1 Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn him; they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David went down to the wilderness of Paran.
2 There was a man of Maon who had property in Carmel; he was very wealthy, owning three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At the time, he was present for the shearing of his flock in Carmel.
3 The man’s name was Nabal and his wife was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and attractive, but Nabal, a Calebite, was harsh and bad-mannered.
4 While in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal was shearing his flock,
5 so he sent ten young men, instructing them: “Go up to Carmel. Pay Nabal a visit and greet him in my name.