Thematic Bible: Abigail


Thematic Bible



And Absalom made Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, an Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother.

Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three. And Abigail bore Amasa. And the father of Amasa was Jether, the Ishmaelite.


And David lived with Achish of Gath, he and his men, each one with his household; David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's former wife.

And David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's wife.


And his second was Chileab, of Abigail of Carmel, the former wife of Nabal. And the third was Absalom, the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur.

And these were the sons of David, who were born to him in Hebron. The first-born, Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel. The second, Daniel, of Abigail of Carmel.


And it happened when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire. And they had seized the women in it. They did not kill any, either small or great, but carried them away and went on their way. And David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captives. read more.
And David and the people with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives had been seized, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail, the former wife of Nabal of Carmel. And it greatly distressed David, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, each one for his sons and for his daughters. But David encouraged himself in Jehovah his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, Please bring the ephod here to me. And Abiathar brought the ephod there to David. And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And He answered him, Go! For you shall surely overtake and will without fail recover all. So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. But David pursued, he and four hundred men. For two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to go over the brook Besor. And they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David and gave him bread, and he ate. And they made him drink water. And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him. For he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. And David said to him, Whose are you? And where do you come from? And he said, I am an Egyptian youth, servant to an Amalekite. And my master left me because three days ago I fell sick. We raided the south of the Cherethites, and on that belonging to Judah, and on the south of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag with fire. And David said to him, Can you bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this company. And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad on all the earth, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah. And David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. And not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away. And David rescued his two wives.


And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. And David sent out ten young men. And David said to the young men, Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. And you shall say this, Long life and peace be to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have. read more.
And now I have heard that you have shearers. And we did not hurt your shepherds who were with us; neither was there anything missing to them all the while they were in Carmel. Ask your young men, and they will tell you. And let the young men find favor in your eyes, for we come in a good day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David. And David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and stopped. And Nabal answered David's servants and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? The servants who have broken away, each man from his master, have multiplied. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men about whom I know not where they come from? And David's young men turned their way and went again, and came and told him all those things. And David said to his men, Let each man gird on his sword. And they each one girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, and two hundred stayed by the stuff. And 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 screamed at them. But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither did we miss anything as long as we were going to and fro among them, when we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and day all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. And now know and consider what you will do, for evil is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is a son of worthlessness, so that none can speak to him. And Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of roasted grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and laid them on asses. And she said to her servants, Go on before me. Behold, I am coming after you. But she did not tell her husband Nabal. And it happened, she was riding on the ass and coming down under cover of the mountain. And behold, David and his men came down across from her. And she met them. And David had said, Surely in vain I have kept all that belongs to this fellow in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that was his. And he has requited me evil for good. So and more also may God do to the enemies of David, if I leave to the light of the morning any that is his of one who urinates against the wall. And Abigail saw David and hurried and dismounted from the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. And she fell at his feet and said, On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be. And please let your handmaid speak in your ears, and hear the words of your handmaid. Please do not let my lord regard this man of worthlessness, Nabal. For as his name is, so he is. Nabal is his name, and foolishness is with him. And I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. And now, my lord, as Jehovah lives and as your soul lives, since Jehovah has withheld you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and those that seek to do evil to my lord, be as Nabal. And now this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, let it even be given to the young men who follow my lord. Please forgive the trespass of your handmaid. For Jehovah will certainly make a sure house for my lord, because my lord fights the battles of Jehovah, and evil has not been found in you all your days. Yet a man has risen to pursue you and to seek your soul. But the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah your God. And the souls of your enemies, He shall sling them from the hollow of a sling. And it shall be, when Jehovah has done to my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and commanded you to be ruler over Israel, this shall be no stumbling to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood for nothing, or that my lord has delivered himself. And may Jehovah deal well with my lord, and you remember your handmaid. And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent you today to meet me. And blessed is your advice, and blessed are you who have kept me from coming to shed blood today, and from delivering myself with my own hand. And truly, as Jehovah, the God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from doing evil to you, for unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal by the morning light one who urinates against the wall. And David received from her hand that which she had brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to your house. See, I have listened to your voice and have accepted your person. And Abigail came to Nabal. And behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. And she did not tell him anything, more or less, until the morning light. And it happened in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal and his wife had told him these things, his heart died within him and he became like a stone.


And Abigail saw David and hurried and dismounted from the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. And she fell at his feet and said, On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be. And please let your handmaid speak in your ears, and hear the words of your handmaid. Please do not let my lord regard this man of worthlessness, Nabal. For as his name is, so he is. Nabal is his name, and foolishness is with him. And I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. read more.
And now, my lord, as Jehovah lives and as your soul lives, since Jehovah has withheld you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and those that seek to do evil to my lord, be as Nabal. And now this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, let it even be given to the young men who follow my lord. Please forgive the trespass of your handmaid. For Jehovah will certainly make a sure house for my lord, because my lord fights the battles of Jehovah, and evil has not been found in you all your days. Yet a man has risen to pursue you and to seek your soul. But the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah your God. And the souls of your enemies, He shall sling them from the hollow of a sling. And it shall be, when Jehovah has done to my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and commanded you to be ruler over Israel, this shall be no stumbling to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood for nothing, or that my lord has delivered himself. And may Jehovah deal well with my lord, and you remember your handmaid.

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