22Look, the servants of David and Joab came from the raiding band, and they brought much spoil with them. But Abner is not with David in Hebron, for they sent him away and he went in peace.23And when Joab and all the army that was with him came, they told Joab, saying, "Abner son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in peace."24And Joab came to the king and said, "What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you sent him away and he went away?"25You know Abner son of Ner. He came to deceive you, to learn about your going out and your coming in, and to learn about everything you are doing.26Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. David did not know.27And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and struck him there in the fifth rib, so that he died, for the blood of his brother Asahel.28And David heard afterward and said, "I and my kingdom are innocent before the LORD forever from the blood of Abner son of Ner."29Let them be unclean upon the head of Joab and upon all the house of his father, and let it be cut off from the house of Joab: zab and leper and one holding the spindle and one fallen by the sword and one lacking bread.30And Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner because he had put Asahel their brother to death in Gibeon in the warfare.31And David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your garments and gird yourselves with sackcloth and mourn before Abner." And King David walked behind the bier.32They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king lifted his voice and wept at Abner's tomb, and all the people wept.33And the king lamented over Abner and said, "Should Abner die like the death of a fool?"34Your hands were not bound, and your feet were not put into bronze fetters. They approached like the falling of a son of a burnt offering—you have fallen. And all the people added to their weeping over him.35And all the people came to make David eat bread while it was still day, and David swore, saying, "May God do so to me and more also, if before the sun goes down I taste bread or anything at all."36And all the people recognized it, and it was good in their eyes—all that the king did was good in the eyes of all the people.37And all the people knew, even all Israel, on that day, that it was not from the king to put Abner son of Ner to death.38And the king said to his servants: "Do you not know that a chief and great one has fallen this day in Israel?"39And today I am tender and anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are harder than I. May the LORD repay the doer of evil according to his evil.