2 Samuel 3:28-37

English Standard Version

²⁸Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ²⁹^(A)May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house, and may the house of Joab never be without ^(B)one who has a discharge or who is ^(C)leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread!” ³⁰So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because ^(D)he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

David Mourns Abner

³¹Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, ^(E)“Tear your clothes and ^(F)put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner.” And King David followed the bier. ³²They buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³And the king ^(G)lamented for Abner, saying,

^(H)“Should Abner die ^(I)as a fool dies?
³⁴Your hands were not bound;
your feet were not fettered;
as one falls before the wicked
you have fallen.”

And all the people wept again over him. ³⁵Then all the people came ^(J)to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, ^(K)“God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else ^(L)till the sun goes down!” ³⁶And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did pleased all the people. ³⁷So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's will to put to death Abner the son of Ner.