David’s Lament for Abner

³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “^(A)Tear your clothes and gird on sackcloth and lament before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier. ³² Thus they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at ^(B)the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ^33 (C)And the king chanted a lament for Abner and said,

And all the people continued to weep over him. ³⁵ Then all the people came ^(D)to ^[b]persuade David to eat bread while it was still day; but David swore an oath, saying, “^(E)May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else ^(F)before the sun goes down.” ³⁶ Now all the people took note of it, and it was good in their sight, just as everything the king did was good in the sight of all the people. ³⁷ So all the people and all Israel knew that day that it had not been the will of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death. ³⁸ Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹ Thus I am ^(G)weak today, though anointed king; and these men ^(H)the sons of Zeruiah are too difficult for me. ^(I)May Yahweh repay the evildoer according to his evil.”