s spear is
and his jug of water that was at his head."

Saul knew David's voice and said, "Is this your voice, my son David?"
David replied, "It is my voice, my lord." And he added, "Why is it that
my lord is following his servant? For what have I done? Or of what am I
guilty? Now therefore let my lord listen to me. If Jehovah has stirred
you up against me, let him accept an offering. But if men have stirred
you up against me, let them be cursed before Jehovah, for they have
driven me out to-day, saying, 'Go serve other gods,' so that I have no
share in the land which Jehovah has given to his people. May I not meet
my end far away from the presence of Jehovah, for the ruler of Israel
has come out to seek my life, as one hunts a partridge on the
mountains."

Then Saul said, "I have done wrong. Come back, my son David, for I will
do you no more harm, for you have spared my life to-day. I have acted
foolishly and have made a great mistake." David answered, "Here is
Saul's spear! Let one of the young men come over and take it. May
Jehovah reward each one who does right and is faithful; for Jehovah gave
you to me to-day, but I would not harm one whom Jehovah had called to
rule. Just as your life was of great value in my sight so may my life be
of great value in Jehovah's sight, and may he deliver me from all
trouble."

Then Saul said to David, "May you be blessed, my son David! You shall do
great deeds and shall surely succeed!" So David went his way, but Saul
returned home.

ABIGAIL'S SENSIBLE ADVICE

Then David went away into the Wilderness of Maon. Now there was a man in
Maon, whose property was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three
thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep at
Carmel. His name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. The woman
was sensible and beautiful, but the man was rough and ill-mannered; and
he was a Calebite.

When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, he
sent ten young men with the command, "Go up to Carmel and enter Nabal's
house and greet him in my name. You shall say to him and to his family,
'Peace and prosperity be to you and your family and to all that you
have. Now I have heard that you have sheep-shearers. Your shepherds were
with us, and we did not insult them, and nothing of theirs was missing
all the while they were in Carmel. Ask your young men and they will tell
you. Therefore receive my young men favorably, for