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There was a man that was a Ziphite, of the city of Maon, who was
rich, and had a vast number of cattle; for he fed a flock of three thousand
sheep, and another flock of a thousand goats. Now David had charged his
associates to keep these flocks without hurt and without damage, and to
do them no mischief, neither out of covetousness, nor because they were
in want, nor because they were in the wilderness, and so could not easily
be discovered, but to esteem freedom from injustice above all other motives,
and to look upon the touching of what belonged to another man as a horrible
crime, and contrary to the will of God. These were the instructions he
gave, thinking that the favors he granted this man were granted to a good
man, and one that deserved to have such care taken of his affairs. This
man was Nabal, for that was his name, - a harsh man, and of a very wicked
life, being like a cynic in the course of his behavior, but still had obtained
for his wife a woman of a good character, wise and handsome. To this Nabal,
therefore, David sent ten men of his attendants at the time when he sheared
his sheep, and by them saluted him; and also wished he might do what he
now did for many years to come, but desired him to make him a present of
what he was able to give him, since he had, to be sure, learned from his
shepherds that we had done them no injury, but had been their guardians
a long time together, while we continued in the wilderness; and he assured
him he should never repent of giving any thing to David. When the messengers
had carried this message to Nabal, he accosted them after an inhuman and
rough manner; for he asked them who David was? and when he heard that he
was the son of Jesse, he said, "Now is the time that fugitives grow
insolent, and make a figure, and leave their masters." When they told
David this, he was wroth, and commanded four hundred armed men to follow
him, and left two hundred to take care of the stuff, (for he had already
six hundred,
1)
and went against Nabal: he also swore that he would that night utterly
destroy the whole house and possessions of Nabal; for that he was grieved,
not only that he had proved ungrateful to them, without making any return
for the humanity they had shown him, but that he had also reproached them,
and used ill language to them, when he had received no cause of disgust
from them.