1 Kings 2:5-6

2:5 “You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me – how he murdered two commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. ¹  During peacetime he struck them down like he would in battle; ²  when he shed their blood as if in battle, he stained his own belt and the sandals on his feet. ³  2:6 Do to him what you think is appropriate, ⁴  but don’t let him live long and die a peaceful death. ⁵ 

1 Kings 2:28-34

2:28 When the news reached Joab (for Joab had supported ⁶  Adonijah, although he had not supported Absalom), he ⁷  ran to the tent of the Lord and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. ⁸  2:29 When King Solomon heard ⁹  that Joab had run to the tent of the Lord and was right there beside the altar, he ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, ¹⁰  “Go, strike him down.” 2:30 When Benaiah arrived at the tent of the Lord, he said to him, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But he replied, “No, I will die here!” So Benaiah sent word to the king and reported Joab’s reply. ¹¹  2:31 The king told him, “Do as he said! Strike him down and bury him. Take away from me and from my father’s family ¹²  the guilt of Joab’s murderous, bloody deeds. ¹³  2:32 May the Lord punish him for the blood he shed; ¹⁴  behind my father David’s back he struck down and murdered with the sword two men who were more innocent and morally upright than he ¹⁵  – Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 2:33 May Joab and his descendants be perpetually guilty of their shed blood, but may the Lord give perpetual peace to David, his descendants, his family, ¹⁶  and his dynasty.” ¹⁷  2:34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and executed Joab; ¹⁸  he was buried at his home in the wilderness.

[2:5]  ¹ tn Heb “what he did to the two commanders…and he killed them.”

[2:5]  ² tn Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”

[2:5]  ³ tn Heb “and he shed the blood of battle when he killed which is on his waist and on his sandal[s] which are on his feet.” That is, he covered himself with guilt and his guilt was obvious to all who saw him.

[2:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “according to your wisdom.”

[2:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace [to] Sheol.”

[2:28]  ⁶ tn Heb “turned after” (also later in this verse).

[2:28]  ⁷ tn Heb “Joab.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:28]  ⁸ sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Joab was seeking asylum from Solomon.

[2:29]  ⁹ tn Heb “and it was related to King Solomon.”

[2:29]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “so Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying.”

[2:30]  ¹¹ tn Heb “saying, “In this way Joab spoke and in this way he answered me.”

[2:31]  ¹² tn Heb “house.”

[2:31]  ¹³ tn Heb “take away the undeserved bloodshed which Joab spilled from upon me and from upon the house of my father.”

[2:32]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “The Lord will cause his blood to return upon his head.”

[2:32]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “because he struck down two men more innocent and better than he and he killed them with the sword, and my father David did not know.”

[2:33]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[2:33]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “his throne.”

[2:34]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “struck him and killed him.” The referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.