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Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
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Ecclesiastes 10:4
If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.
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Proverbs 16:14
The anger of the king is a deadly threat; the wise will try to appease it.
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1 Samuel 25 24-1 Samuel 25 44
She fell at his feet and said,“ I accept all blame in this matter, my lord. Please listen to what I have to say.I know Nabal is a wicked and ill tempered man; please don’t pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent.“ Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, since the Lord has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies and those who try to harm you be as cursed as Nabal is.And here is a present that I, your servant, have brought to you and your young men.Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way. The Lord will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty, for you are fighting the Lord’s battles. And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life.“ Even when you are chased by those who seek to kill you, your life is safe in the care of the Lord your God, secure in his treasure pouch! But the lives of your enemies will disappear like stones shot from a sling!When the Lord has done all he promised and has made you leader of Israel,don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and vengeance. And when the Lord has done these great things for you, please remember me, your servant!”David replied to Abigail,“ Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today!Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands.For I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept me from hurting you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal’s men would still be alive tomorrow morning.”Then David accepted her present and told her,“ Return home in peace. I have heard what you said. We will not kill your husband.”When Abigail arrived home, she found that Nabal was throwing a big party and was celebrating like a king. He was very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything about her meeting with David until dawn the next day.In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and he lay paralyzed on his bed like a stone.About ten days later, the Lord struck him, and he died.When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said,“ Praise the Lord, who has avenged the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin.” Then David sent messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife.When the messengers arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail,“ David has sent us to take you back to marry him.”She bowed low to the ground and responded,“ I, your servant, would be happy to marry David. I would even be willing to become a slave, washing the feet of his servants!”Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her servant girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and went with David’s messengers. And so she became his wife.David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel, making both of them his wives.Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti son of Laish.
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1 Samuel 25 14
Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s servants went to Abigail and told her,“ David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed insults at them.
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Genesis 32:4-21
He told them,“ Give this message to my master Esau:‘ Humble greetings from your servant Jacob. Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban,and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.’”After delivering the message, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported,“ We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you— with an army of 400 men!”Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups.He thought,“ If Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape.”Then Jacob prayed,“ O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac— O Lord, you told me,‘ Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me,‘ I will treat you kindly.’I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps!O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children.But you promised me,‘ I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore— too many to count.’”Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to his brother, Esau:200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams,30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants,“ Go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds.”He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group:“ When my brother, Esau, meets you, he will ask,‘ Whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals?’You must reply,‘ They belong to your servant Jacob, but they are a gift for his master Esau. Look, he is coming right behind us.’”Jacob gave the same instructions to the second and third herdsmen and to all who followed behind the herds:“ You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.And be sure to say,‘ Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” Jacob thought,“ I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.”So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp.
