³⁹ And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, ^(A)are too harsh for me. ^(B)The Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”

³³ Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and ^(A)upon the head of his descendants forever. ^(B)But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the Lord.”

³⁴ So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

^14 (A)Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works.

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. ⁶ Therefore do ^(D)according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to the grave in peace.

⁴ For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.

⁴ and say to him: ^[a]‘Take heed, and ^[b]be ^(A)quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah.