22 Soon afterwards, Yoav (Joab) and some of David’s men arrived after a raid and carried in a lot of plunder. (Avner had already left Hevron because David had sent him off and he’d left in peace.) 23 When Yoav and all the fighters with him arrived, he was told that Avner had been there and spoken with the king, then sent away in peace. 24 So Yoav went to the king and demanded, “What have you done? Avner came to you and I can’t believe that you’d let him go, but he’s definitely not here now. 25 Surely you realise that he only came here to influence you and to find out where you’re coming from and going to, and to learn everything that you’re doing?”

26 Once Yoav had finished talking to David, he sent messengers to catch up to Avner. They found him at the Sirah cistern and brought him back without David’s knowledge. 27 When Avner got back to Hevron, Yoav took him aside at the city gate as if to speak to him privately, then stabbed him in the stomach and he died as vengeance for killing Yoav’s brother Asahel. 28 Later when David heard about it, he declared, “I and my kingdom are innocent of Avner’s death in Yahweh’s eyes. 29 May Yoav’s extended family continually suffer from sores or leprosy, and be forced into manual labour or be killed in battle, or run out of food to eat.” 30 (That’s how Yoav and his brother Avishay murdered Avner because he’d killed their brother Asahel in Giveon during the war.)