2 Samuel 3:22–39

²²And behold, ^athe servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

²³Now Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, and they told Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace.”

²⁴Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you; why then have you sent him away and he is already gone?

²⁵“You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you and to know of ^ayour going out and your coming in and to know all that you are doing.”

Joab Strikes Abner

²⁶Then Joab came out from David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David did not know it.

²⁷So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there ^ahe struck him in the belly so that he died on account of the blood of Asahel his brother.

²⁸Afterward David heard it, so he said, “I and my kingdom are innocent before Yahweh forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner.

²⁹“^aMay it whirl on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and may ^bone who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who takes hold of a spindle, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread not be cut off from the house of Joab.”

³⁰So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner ^abecause he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

David’s Lament for Abner

³¹Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “^aTear your clothes and gird on sackcloth and lament before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier.

³²Thus they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at ^athe grave of Abner, and all the people wept.

^33aAnd the king chanted a lament for Abner and said,

“Should Abner die as a wicked fool dies?

³⁴“Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put in fetters;

As one falls before the ¹unrighteous, you have fallen.”

And all the people continued to weep over him.

³⁵Then all the people came ^ato ¹persuade David to eat bread while it was still day; but David swore an oath, saying, “^bMay God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else ^cbefore the sun goes down.”

³⁶Now all the people took note of it, and it was good in their sight, just as everything the king did was good in the sight of all the people.

³⁷So all the people and all Israel knew that day that it had not been the will of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death.

³⁸Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?

³⁹“Thus I am ^aweak today, though anointed king; and these men ^bthe sons of Zeruiah are too difficult for me. ^cMay Yahweh repay the evildoer according to his evil.”