1 Samuel 25:2-17

2Now there was a man in 1Maon whose business was in 2Carmel; and the man was very 3rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And it came about while 4he was shearing his sheep in Carmel 3(now the man’s name was Nabal, and his 5wife’s name was Abigail. And the woman was 6intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was 7a Calebite), 4that David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, 8visit Nabal and greet him in my name; 6and thus you shall say, ‘9Have a long life, 10peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. 7Now I have heard 11that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us and we have not insulted them, 12nor have they missed anything all the days they were in Carmel. 8Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on 13a 14festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

9When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in David’s name; then they waited. 10But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “15Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master. 11Shall I then 16take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men 17whose origin I do not know?” 12So David’s young men retraced their way and went back; and they came and told him according to all these words. 13David said to his men, “Each of you gird on his sword.” So each man girded on his sword. And David also girded on his sword, and about 18four hundred men went up behind David while two hundred 19stayed with the baggage.

14But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to 2021greet our master, and he scorned them. 15Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not 22insulted, nor did we miss anything 23as long as we went about with them, while we were in the fields. 1624They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep. 17Now therefore, know and 25consider what you should do, for evil is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a 26worthless man that no one can speak to him.”