28. And when David had heard of it, now that the matter was done, he said: "I and my kingdom are clean before the Lord, even forever, of the blood of Abner, the son of Ner.
29. And may it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon the entire house of his father. And may there not fail to be, in the house of Joab, one who suffers from a flow of seed, or one who is leprous, or one who is effeminate, or one who falls by the sword, or one who is in need of bread."
30. And so, Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon, during the battle.
31. Then David said to Joab, and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your garments, and gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn before the funeral procession of Abner." Moreover, king David himself was following the casket.
32. And when they had buried Abner in Hebron, king David lifted up his voice, and he wept over the burial mound of Abner. And all the people also wept.
33. And the king, mourning and lamenting Abner, said: "By no means has Abner died the way that cowards usually die.
34. Your hands are not bound, and your feet are not weighed down with fetters. But just as men often fall before the sons of iniquity, so you have fallen." And while repeating this, all the people wept over him.
35. And when the entire multitude had arrived to take food with David, while it was still broad daylight, David swore, saying, "May God do these things to me, and may he add these other things, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets."
36. And all the people heard it, and everything that the king did in the sight of the entire people was pleasing to them.
37. And every common person, and all of Israel, realized on that day that the killing of Abner, the son of Ner, had not been done by the king.
38. The king also said to his servants: "Could you be ignorant that a leader and a very great man has fallen today in Israel?
39. But I am still tender, and yet anointed king. And these men of the sons of Zeruiah are too harsh for me. May the Lord repay whoever does evil in accord with his malice."