When David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his sheep,

After about ten days the Lord struck Nabal down and he died.

Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion! Do not make me the object of fools’ insults!

to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument and a lyre, to the accompaniment of the meditative tone of the harp.

Whoever brings a fool ¹  into the world ²  does so ³  to his grief, and the father of a fool has no joy. ⁴ 

The grass dries up, the flowers wither, but the decree of our God is forever reliable.” ¹ 

When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Praised be the Lord who has vindicated me and avenged the insult that I suffered from Nabal! ¹  The Lord has kept his servant from doing evil, and he has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds.” ²  Then David sent word to Abigail and asked her to become his wife.

So David’s servants went and spoke all these words to Nabal in David’s name. Then they paused.

and said to her servants, “Go on ahead of me. I will come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

David’s two wives had been taken captive – Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal’s widow.

So David went up, along with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, formerly the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

The king chanted the following lament for Abner: “Should Abner have died like a fool?

Sons of senseless and nameless people, ¹  they were driven out of the land with whips. ² 

I will express my thanks to you with a stringed instrument, praising ¹  your faithfulness, O my God! I will sing praises to you accompanied by a harp, O Holy One of Israel! ² 

Remember how ¹  the enemy hurls insults, O Lord, ²  and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name!

Rise up, O God! Defend your honor! ¹  Remember how fools insult you all day long! ² 

Sing ¹  a song and play the tambourine, the pleasant sounding harp, and the ten-stringed instrument!

The grass dries up, the flowers wither, when the wind sent by the Lord ¹  blows on them. Surely humanity ²  is like grass.

My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means ‘fool,’ and he is indeed foolish! ¹  But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent. ² 

When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like that of the king. Nabal was having a good time ¹  and was very intoxicated. She told him absolutely nothing ²  until morning’s light.