2 Samuel 3:31-39
New English Translation
31 David instructed Joab and all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes. Put on sackcloth. Lament before Abner!” Now King David followed[a] behind the funeral pallet.[b] 32 So they buried Abner in Hebron. The king cried loudly[c] over Abner’s grave, and all the people wept too. 33 The king chanted the following lament for Abner:
“Should Abner have died like a fool?
34 Your hands[d] were not bound,
and your feet were not put into irons.
You fell the way one falls before criminals.”
All the people[e] wept over him again. 35 Then all the people came and encouraged David to eat food while it was still day. But David took an oath saying, “God will punish me severely[f] if I taste bread or anything whatsoever before the sun sets!”
36 All the people noticed this and it pleased them.[g] In fact, everything the king did pleased all the people. 37 All the people and all Israel realized on that day that the killing of Abner son of Ner was not done at the king’s instigation.[h]
38 Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not realize that a great leader[i] has fallen this day in Israel? 39 Today I am weak, even though I am anointed as king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too much for me to bear![j] May the Lord punish appropriately the one who has done this evil thing!”[k]
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- 2 Samuel 3:31 tn Heb “was walking.”
- 2 Samuel 3:31 tn A מִטָּה (mittah) is typically bed with a frame (which can be ornate and covered with blankets and pillows). Here, like a stretcher, it is a portable frame for carrying a body, technically a bier.
- 2 Samuel 3:32 tn Heb “lifted up his voice and wept.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.
- 2 Samuel 3:34 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew manuscripts and several ancient versions in reading “your hands,” rather than “your hand.”
- 2 Samuel 3:34 tc 4QSama lacks the words “all the people.”
- 2 Samuel 3:35 tn Heb “Thus God will do to me and thus he will add.”
- 2 Samuel 3:36 tn Heb “it was good in their eyes.”
- 2 Samuel 3:37 tn Heb “from the king.”
- 2 Samuel 3:38 tn Heb “a leader and a great one.” The expression is a hendiadys.
- 2 Samuel 3:39 tn Heb “are hard from me.”
- 2 Samuel 3:39 tn Heb “May the Lord repay the doer of the evil according to his evil” (NASB similar).
2 Samuel 3:31-39
Lexham English Bible
31 David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothing and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner.” Now King David was following after the bier. 32 And they buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. 33 The king sang a lament for Abner and said, “Should Abner have died the death of a fool? 34 Your hands were not tied and your feet were not in contact with bronze fetters. You have fallen as one who falls before sons of wickedness.” Then all the people wept over him again.[a] 35 Then all the people came to give David food. Still on that day, David swore, “May God punish me[b] if I taste food or anything before the sun goes down.” 36 All the people noticed, and it was good in their eyes, as everything that the king did was good in the eyes of all the people. 37 Then all the people and all of Israel realized on that day that the king had not desired[c] to kill Abner the son of Ner. 38 Then the king said to his servants, “Did you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen today in Israel? 39 I am weak today even though anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are crueler than I am. May Yahweh pay them back for doing wickedness according to their own wickedness.”
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- 2 Samuel 3:34 Literally “and all the people did again to weep over him”
- 2 Samuel 3:35 Literally “Thus may God do to me and thus may he add”
- 2 Samuel 3:37 Literally “that it was not from the king”
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