2 Samuel 3:27–39

²⁷When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gateway as if to talk to him privately. There he stabbed Abner in the belly. Abner died because he spilled the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel. 

²⁸Later when David heard about it, he said, “As far as the Lord is concerned, my kingdom and I are forever innocent of spilling the blood of Ner’s son Abner. ²⁹May the blame fall on the head of Joab and all of his family. May there always be members of Joab’s family who have oozing sores and skin diseases, who can only work a spindle,^cwho die in battle, and who never have any food.” ³⁰(Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.) 

³¹David told Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” King David followed the open casket. ³²They buried Abner in Hebron. The king cried loudly at Abner’s grave, and all the people cried. ³³The king sang a funeral song for Abner: 

Should Abner die like a godless fool? 

³⁴Your hands were not tied. 

Your feet were not chained. 

You fell as one falls in front of wicked men. 

And all the people continued to cry for him. 

³⁵That entire day all the people tried to get David to eat some food. But David had taken an oath: “May God strike me dead if I taste any food or anything else before the sun goes down.” ³⁶Then all the people understood and approved of this, as all the people approved of everything the king did. ³⁷That day all the people of Israel knew the king wasn’t responsible for killing Ner’s son Abner. ³⁸The king said to his officers, “Don’t you know that today a leader, a great man, has fallen in Israel? ³⁹Today I’m weak, though I’m the anointed king. These men, Zeruiah’s sons, are too cruel for me. May the Lord repay this evildoer as his evil deeds deserve.”