⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; ^(A)for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?”

²⁸ Afterward, when David heard it, he said, “My kingdom and I are ^[a]guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner.

³² So the Lord ^(A)will return his ^[a]blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous ^(B)and better than he, and killed them with the sword—^(C)Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and ^(D)Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah—though my father David did not know it. ³³ Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and ^(E)upon the head of his descendants forever. ^(F)But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the Lord.”

³⁴ So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck and killed him; and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. ³⁵ The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king put ^(G)Zadok the priest in the place of ^(H)Abiathar.

Shimei Executed

³⁶ Then the king sent and called for ^(I)Shimei, and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there anywhere. ³⁷ For it shall be, on the day you go out and cross ^(J)the Brook Kidron, know for certain you shall surely die; ^(K)your ^[b]blood shall be on your own head.”