¹² then the elders of his city shall send and take him from there, and hand him over to the avenger of blood, so that he may die.

²⁸ When the news came to Joab—for Joab ^(A)had supported Adonijah although ^(B)he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the ^(C)horns of the altar. ²⁹ And when it was told King Solomon, “Joab has fled to the tent of the Lord, and behold, he is beside the altar,” Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” ³⁰ So Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, I will die here.” Then Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.” ³¹ The king replied to him, ^(D)“Do as he has said, strike him down and bury him, ^(E)and thus take away from me and from my father's house the guilt for the blood that Joab shed without cause. ³² The Lord will ^(F)bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men ^(G)more righteous and better than himself, ^(H)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and ^(I)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. ^33 (J)So shall their blood come back on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever. But for David and for his descendants and for his house and for his throne there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.” ³⁴ Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

⁵ “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah ^(A)did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, ^(B)Abner the son of Ner, ^(C)and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging^[a] in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war^[b] on the belt around his^[c] waist and on the sandals on his feet. ⁶ Act therefore ^(D)according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.