15. So Ishbosheth took her away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish.
16. Paltiel followed her all the way to the town of Bahurim, crying as he went. But when Abner said, “Go back home,” he did.
17. Abner went to the leaders of Israel and said to them, “For a long time you have wanted David to be your king.
18. Now here is your chance. Remember that the Lord has said, ‘I will use my servant David to rescue my people Israel from the Philistines and from all their other enemies.’ ”
19. Abner spoke also to the people of the tribe of Benjamin and then went to Hebron to tell David what the people of Benjamin and of Israel had agreed to do.
20. When Abner came to David at Hebron with twenty men, David gave a feast for them.
21. Abner told David, “I will go now and win all Israel over to Your Majesty. They will accept you as king, and then you will get what you have wanted and will rule over the whole land.” David gave Abner a guarantee of safety and sent him on his way.
22. Later on Joab and David's other officials returned from a raid, bringing a large amount of loot with them. Abner, however, was no longer there at Hebron with David, because David had sent him away with a guarantee of safety.
23. When Joab and his men arrived, he was told that Abner had come to King David and had been sent away with a guarantee of safety.
24. So Joab went to the king and said to him, “What have you done? Abner came to you — why did you let him go like that?
25. He came here to deceive you and to find out everything you do and everywhere you go. Surely you know that!”
26. After leaving David, Joab sent messengers to get Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David knew nothing about it.
27. When Abner arrived in Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate, as though he wanted to speak privately with him, and there he stabbed him in the belly. And so Abner was murdered because he had killed Joab's brother Asahel.
28. When David heard the news, he said, “The Lord knows that my subjects and I are completely innocent of the murder of Abner.
29. May the punishment for it fall on Joab and all his family! In every generation may there be some man in his family who has gonorrhoea or a dreaded skin disease or is fit only to do a woman's work or is killed in battle or hasn't enough to eat!”