25th Chapter of Samuel on Wickedness and Greed

Ungratefulness

Wealth may easily lead one to being ungrateful and greedy.

Then pride and arrogance sprout as a result of ungratefulness and greed.

Learn in this chapter what you must not live your life with.

“Death of Samuel”
“Nabal and Abigail”

Samuel died, and all of Israel gathered and eulogized him, and they buried him at his home in Ramah. David arose and descended to the Wilderness of Paran.
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There was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very wealthy; he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. [the following once] happened at the shearing of his sheep in Carmel:
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(The man’s name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail; the woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man was difficult and an evildoer, he was a descendant of Caleb).
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so David sent ten attendants, and David said to the attendants, “Go up to Carmel and approach Nabal, inquiring after his welfare, in my name.
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David’s attendants came and spoke in accordance with all these words to Nabal in David’s name, and then rested.
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Nabal replied to David’s servants, and said, “Who is David and who is the son of Jesse? These days the rebellious servants have increased, each against his master.
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David said to his men, “Each man gird his sword!” Each man girded his sword, and David, too, girded his sword. …
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One young man from the attendants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold! David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master and he drove them off.
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These men were very good to us; we were not shamed, nor were we lacking anything all the days that we traveled with them, when we were in the field.
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They were a [protective] wall over us, both by night and by day, all the days we were with them tending the sheep.
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Now David had said, “It was for naught that I guarded all of this man’s possessions in the desert and there was not missing anything from all that belonged to him; yet he has repaid my kindness with evil.
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Such shall God do to David’s enemies and such shall He do further, if I leave over until morning of all that belongs to him so much as a dog!”
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When Abigail saw David she hurried and dismounted from the donkey, and fell on her face before David and prostrated herself to the ground.
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Let my lord not set his heart against this base man — against Nabal — for he is as his name implies — Nabal is his name and revulsion is his trait; …
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Please forgive the sin of your maidservant, for Hashem shall certainly make for my lord an enduring house, for my lord fights the wars of Hashem; and no blame has been found in you in your days.
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David then said to Abigail, “Blessed is Hashem, God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me.
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And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, who have restrained me from coming to bloodshed and avenging myself by my own hand.
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Truly, as Hashem, God of Israel, lives — Who has prevented me from harming you — had you not hurried and come to meet me, by morning’s light there would not have remained to Nabal as much as a dog.”
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David then accepted from her what she had brought to him. He said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your advice, and I shall show you grace.”
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It happened after ten days that Hashem struck Nabal and he died.
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When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Blessed is Hashem, Who has taken up the cause of my disgrace from the hand of Nabal, and has prevented His servant from wrongdoing; and Hashem has returned Nabal’s evil upon his head.” Then David sent [agents] and spoke regarding Abigail to take her to himself as a wife.
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David’s servants came to Abigail to Carmel and spoke to her saying, “David has sent us to you, to take you for himself as a wife.”
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Abigail then hurried, arose and mounted the donkey, with her five maids traveling with her, and she followed David’s messengers and became his wife.
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David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them were his wives.
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Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s [intended] wife, to Palti son of Laish of Gallim.
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1 And Samuel died, and all Israel gathered, and lamented him, and they buried him in his house in Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the Desert of Paran.
2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel. And the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep and one thousand goats; and he was, while shearing his sheep, in Carmel.
3 And the man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. And the woman was of good sense and of beautiful form, but the man was hard, and of evil deeds; and he was a Calebite.
4 And David heard in the desert, that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
5 And David sent ten youths, and David said to the youths, “Go up to Carmel, and you shall come to Nabal, and greet him in my name.
6 And you shall say, ‘So shall you be living next year, and may peace be to you, and peace to your household, and peace to all that is yours.
7 And now, I have heard that they are shearing for you. Now, your shepherds were with us. We did not disgrace them, neither was anything missing to them all the time they were in Carmel.
8 Ask your youths and they will tell you, and may the youths find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Give now, what your hand will find, for your servants and for your son David.’ “
9 And David’s youths came, and spoke to Nabal according to all these words, in David’s name, and they rested.
10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays, there are many slaves, who break away, each one from his master.
11 Now, shall I take my bread and my water, and my meal which I have cooked for my shearers, and shall I give them to people of whom I know not whence they are?”
12 And David’s youths turned around to their way, and returned, and came and told him according to all these words.
13 And David said to his men, “Gird each man his sword,” and they girded each man his sword, and David too, girded his sword, and they went up after David, about four hundred men, and two hundred stayed with the luggage.
14 And one youth of the youths, told Abigail, the wife of Nabal, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, and he drove them away.
15 And the men are very good to us; and we were not disgraced, nor was anything missing to us all the time we went with them, when we were in the field.
16 They were a wall over us both night and day, all the time we were with them, pasturing the sheep.
17 And now, know and see what you will do, for the evil has been decided upon against our master and against all of his household; and he is such a base person that one cannot speak to him.”
18 And Abigail hastened and she took two hundred loaves, and two earthenware jugs of wine, and five prepared sheep, and five seah of flour of roasted ears of grain, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs; and she placed them on the donkeys.
19 And she said to her youths, “Go on ahead of me. Behold, I am coming after you.” And she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 And it was, that she was riding on the donkey, and coming down, under cover of the mountain, and behold, David and his men were coming down toward her, and she met them.
21 And David said, “Surely in vain have I watched all this fellow has in the desert, so that nothing was missing of all that is his, and he has returned me evil for good.
22 So shall God do to David’s enemies, and so shall He continue, if I leave over of all that he has, by the morning light, even one dog.”
23 And Abigail saw David, and she hastened and leaned off the donkey; and she fell on her face before David, and prostrated herself on the ground.
24 And she fell at his feet, and said, “In me alone, my lord, is the iniquity. Now, let your handmaid speak into your ears, and hearken to the words of your handmaid.
25 Let not my lord take heed of this base fellow, of Nabal, for like his name, so is he. Nabal is his name, and ungratefulness is with him: and I, your handmaid, did not see my lord’s youths whom you sent.
26 And now, my lord, as the Lord lives and by your life, (I swear) that the Lord has withheld you from coming to bloodshed, and from saving yourself with your hand. And now, may your enemies and those who seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
27 And now, this gift which your handmaid has brought to my lord, shall be given to the youths who walk at my lord’s feet.
28 Forgive now your handmaid’s transgression, for the Lord shall make for my lord a sure house, for my lord fights the wars of the Lord. And let no evil be found in you all your days.
29 And a man has arisen to pursue you and to seek your soul. But my lord’s soul shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord your God, while the soul of your enemies, the Lord will sling it with the hollow of the sling.
30 And it will be, when the Lord will do to my lord according to all the good which He spoke concerning you, and He will appoint you as ruler over Israel.
31 Let this not be to you as a stumblingblock and a remorse of heart to my lord, that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. And when the Lord will do good to my lord, you shall remember your maidservant.”
32 And David said to Abigail, “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, Who has sent you towards me on this day.
33 Blessed is your advice, and blessed be you, who have restrained me this day from coming into bloodshed, and from avenging myself with my own hand.
34 And indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives, Who has restrained me from harming you, (I swear) that had you not hastened and come toward me, there would not have been left to Nabal until daybreak, even one dog.”
35 And David took from her hand that which she had brought him, and he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See that I have hearkened to your voice and have shown you favor.”
36 And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he had a feast in his house like the feast of the king; and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, and he was very drunk. And she did not tell him anything, less or more until daybreak.
37 And it was in the morning, when the wine had left Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became like stone.
38 And it was just ten days after, that the Lord inflicted a stroke on Nabal, and he died.
39 And David heard that Nabal had died, and he said, “Blessed is the Lord, Who has judged the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and restrained His bondsman from evil, and returned Nabal’s evil upon his own head.” And David sent, and spoke concerning Abigail to take her to him for a wife.
40 And David’s servants came to Abigail, to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you to him for a wife.”
41 And she arose, and prostrated herself upon her face to the ground, and said, “Behold, your bondswoman is a slave to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”
42 And she hastened, and mounted the donkey with her five maidens who went with her. And she went after David’s messengers, and became his wife.
43 And David took Ahinoam from Jezreel, and they both became his wives.
44 And Saul had given his daughter, Michal, wife of David, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.