³⁹ And I was gentle today, though anointed king. ^(A)These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. ^(B)The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!”

^33 (A)So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever. But for David and for his descendants and for his house and for his throne there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.” ³⁴ Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

^14 (A)Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; ^(B)the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

⁵ “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah ^(A)did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, ^(B)Abner the son of Ner, ^(C)and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging^[a] in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war^[b] on the belt around his^[c] waist and on the sandals on his feet. ⁶ Act therefore ^(D)according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.

⁴ for ^(A)he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, ^(B)an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

⁴ And say to him, ^(A)‘Be careful, ^(B)be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two ^(C)smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and ^(D)the son of Remaliah.