1732H3427H397H1661H582H376H1004H1732H8147H802H293H3159H26H3762H5037H8024Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.H5046H7586H1732H1272H1661H1245H3254H32545One day David said to Achish, "If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city."H1732H559H397H4672H2580H5869H5414H4725H259H5892H7704H3427H5650H3427H4467H58926So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day),H397H5414H6860H3117H6860H4428H3063H31177and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.H4557H3117H1732H3427H7704H6430H3117H702H23208David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times.H1732H582H5927H6584H1651H1511H6003H2007H5769H3427H776H935H7793H776H47149David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.H1732H5221H776H376H802H2421H3947H6629H1241H2543H1581H899H7725H935H39710"Where did you make your raid today?" Achish would ask. And David would reply, "Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites."H397H559H408H6584H3117H1732H559H5045H3063H5045H3397H5045H701711No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines.H1732H2421H376H802H2421H935H1661H559H5046H559H6213H1732H4941H3117H3427H7704H643012Achish believed David and thought to himself, "By now the people of Israel must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!"H397H539H1732H559H5971H3478H887H887H5650H5769
Dublin, OH
.H8050
