20. Abner took twenty soldiers with him, and when they got to Hebron, David gave a big feast for them.
21. After the feast, Abner said, “Your Majesty, let me leave now and bring Israel here to make an agreement with you. You'll be king of the whole nation, just as you've been wanting.”David told Abner he could leave, and he left without causing any trouble.
22. Soon after Abner had left Hebron, Joab and some of David's soldiers came back, bringing a lot of things they had taken from an enemy village.
23. Just after they arrived, someone told Joab, “Abner visited the king, and the king let him go. Abner even left without causing any trouble.”
24. Joab went to David and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you, and you let him go. Now he's long gone!
25. You know Abner—he came to trick you. He wants to find out how strong your army is and to know everything you're doing.”
26. Joab left David, then he sent some messengers to catch up with Abner. They brought him back from the well at Sirah, but David did not know anything about it.
27. When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pretended he wanted to talk privately with him. So he took Abner into one of the small rooms that were part of the town gate and stabbed him in the stomach. Joab killed him because Abner had killed Joab's brother Asahel.