2 Samuel 3:22-4:12

New International Version

Joab Murders Abner

²² Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. ²³ When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

²⁴ So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! ²⁵ You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”

²⁶ Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it. ²⁷ Now when Abner^(A) returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him^(B) in the stomach, and he died.^(C)

²⁸ Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent^(D) before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. ²⁹ May his blood^(E) fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family!^(F) May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore^(G) or leprosy^[a] or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.”

³⁰ (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

³¹ Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth^(H) and walk in mourning^(I) in front of Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier. ³² They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept^(J) aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept also.

³³ The king sang this lament^(K) for Abner:

And all the people wept over him again.

³⁵ Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(M) if I taste bread^(N) or anything else before the sun sets!”

³⁶ All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. ³⁷ So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part^(O) in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

³⁸ Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen^(P) in Israel this day? ³⁹ And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah^(Q) are too strong^(R) for me.^(S) May the Lord repay^(T) the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”

Ish-Bosheth Murdered

4 When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner^(U) had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. ² Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth^(V) is considered part of Benjamin, ³ because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim^(W) and have resided there as foreigners to this day.

⁴ (Jonathan^(X) son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news^(Y) about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled.^(Z) His name was Mephibosheth.)^(AA)

⁵ Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth,^(AB) and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest.^{(AC) 6} They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed^(AD) him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

⁷ They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah.^{(AE) 8} They brought the head^(AF) of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul,^(AG) your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged^(AH) my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

⁹ David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered^(AI) me out of every trouble, ¹⁰ when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag.^(AJ) That was the reward I gave him for his news! ¹¹ How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood^(AK) from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

¹² So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them.^(AL) They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.