11. Should I then take my bread, and my water, and my meat, that which I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men whose origins are unknown?”
12. So David’s young men turned themselves around and went back. And they came and reported to him all these words.
13. David said to his men, “Each man strap on his sword.” And each man strapped on his sword. David also put on his sword, and four hundred men went up after David. But two hundred stayed with the baggage.
14. Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Listen, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our master; and he railed against them.
15. But the men were very good to us, and we were not harmed, nor did we miss anything, all the days we went about with them in the field.
16. They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the days we were with them keeping the flocks.
17. Now therefore know and consider what you will do, for evil is determined against our master and against all his household. He is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”
18. Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves, two bottles of wine, five prepared sheep, five measures of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and she loaded them on donkeys.
19. And she said to her servants, “Go on before me. See, I will be coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20. And as she was riding on the donkey and going down into the cover of the mountain, David and his men were coming down to meet her and she met them.
21. Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him. And he has returned me evil for good.
22. So may God do unto the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave even one male of all who belong to him.”
23. When Abigail saw David, she hurriedly got down from the donkey and fell before David upon her face. And she bowed herself to the ground.
24. So she fell at his feet and said, “Against me alone, my lord, is the guilt. Please let your handmaid speak in your ears, and hear the words of your handmaid.
25. Please do not let my lord set his heart against this worthless man, against Nabal. For as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him. But I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.
26. Now my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from coming in bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and those seeking to do evil to my lord, be as Nabal.