2 Samuel 3:27–39

²⁷Now when Abner^c returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him^d in the stomach, and he died.^e

²⁸Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent^f before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. ²⁹May his blood^g fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family!^h May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running soreⁱ or leprosy^a or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.”

³⁰(Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

³¹Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth^j and walk in mourning^k in front of Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier. ³²They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept^l aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept also.

³³The king sang this lament^m for Abner:

“Should Abner have died as the lawless die?

³⁴Your hands were not bound,

your feet were not fettered.ⁿ

You fell as one falls before the wicked.”

And all the people wept over him again.

³⁵Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,^o if I taste bread^p or anything else before the sun sets!”

³⁶All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. ³⁷So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part^q in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

³⁸Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen^r in Israel this day? ³⁹And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah^s are too strong^t for me.^u May the Lord repay^v the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”