⁶ And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man ^(A)shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. ⁷ Then they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it. ⁸ Provide atonement, O Lord, for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, ^(B)and do not lay innocent blood to the charge of Your people Israel.’ And atonement shall be provided on their behalf for the blood. ⁹ So ^(C)you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord.

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 ^(A)upon the head of his descendants forever. ^(B)But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the Lord.”