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!”
30. So Joab and his brother Abishai took revenge on Abner for killing their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.
31. Then David ordered Joab and his men to tear their clothes, wear sackcloth, and mourn for Abner. And at the funeral King David himself walked behind the coffin.
32. Abner was buried at Hebron, and the king wept aloud at the grave, and so did all the people.
33. David sang this lament for Abner:“Why did Abner have to die like a fool?
34. His hands were not tied,And his feet were not bound;He died like someone killed by criminals!”And the people wept for him again.
35. All day long the people tried to get David to eat something, but he made a solemn promise, “May God strike me dead if I eat anything before the day is over!”