2 Samuel 3:22-39

²²And behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought a large amount of plunder with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron, since he had let him go, and he had gone in peace. ²³When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, they informed Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go on his way, 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 let him go, so that he is already gone? ²⁵You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to gain your confidence, and to learn of your going out and coming in and to find out everything that you are doing.”

²⁶When Joab left David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David did not know about it. ²⁷So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the belly, so that he died on account of the blood of his brother Asahel. ²⁸Afterward, 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. ²⁹May 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 someone who suffers a discharge, or has leprosy, or holds the spindle, or falls by the sword, or lacks bread.” ³⁰So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

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

“Should Abner die as a fool dies?

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

As one falls before the wicked, you have fallen.”

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