2 Samuel 3:9-35

9So I promise you this! Now I will help David to get what the Lord has promised to him. I ask God to punish me if I do not help David!

10The Lord promised that David's family would rule as kings instead of Saul's family. He promised that David would be king over all the people of Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.’

11Ish-Bosheth was so afraid of Abner that he could not say anything.

12Then Abner sent men to David with this message: ‘Who should rule this country? If you make an agreement with me, I will help you. I will cause all Israel's people to be faithful to you.’

13David said, ‘That is good! I will make an agreement with you. But you must do this for me: You must bring Saul's daughter, Michal, with you when you come to visit me. If you do not do that, I will not agree to see you.’

14Then David sent men to Saul's son, Ish-Bosheth, with this message: ‘Give back to me my wife, Michal. I paid 100 Philistine foreskins to have her as my wife.’

15So Ish-Bosheth sent his men to take Michal from her husband, Paltiel, son of Laish.

16But her husband came with her. He wept while he followed her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, ‘Return to your home!’ So he returned home.

17Then Abner talked to the leaders of Israel. He said, ‘For a long time you have wanted David to be your king.

18So now is your chance to do something! Remember that the Lord promised, “I will use David's strength to save my people, Israel, from the Philistines and from all their enemies.” ’

19Abner also went himself to speak to the men of Benjamin's tribe. After that, he went to Hebron. He went to tell David what all Israel's people had agreed to do. All the people of Benjamin's tribe had also agreed the same thing.

20Abner arrived in Hebron with 20 of his men to visit David. David prepared a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.

21Then Abner said to David, ‘Please let me go now to bring all the people of Israel together for my lord the king. Then they will make an agreement with you. Then you will rule over the whole land, as you really want to do.’ So David sent Abner away, with a promise that he would be safe.

22David's men and Joab had attacked some of the enemy's towns. Now they were returning home. They brought with them a lot of things that they had taken from the enemy. By this time Abner had left Hebron because David had sent him away safely.

23When Joab and all his soldiers arrived in Hebron, people told him, ‘Ner's son Abner came to visit the king. The king sent him back home safely.’

24Joab went to the king. He said, ‘Why did you do this? Abner came to visit you. You allowed him to go back home safely. Now he has gone.

25You should know what Abner is like. He came here to deceive you. He wanted to find out everything that you do and everywhere that you go.’

26Then Joab left David. He sent men to run after Abner with a message. They found him at the well at Sirah and they brought him back to Hebron. But David did not know that.

27When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab met him at the city's gate. Then Joab took him into a corner, as if he wanted to speak with Abner alone. But he pushed his knife into Abner's stomach. Joab killed Abner because Abner had killed Asahel, Joab's brother.

28Later, David heard about what Joab had done. He said, ‘The Lord knows this: I and the people of my kingdom are not guilty of Abner's murder.

29I pray that Joab and all his father's family will pay for this murder! May God punish his descendants for ever! May somebody always have sores or leprosy. May there be men who are not brave enough to fight, men who die in battle, or people who have no food to eat!’

30That is how Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner. They killed him because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.

31David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, ‘Tear your clothes! Wear sackcloth to show that you are sad! Weep because of Abner's death.’ King David himself walked behind the men who carried Abner's dead body.

32They buried Abner in a grave in Hebron. The king wept loudly beside Abner's grave. All the people wept too.

33The king sang this song about Abner's death: ‘Abner, you should not have died like a fool.

34Nobody had tied your hands. Nobody had put chains on your feet. It was murder by wicked people that killed you.’ Then all the people started to weep again for Abner.

35The people came and they spoke to David. They said that he should eat some food before the end of the day. But David said, ‘I will not eat any food at all before sunset. May God punish me if I eat anything!’