2 Samuel 3:31-39

New King James Version

David’s Mourning for Abner

³¹Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, ^(A)“Tear your clothes, ^(B)gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” And King David followed the coffin. ³²So they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³And the king sang a lament over Abner and said:

“Should Abner die as a ^(C)fool dies?
³⁴Your hands were not bound
Nor your feet put into fetters;
As a man falls before wicked men, so you fell.”

Then all the people wept over him again.

³⁵And when all the people came ^(D)to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, ^(E)“God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else ^(F)till the sun goes down!” ³⁶Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. ³⁷For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. ³⁸Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, ^(G)are too harsh for me. ^(H)The Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”