⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed^(A) and be guiltless?^(B)

²⁸ Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent^(A) before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. ²⁹ May his blood^(B) fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family!^(C) May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore^(D) or leprosy^[a] or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.”

³² The Lord will repay^(A) him for the blood he shed,^(B) because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa^(C) son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better^(D) men and more upright than he.