Shmuel died, and all of Yisroel gathered and mourned him, and they buried him at his home in Romoh. Dovid rose and went down to the wilderness of Poron.

There was a man in Ma'on whose business was in Carmel. The man was very wealthy; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. It was the time when he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

The man's name was Novol and his wife's name was Avigayil; the woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man was hard and of evil deeds. He was a Calebite.

While Dovid was in the wilderness he heard that Novol was shearing his sheep.

Dovid sent ten youths, and Dovid said to the youths, "Go up to Carmel and come to Novol, and greet him in peace in my name.

And say, 'May it always be so. Peace unto you, peace unto your household, and peace unto all that is yours.

Now, I have heard that they are shearing for you. Now, your shepherds were with us; we did not shame them and not a thing of theirs was missing all the time they were in Carmel.

Ask your youths and they will tell you; may the youths find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you can spare to your servants and to your son, Dovid.'"

Dovid's youths came and spoke to Novol in accordance with all these words, in Dovid's name, and then they rested.

Novol replied to Dovid's servants, and said, "Who is Dovid and who is the son of Yishay? Nowadays many are the servants who break away from their master.

Should I take from my bread and my water and my meat, that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to men from where I do not know?"

Dovid's youths turned back to their way; they returned and came, and told him all these things.

Dovid said to his men, "Each man gird his sword." Each man girded his sword, and Dovid, too, girded his sword; and after Dovid went up about four hundred men, and two hundred others stayed with the equipment.

And to Avigayil, Novol's wife, one youth from among the youths told, saying, "Behold, Dovid sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he chased them away.

And these men were very good to us; we were not shamed, nor did we miss anything all the time that we went with them, when we were in the field.

They protected us, both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep.

Now know and see what you will do, for evil has been decided against our master and upon his entire household; he is too wicked a person to speak to."

So Avigayil hurried and took two hundred breads, two flasks of wine, five prepared sheep, five seah of toasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and she put them on the donkeys.

She said to her youths, "Go on ahead of me; I am coming right behind you." But to Novol her husband she said nothing.

And it happened, as she was riding on the donkey, going down the hidden part of the mountain, and behold, Dovid and his men were going down toward her, and she met them.

Dovid said [to himself], "It was for naught that I guarded all that this one has in the wilderness and that nothing of his was missing; yet he has repaid my kindness with evil.

Such shall God do to Dovid's enemies and such shall He do further, if I leave over of all that belongs to him until daybreak—even one dog."

When Avigayil saw Dovid, she hurried and dismounted from the donkey; she fell on her face before Dovid and prostrated herself to the ground.

She fell at his feet and said, "My master, with me lies the sin. Let your maidservant please speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant.

Please let not my master set his heart against this wicked man, against Novol, for he is as his name implies, Novol is his name and villainy is his trait; and I, your maidservant, did not see my master's youths whom you sent.

Now, my master, as Adonoy lives, and by your life, Adonoy has prevented you from shedding blood and from avenging yourself by your own hand; now may all your enemies be like Novol and those who seek evil against my master.

Now, this offering that your maidservant has brought to my master, let it be given to the youths who accompany my master.

Please pardon the sin of your maidservant, for Adonoy will surely make for my master an everlasting house, because the wars of Adonoy, my master fights, and no evil has been found in you all your days.

A man rose to pursue you and to seek your life; may my master's soul be bound up in the bond of life, with Adonoy, your God, and may He cast away the soul of your enemies as one shoots [a stone] from a slingshot.

And may it be that when Adonoy does for my master according to all the good of which He has spoken about you, and appoints you as leader over Yisroel.

That this not be for you an obstacle and a stumbling block of the heart for my master, to have shed innocent blood and that my master has avenged himself. And when Adonoy has done good for my master, may you remember your maidservant."

Dovid said to Avigayil, "Blessed be Adonoy, God of Yisroel, who sent you this day to meet me.

And blessed is your counsel and blessed are you, who prevented me this day from shedding blood and from avenging myself by my own hand.

Indeed, as Adonoy, God of Yisroel, lives, He prevented me from doing evil to you, for had you not hurried and come to meet me, for not so much would have remained to Novol—by the morning light—as a dog."

Dovid then took from her what she had brought him, and he said to her, "Go up to peace to your house. See, I have heeded your advice, and I have honored your wish."

Avigayil then came to Novol and behold, he was hosting a feast in his house, a feast fit for the king. Novol's heart was in good spirits, and he was very drunk, so she did not tell him anything small or great until the morning's light.

And it was in the morning, when Novol had sobered up, his wife told him about the whole incident, and his heart sank within him, and he became like a stone.

Then, after ten days, Adonoy struck Novol down and he died.

When Dovid heard that Novol had died, he said, "Blessed is Adonoy, Who has fought the battle of my disgrace from the hand of Novol, and has spared His servant from evil, and Novol's evil Adonoy has returned upon his own head." Dovid sent, inquiring of Avigayil, to take her as his wife.

Dovid's servants came to Avigayil to Carmel and spoke to her, saying, "Dovid has sent us to you, to take you for himself as a wife."

She rose and prostrated herself upon her face to the ground and said, "Behold, let your maidservant be a handmaid to wash the feet of my master's servants."

Avigayil then hurried and rose, and rode on the donkey, with her five youths going behind her. She followed Dovid's messengers and became his wife.

Dovid also married Achino'am of Yizre'el, and both of them became his wives.

Shaul had given his daughter Michal, Dovid's wife, to Palti the son of Layish of Gallim.