1 Samuel 15:12Plain English VersionEarly the next morning, Samuel got up and went to look for Saul. Other people told him, “Saul isn’t here. He went to the place called Carmel. After he finished up the Amalek mob, he wanted everybody to think he was a great soldier, so he stood up a big stone there to remind them. Then he went to another place called Gilgal.” See the chapter |
There was a man there called Nabal. He belonged to Caleb’s family. His farm was near the town called Carmel, in that Maon country. He had lots of money, 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. He was a hard man and a cheeky man. His wife was called Abigail. She was very beautiful and very clever. One day, Nabal started to cut wool from the sheep. They always used to have a party after they finished that job.
The Philistia mob ran away and went home. Then Samuel got a big stone, and stood it up half-way between 2 places, Mizpah and Shen, so that everybody will remember the things that happened. And he said, “God was helping us.” So he called the stone Ebenezer. That name means stone that belongs to the one that helps us. The Philistia mob sat quiet for a long time. They didn’t come back to the Israel mob’s country. So God saved them from the Philistia mob for a long time, until Samuel became an old man. (We have not yet translated 7:14-17.)