27. "I've brought a gift for you. Give it to the men who follow you.
28. Please forgive me for what I've done wrong. "The Lord will certainly give you and your family line a kingdom that will last. That's because you fight the Lord's battles. Don't do anything wrong as long as you live.
29. "Someone may chase you and try to kill you. But the Lord your God will keep your life safe like a treasure that is hidden in a bag. And he'll destroy your enemies. Their lives will be thrown away, just as a stone is thrown from a sling.
30. "The Lord will do for you every good thing he promised to do. He'll appoint you leader over Israel.
31. When that happens, you won't have this heavy load on your mind. You won't have to worry about how you killed people without any reason. You won't have to worry about how you got even. The Lord will give you success. When that happens, please remember me."
32. David said to Abigail, "Give praise to the Lord. He is the God of Israel. He has sent you today to find me.
33. May the Lord bless you for what you have done. You have shown a lot of good sense. You have kept me from killing Nabal and his men this very day. You have kept me from using my own hands to get even.
34. "It's a good thing you came quickly to meet me. If you hadn't come, not one of Nabal's men would have been left alive by sunrise. And that's just as sure as the Lord, the God of Israel, is alive. He has kept me from harming you."
35. Then David accepted from her what she had brought him. He said, "Go home in peace. I've heard your words. I'll do what you have asked."
36. Abigail went back to Nabal. He was having a dinner party in the house. It was the kind of dinner a king would have. He had been drinking too much wine. He was very drunk. So she didn't tell him anything at all until sunrise.
37. The next morning Nabal wasn't drunk anymore. Then his wife told him everything. When she did, his heart grew weak. He became like a stone.
38. About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal down. And he died.
39. David heard that Nabal was dead. So he said, "Give praise to the Lord. Nabal made fun of me. But the Lord stood up for me. He has kept me from doing something wrong. He has paid Nabal back for the wrong things he did." Then David sent a message to Abigail. He asked her to become his wife.
40. His servants went to Carmel. They said to Abigail, "David has sent us to you. He wants you to come back with us and become his wife."
41. Abigail bowed down with her face toward the ground. She said, "Here I am. I'm ready to serve him. I'm ready to wash the feet of his servants."
42. Abigail quickly got on a donkey and went with David's messengers. Her five female servants went with her. She became David's wife.
43. David had also gotten married to Ahinoam from Jezreel. Both of them became his wives.