Latest / Bible Chat Devotional / June 23 - The Gift That Opens Doors

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June 23 - The Gift That Opens Doors · Bible Chat Devotional

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Welcome to Bible Chat, where we have devotional conversations
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rooted in Scripture and relevant for today, June 23rd, The gift
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that opens doors. Have you ever looked at someone
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else's talent OR opportunity and thought, I don't have anything
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like that? Maybe you've compared what you
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bring to what someone else brings and walked away feeling
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like yours doesn't measure up. Too small, too ordinary, too
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unremarkable to make a real difference.
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Here's something I want you to hear today.
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God doesn't do ordinary the way you're thinking about it.
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Proverbs chapter 18, verse 15 says an intelligent heart
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acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
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Wisdom starts with a posture, a heart that stays curious, stays
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teachable, stays hungry to learn.
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And then verse 16 adds this remarkable promise.
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A man's gift makes room for him and brings him before the great.
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Your gift, whatever it is, has the power to open doors that
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your resume, your connections, or your social status never
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could. Not because you're impressive,
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but because God is strategic with the abilities He places in
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people. Look at Abigail in First Samuel
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chapter 25. She didn't have a title.
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She was married to a foolish, harsh man named Nabel who had
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just insulted David and his men, and David was on his way.
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With 400 soldiers to respond, the situation was about to turn
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catastrophic, and Abigail stepped in quickly.
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Wisely, she gathered food and supplies, rode out to meet
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David, and spoke words of wisdom that stopped David's anger in
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its tracks. She used what she had,
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resources, insight, courage, and a quick mind, and saved her
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entire household. She didn't wait to be asked.
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She didn't convince herself she was too small or unqualified.
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She saw a need, assessed what she had, and acted.
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And that action changed the course of everything.
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Psalm 72 gives us a picture of the kind of leadership and
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influence that truly blesses others, one marked by justice,
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care for the vulnerable, and wise use of authority.
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Verses 8 and 9 speak of dominion that spreads blessing from sea
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to sea. That's not a picture of hoarding
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power for yourself. It's a picture of influence used
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to bring blessing to others. Real influence always serves.
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So what does this mean for you? It means the gifts you've been
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given, whether it's away with words, a musical ear, a gift for
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mathematics, a warm presence that makes people feel seen, or
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the ability to organize and lead.
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Those are not accidents. They were placed in you
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intentionally by a God who has purposes bigger than you can
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currently see. The key is in the posture.
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Proverbs says wisdom seeks knowledge.
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Abigail acted with humility and speed.
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The gift alone isn't enough. It requires a heart willing to
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use it in service, willing to act when the moment comes,
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willing to believe that God can do something significant through
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something that feels small. You are not too young.
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You are not too inexperienced. You are not too ordinary.
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The right gift used at the right moment, with the right heart,
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opens doors that no one else can close.
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Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for
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the specific gifts, abilities, and resources you have placed in
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each of us. Help us to stop comparing what
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we have to what others have and instead to steward faithfully
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what you've given us. Give us the wisdom to recognize
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opportunities, the courage to act like Abigail, and the
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humility to use our gifts in service rather than for show.
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Multiply even our smallest efforts for your glory in Jesus
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name, Amen. What if the night was never
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meant to be ruled by fear, but covered by the presence and
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authority of God? Command Your Night is a
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prophetic prayer script series created for believers who want
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to pray with confidence before sleep, stand firm in spiritual
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warfare and invite divine covering over every hour of
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darkness. These prayers help you quiet
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anxiety. Guard your home, resist
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oppression, sanctify your dreams, cover your family, and
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recognize sacred moments when God may be calling you to
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intercede in the night watches. From peaceful sleep to midnight
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breakthrough, this series gently strengthens your faith and
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reminds you that no night season is beyond God's power,
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protection, and voice. Order now on Amazon or visit
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prayerscripts.org. Now I invite you to spend time
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with God in today's three-year Bible reading plan.
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Proverbs chapter 18 Verses 15 to 16 World English Bible The heart
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of the discerning gets knowledge, the ear of the wise
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seeks knowledge. A man's gift makes room for him
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and brings him before great men. Psalm Chapter 72 World English
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Bible God, give the king your justice, your righteousness to
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the royal Son. He will judge your people with
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righteousness and your poor with justice.
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The mountains shall bring prosperity to the people.
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The hills bring the fruit of righteousness.
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He will judge the poor of the people.
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He will Save the Children of the needy and will break the
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oppressor in pieces. They shall fear you while the
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sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all
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generations. He will come down like rain on
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the moon grass as showers that water the earth.
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In his days the righteous shall flourish and abundance of peace
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until the moon is no more. He shall have dominion also,
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from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.
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Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him.
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His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the
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islands will bring tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba
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shall offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down
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before him. All nations shall serve him, for
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He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor who has no
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helper. He will have pity on the poor
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and needy. He will save the souls of the
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needy. He will redeem their soul from
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oppression and violence. Their blood will be precious in
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His sight. They shall live and to Him shall
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be given of the gold of Sheba. Men shall pray for him
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continually. They shall bless him all day
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long. Abundance of grain shall be
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throughout the land. Its fruit sways like Lebanon.
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Let it flourish, thriving like the grass of the field.
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His name endures forever. His name continues as long as
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the sun. Men shall be blessed by Him.
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All nations will call Him blessed.
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Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does
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marvelous deeds. Blessed be His glorious name
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forever. Let the whole earth be filled
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with His glory. Amen and Amen.
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This ends the prayers by David the son of Jesse.
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First Samuel Chapter 25 World English Bible Samuel died and
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all Israel gathered themselves together and mourned for him and
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buried him at his house at Rama. Then David arose and went down
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to the wilderness of Perrin. There was a man in Mound whose
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possessions were in Carmel, and the man was very great.
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He had 3000 sheep and 1000 goats and he was shearing his sheep in
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Carmel. Now the name of the man was
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Nabel and the name of his wife Abigail.
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This woman was intelligent and had a beautiful face, but the
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man was surly and evil in his doings.
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He was of the House of Caleb. David heard in the wilderness
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that Nabel was shearing his sheep.
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David sent 10 young men and David said to the young men, go
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up to Carmel and go to Nabel and greet him in my name.
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Tell him long life to you. Peace be to you, peace be to
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your house, peace be to all that you have now.
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I have heard that you have shearers.
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Your shepherds have now been with us and we didn't harm them.
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Nothing was missing from them all the time they were in
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Carmel. Ask your young men and they will
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tell you. Therefore, let the young men
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find favor in your eyes, for we come on a good day.
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Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and
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to your son David. When David's young men came,
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they spoke to Nabel all those words in the name of David and
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waited. Nabel answered David's servants
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and said, Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse?
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There are many servants who break away from their masters
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these days. Shall I then take my bread, my
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water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give
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it to men who I don't know where they come from?
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So David's young men turned on their way and went back and came
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and told him all these words David said to his men.
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Every man put on his sword, every man put on his sword,
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David also put on his sword. About 400 men followed David,
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and 200 stayed by the baggage. But one of the young men told
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Abigail, Nabel's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers
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out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he insulted
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them. But the men were very good to
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us, and we were not harmed, and we didn't miss anything as long
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as we went with them when we were in the fields.
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They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while
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we were with them keeping the sheep.
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Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, For evil is
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determined against our master and against all his house, for
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he is such a worthless fellow that one can't speak to him.
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Then Abigail hurried and took 200 loaves of bread, 2
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containers of wine, 5 sheep ready dressed, 5 seas of parched
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grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 cakes of figs, and laid
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them on donkeys. She said to her young men, go on
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before me, behold, I am coming after you.
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But she didn't tell her husband Nabel, as she rode on her donkey
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and came down by the covert of the mountain, that behold, David
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and his men came down toward her, and she met them.
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Now David had said, surely in vain.
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I have kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that
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nothing was missed of all that pertained to him.
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He has returned me evil for good.
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God do so to the enemies of David, and more also if I leave
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of all that belongs to him by the morning light so much as one
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who urinates on a wall. When Abigail saw David, she
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hurried and got off her donkey and fell before David on her
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face and bowed herself to the ground.
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She fell at his feet and said, On me, my Lord, on me.
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Be the blame. Please let your servant speak in
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your ears. Hear the words of your servant.
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Please don't let my Lord pay attention to this worthless
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fellow Nabel, for as his name is, so is he.
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Nabel is his name, and folly is with him.
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But I, your servant, didn't see my Lord's young men whom you
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sent. Now.
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Therefore, my Lord, as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives,
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since Yahweh has withheld you from blood guiltiness and from
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avenging yourself with your own hand now, therefore let your
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enemies and those who seek evil to My Lord be as navel.
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Now this present which Your servant has brought to my Lord,
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let it be given to the young men who follow.
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My Lord, please forgive the trespass of Your servant, for
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Yahweh will certainly make My Lord a sure house.
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Because My Lord fights Yahweh's battles, evil will not be found
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in you all your days. Though men may rise up to pursue
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you and to seek your soul, yet the soul of My Lord will be
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bound in the bundle of life with Yahweh, your God.
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He will sling out the souls of your enemies as from the hollow
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of a sling. It will come to pass.
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When Yahweh has done to my Lord, according to all the good that
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he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you Prince over
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Israel, that this shall be no grief to you, nor offense of
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heart to my Lord, either that you have shed blood without
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cause, or that my Lord has avenged himself.
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When Yahweh has dealt well with my Lord, then remember your
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servant David said to Abigail, Blessed is Yahweh, the God of
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Israel, who sent you today to meet me.
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Blessed is your discretion, and blessed are you who have kept me
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today from blood guiltiness and from avenging myself with my own
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hand. For indeed, as Yahweh the God of
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Israel lives, who has withheld me from harming you.
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Unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there
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wouldn't have been left to Nabel by the morning light so much as
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one who urinates on a wall. So David received from her hand
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that which she had brought him. Then he said to her, Go up in
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peace to your house. Behold, I have listened to your
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voice and have granted your request.
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Abigail came to Nabel, and behold, he held a feast in his
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house, like the feast of a king. Nabel's heart was merry within
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him, for he was very drunk. Therefore she told him nothing
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until the morning light. In the morning when the wine had
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gone out of Nabel, his wife told him these things and his heart
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died within him, and he became as a stone.
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About 10 days later Yahweh struck Nabel so that he died.
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When David heard that Nabel was dead, he said, Blessed is
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Yahweh, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the
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hand of Nabel and has kept back his servant from evil.
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Yahweh has returned the evil doing of Nabel on his own head.
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David sent and spoke concerning Abigail to take her to himself
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as wife. When David's servants had come
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to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, David has sent
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us to you to take you to him as wife.
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She arose and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said,
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Behold, your servant is a servant to wash the feet of the
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servants of my Lord. Abigail hurried and arose and
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rode on a donkey with five ladies of hers, who followed
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her, and she went after the messengers of David and became
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his wife. David also took Ahinome of
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Jezreel, and they both became his wives.
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Now Saul had given Mikkel his daughter David's wife to Pulte,
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the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
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