26. When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, so they brought him back from the well of Sirah, though David knew nothing about it.
27. Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside within the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the groin, so that he died—on account of the blood of his brother Asahel.
28. When David heard about it afterward, he said, “I and my kingdom are innocent before Adonai forever from the blood of Abner son of Ner.
29. May it whirl on Joab’s head and on all his father’s house. May the house of Joab never be without someone with discharge or tza'arat, lame or one fallen by the sword or one who lacks food.”
30. So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in battle.
31. Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Rend your clothes, gird with sackcloth, and lament before Abner.” King David walked behind the platform.
32. When they buried Abner in Hebron, the king lifted up his voice and wept aloud at Abner’s grave, and all the people wept.
33. Then the king chanted a lament for Abner and said, “Should Abner die like a senseless fool?
34. Your hands were not bound, your feet were never put in fetters. As one falls before the children of iniquity, so did you fall.” Then all the people wept again over him.
35. Then all the people came to urge David to eat some food while it was still day, but David vowed saying, “May God do so to me and even more if I taste food or anything else before the sun sets.”
36. All the people took note of it and it pleased them, just as everything the king did pleased all the people.
37. So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not the king’s will to kill Abner son of Ner.
38. Then the king said to his soldiers, “Don’t you realize that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel today?