Thematic Bible




1 Samuel 25:1 (show verse)

And then Samuel died, and all Israel gathered together and lamented him, and buried him in his own house at Ramah. And David arose and gat him to the wilderness of Paran.

1 Samuel 25:2 (show verse)

And there was a man in Maon whose cattle was in Carmel, and the man was exceeding mighty, and had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

1 Samuel 25:3 (show verse)

The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail: and she was a woman of good wisdom and beautiful. But the man was churlish and of shrewd conditions and was a Calebite.

1 Samuel 25:4 (show verse)

And when David heard in the wilderness, that Nabal shore his sheep,

1 Samuel 25:5 (show verse)

he sent out ten of his young men, and said unto them, "Get you up to Carmel and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.

1 Samuel 25:6 (show verse)

And thus wise say unto my friend, "Peace be to thee, peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

1 Samuel 25:7 (show verse)

I have heard say that thou hast shearers. Now the shepherds were with us, and we did them no spite, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel:

1 Samuel 25:8 (show verse)

ask thy lads, and they will show thee. Wherefore let these young men find favour in thine eyes - for we come in a good season - and give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants and to thine son David."

1 Samuel 25:9 (show verse)

And David's young men came and told Nabal all those words in the name of David and then stopped.

1 Samuel 25:10 (show verse)

And Nabal answered David's servants and said, "What is David? And what is the son of Jesse? There is plenty of servants nowadays, that break away every man from his master.

1 Samuel 25:11 (show verse)

Should I take my bread, my water and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men which I know not whence they be?"

1 Samuel 25:12 (show verse)

And David's servants turned their way and went again, and came and told him according to all those sayings.

1 Samuel 25:13 (show verse)

Then David said unto his men, "Gird every man his sword about him." And they girded every man his sword on, and David thereto girded on his sword. And there followed David upon a four hundred men, and two hundred abode by the stuff.

1 Samuel 25:14 (show verse)

But one of the lads told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, "See, David sent messengers unto our master out of the wilderness to salute him, and he railed on them.

1 Samuel 25:15 (show verse)

And yet the men were very good unto us and did us no displeasure, neither missed we anything, as long as were conversant with them, when we were in the fields.

1 Samuel 25:16 (show verse)

But they were a wall of defense unto us both by night and also by day, all the while we were with them keeping sheep.

1 Samuel 25:17 (show verse)

Now take heed and see what thou hast to do, for it is concluded to do mischief unto our master and to all his household. And he is ungracious to speak to."

1 Samuel 25:18 (show verse)

Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two bottles of wine and five sheep ready dressed and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred bundles of raisins and two hundred frails of figs, and laded them on asses,

1 Samuel 25:19 (show verse)

and said unto her young men, "Go before me, and see I come after you," and told her husband Nabal nothing thereof.

1 Samuel 25:20 (show verse)

And as she rode on her ass and was coming down in a slade of the hill, David and his men came down against her, and she met them.

1 Samuel 25:21 (show verse)

And David said, "In vain have I kept all that this fellow had in the wilderness: so that nought was missed that pertained unto him, for he hath quite me with evil for good.

1 Samuel 25:22 (show verse)

God do this and yet more unto the enemies of David, if until tomorrow in the morning I leave this man, of all that he hath, so much as one that pisseth against the wall."

1 Samuel 25:23 (show verse)

When Abigail saw David, she hasted and lighted off her ass and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

1 Samuel 25:24 (show verse)

and fell at his feet and said, "Let this unhappy deed be counted mine, my lord, and let thine handmaid speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thy handmaid.

1 Samuel 25:25 (show verse)

Let not my lord regard this unthrifty man Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him. But I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord which thou sendest.

1 Samuel 25:26 (show verse)

And now my lord as sure as the LORD liveth and as thy soul liveth, the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood and from avenging thyself with thine own hand. Furthermore, I pray God that thine enemies and they that intend to do my lord evil, may be as Nabal.

1 Samuel 25:27 (show verse)

And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought, let it be given unto the young men that follow my lord.

1 Samuel 25:28 (show verse)

Forgive the trespass of thine handmaid that the LORD may make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and there could none evil be found in thee in all thy life.

1 Samuel 25:29 (show verse)

And if any man rise to persecute thee and to seek thy soul, the soul of my lord be bound in a bundle of life with the LORD thy God. And the souls of thy enemies be slung in the middle of a sling.

1 Samuel 25:30 (show verse)

And moreover when the LORD shall have done to my lord all the good that he hath promised thee, and shall have made thee ruler over Israel:

1 Samuel 25:31 (show verse)

then shall it be no grudge of conscience unto thee or discourage of heart unto my lord, that thou sheddest blood causeless and didst avenge thyself. And moreover when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then think on thine handmaid."

1 Samuel 25:32 (show verse)

Then said David to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me.

1 Samuel 25:33 (show verse)

And blessed be thy behaviour, and blessed be thou which hath kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

1 Samuel 25:34 (show verse)

For in very deed - as sure as the LORD God of Israel liveth which hath kept me back from hurting thee - except thou hadst hasted and met me, there had not been left Nabal, by the dawning of the day, a pisser against the wall."

1 Samuel 25:35 (show verse)

And so David received of her hand that she brought him, and said to her, "Go in peace to thine house. And see, I have obeyed thy voice and have received thee to grace."

1 Samuel 25:36 (show verse)

And when Abigail came to Nabal, behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, and he was drunk a good. Wherefore she told him nought, neither little nor more, until the morrow day.

1 Samuel 25:37 (show verse)

But in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these words, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone,

1 Samuel 25:38 (show verse)

and upon a ten days after, the LORD smote Nabal that he died.

1 Samuel 25:39 (show verse)

And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD that hath judged the cause of my rebuke of the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil, and hath turned the wickedness of Nabal again upon his own head." And David sent to commune with Abigail, to the intent to take her to his wife.

1 Samuel 25:40 (show verse)

And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her saying, "David sent us unto thee, to take thee to his wife."

1 Samuel 25:41 (show verse)

And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, "Behold thy handmaid, to be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord."

1 Samuel 25:42 (show verse)

And Abigail hasted and arose and gat her up upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went at her feet, and went after the messengers of David and was his wife.

1 Samuel 25:43 (show verse)

David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they were both his wives.

1 Samuel 25:44 (show verse)

But Saul gave Michal his daughter David's wife to Palti the son of Laish of Gallim.