²⁷ Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab ^(A)took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there ^[a]stabbed him ^(B)in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of ^(C)Asahel his brother.

⁵ “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah ^(A)did to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to ^(B)Abner the son of Ner and ^(C)Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet.

⁹ Then Joab said to Amasa, “Are you in health, my brother?” ^(A)And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰ But Amasa did not notice the sword that was in Joab’s hand. And ^(B)he struck him with it ^(C)in the stomach, and his entrails poured out on the ground; and he did not strike him again. Thus he died.

Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.

³² So the Lord ^(A)will return his ^[a]blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous ^(B)and better than he, and killed them with the sword—^(C)Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and ^(D)Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah—though my father David did not know it.

⁶ Now Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went along; and it happened as he met them that he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!” ⁷ So it was, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah ^(A)killed them and cast them into the midst of a ^[a]pit, he and the men who were with him.

² Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, arose and ^(A)struck Gedaliah the son of ^(B)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had made ^(C)governor over the land.

¹⁹ So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

²⁰ Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Are you Asahel?”

He answered, “I am.”

²¹ And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. ²² So Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?” ²³ However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him ^(A)in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood ^(B)still.

^24 (A)‘Cursed is the one who attacks his neighbor secretly.’

“And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’