When Abner arrived at Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway. He acted as though he wanted to talk with Abner in private, but Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and Abner died. Abner had killed Joab’s brother Asahel, so Joab killed Abner to pay him back.
Our enemies were trying to scare us, thinking, “They will get too weak to work. Then the wall will not be finished.” But I prayed, “God, make me strong.”
The king of Babylon heard about those armies, and he became helpless with fear. Distress has gripped him. His pain is like that of a woman giving birth to a baby.