And all the elders of that city [a]which is nearest to the person killed shall (A)wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; and they shall respond and say, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see who did. [b]Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, Lord, and do not place the guilt for (B)innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.’ And the guilt for bloodshed shall be [c]forgiven them. (C)So you shall remove the guilt for innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 21:6 Lit who are
  2. Deuteronomy 21:8 Lit Cover over, atone for
  3. Deuteronomy 21:8 Lit covered over, atoned for

Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands(A) over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person.” Then the bloodshed will be atoned for,(B) and you will have purged(C) from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

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31 And the king said to him, “(A)Do just as he has spoken, and [a]execute him and bury him, (B)so that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without [b]justification. 32 (C)The Lord will return his blood on his own head, (D)because he [c]struck two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, while my father David did not know about it: (E)Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and (F)Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 33 (G)So their blood shall return on the head of Joab and on the head of his [d]descendants forever; but for David and his [e]descendants, and his house and his throne, may there be peace from the Lord forever.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 2:31 Lit attack
  2. 1 Kings 2:31 Or cause
  3. 1 Kings 2:32 Lit attacked
  4. 1 Kings 2:33 Lit seed
  5. 1 Kings 2:33 Lit seed

31 Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood(A) that Joab shed. 32 The Lord will repay(B) him for the blood he shed,(C) 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(D) son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better(E) men and more upright than he. 33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.”

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