²⁷ So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there ^(A)he struck him in the belly, so that he died on account of the blood of his brother Asahel. ²⁸ Afterward, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ^29 (B)May it turn upon the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and may there not be eliminated from the house of Joab ^(C)someone who suffers a discharge, or has leprosy, or ^[a]holds the spindle, or falls by the sword, or lacks bread.” ³⁰ So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner ^(D)because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

David Mourns Abner

³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “^(E)Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier. ³² And they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king raised his voice and wept at ^(F)the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³ And ^(G)the king sang a song of mourning for Abner and said,

And all the people wept over him again. ³⁵ Then all the people came ^(H)to provide ^[c]food for David in his distress while it was still day; but David vowed, saying, “^(I)May God do so to me, and more so, if I taste bread or anything else ^(J)before the sun goes down.” ³⁶ Now all the people took note of David’s vow, and it ^[d]pleased them, just as everything that the king did ^[e]pleased all the people. ³⁷ So all the people and all Israel understood on that day that it had not been the desire of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death. ³⁸ Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a leader and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? ³⁹ And I am ^(K)weak today, though anointed king; and these men, ^(L)the sons of Zeruiah, are too difficult for me. ^(M)May the Lord repay the evildoer in proportion to his evil.”

⁵ Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “Today you have shamed ^[a]all your servants, who have saved your life today and the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines, ⁶ by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have revealed today that ^[b]commanders and servants are nothing to you; for I know today that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then it would be right ^[c]as far as you are concerned. ⁷ Now therefore arise, go out and speak ^[d]kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go out, ^(A)no man will stay the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the misfortune that has ^[e]happened to you from your youth until now!”