2 Samuel 3:29

²⁷ When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.

²⁸ Afterward, David heard about this and said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.

May it whirl over the heads of Joab and the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.”

³⁰ (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

³¹ Then David ordered Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David himself walked behind the funeral bier.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: May it whirl over the heads of Joab and the entire house of his father, and may the house of Joab never be without one having a discharge or skin disease, or one who leans on a staff or falls by the sword or lacks food.”
KJV: Let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father’s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth on the sword, or that lacketh bread.
WEB: Let it fall on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house. Let there not fail from the house of Joab one who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.”
ASV: let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all his father`s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth by the sword, or that lacketh bread.
DARBY: let it fall on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that has an issue, or that is a leper, or that leans on a staff, or that falls by the sword, or that lacks bread!
BLB: Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all the house of his father, and never let there fail to be in the house of Joab one who has a discharge, or is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or falls by the sword, or is lacking bread.”

ÅB: La det komme over Joabs hode og over hele hans fars hus, og la det i Joabs hus aldri fattes noen som har flod eller er spedalsk, eller noen som går med krykke, eller som faller for sverdet, eller som mangler brød.
OTB: Måtte konsekvensene falle på Joab og hele hans fars hus, og måtte det ikke mangle i Joabs hus en som har utflod, eller som er rammet av spedalskhet, eller som griper en vevstokk, eller som faller for sverdet, eller som mangler brød."
B1930: La det komme over Joabs hode og over hele hans fars hus, og la det i Joabs hus aldri fattes nogen som har flod eller er spedalsk, eller nogen som går med krykke, eller som faller for sverdet, eller som mangler brød.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

2 Samuel 1:16
For David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood be on your own head because your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’”
Read in context
Psalms 109:8–19
May his days be few; may another take his position.
Read in context
1 Kings 2:31–34
And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed.
Read in context
Acts 28:4
When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”
Read in context
2 Kings 5:1
Now Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded, for through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. And he was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
Read in context
Judges 9:24
in order that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the leaders of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.
Read in context
Leviticus 15:2
“Say to the Israelites, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean.
Read in context
Judges 9:56–57
In this way God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father in murdering his seventy brothers.
Read in context