Bible

2 Samuel 3:17-30

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17Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “For some time you have wanted to make David your king.

18Now do it! For the LORD promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’ ” 19Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do. 20When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men.

21Then Abner said to David, “Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

Joab Murders Abner 22Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

23When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace. 24So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone!

25You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.” 26Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it.

27Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died. 28Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.

29May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy The Hebrew for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.”

30(Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)