One of the shepherds urged her to act before it was too late, and spoke of Na'bal as " such a son of the devil that no one could advise him." Ab'i-gail hastened to provide gifts which might appease Da'vid. Gathering two hundred loaves of bread, two bottles of wine, five dressed sheep, five clusters of parched corn, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, she had them loaded on beasts of burden and rushed off to meet Da'vid.
Her arrival was just in time, for she and the servants who went with her had not traveled far before they met Da'vid at the head of his four hundred men. He was in an angry mood, and was muttering in his heart, "I guarded all that this prosperous man had in the wilderness, so that nothing was lost; and for this goodness he has requited me evil. I shall surely be avenged by slaying him and every man in his company."
Ab'i-gail quickly dismounted, fell on her face before Da'vid, and cried, "Upon me, my lord, let this iniquity rest; and permit me, I beg you, to have audience with you." She then freely admitted that she had been badly treated by her husband, but pointed out the fact that Na'bal's very name means "fool" in the Hebrew language. She also explained that she knew nothing of the request of the young men until they had gone, and that they would have received generous aid, had they applied to her. She then appealed to the deepest emotions of Da'vid's heart, expressing herself in words to this effect: "I am happy to deal with a man who, though sometimes at fault in word or deed, is a true servant of the LORD, and who will not deliberately break His law." She went on to assure Da'vid of her sympathy in the persecutions suffered from Saul's hatred, saying that she was confident that he would be raised to the throne of Is'ra-el, and adding this beautiful prophecy: "Your soul shall be found in the bundle of life with God, and the souls of your enemies shall be flung out in the cup of the sling."
Ab'i-gail then made a very touching appeal in which she reminded Da'vid that it would bring him great unhappiness, after he was king, if he had to look back upon any act in which he had shed blood without a cause. She then begged him to accept the provisions which she had brought to make up for the discourtesy shown by Na'bal, and earnestly sought forgiveness.
Da'vid was completely overcome by the appeal of this noble woman, and was deeply impressed with her personal charm and worth. In reply to Ab'i-gail he said, May the LORD God of Is'ra-el be blessed, who sent you to me! Blessed be your counsel, and blessed may you be, because you have kept me this day from shedding blood and from avenging a personal grievance with my own hand. Had you not hurried and come to me, then certainly by tomorrow morning there would not have been left a single one of Na'bal's men."He then accepted the gifts which she had brought and sent her home in peace.
When Ab'i-gail returnt to her husband she found him drunkenly enjoying the festivities of the sheep-shearing season, wholly unmindful of the peril from which his noble wife had saved him. She waited until the next morning, when he had sufficiently recovered from his drunkenness to understand what she said, to tell him how she had appeased the anger of Da'vid, and of the certain death from which she had saved her unworthy husband. Na'bal was so shocked by the news that he fell into a state of paralysis, and ten days later he died.
When news was brought to Da'vid of Na'bal's death, he sang once again a song of praise to God for the deliverance from evil which had been brought to him through the wise counsel and prudent acts of Ab'i-gail. His admiration for her noble character and deep piety soon grew into a strong affection, and Ab'igail became a faithful and devoted wife of the young hero.
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