¹⁴ But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, ^(A)you shall take him from my altar, 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.

²⁶ For ^(A)if we go on sinning deliberately ^(B)after receiving the knowledge of the truth, ^(C)there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

¹⁰ and especially ^(A)those who indulge^[a] in the lust of defiling passion and ^(B)despise authority.

Bold and willful, they do not tremble ^(C)as they blaspheme the glorious ones,

¹⁵ Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains who were set over the army, “Bring her out between the ranks, and put to death with the sword anyone who follows her.” For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.”

⁵⁰ And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went ^(A)and took hold of ^(B)the horns of the altar. ⁵¹ Then it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”

⁹ And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand ^(A)to kiss him. ¹⁰ But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab's hand. ^(B)So Joab struck him with it ^(C)in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died.

Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.

²⁷ And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, ^(A)and there he struck him ^(B)in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.