⁶ And all the elders of that city ^[a]who are nearest to the slain man shall ^(A)wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; ⁷ and they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it. ⁸ Atone for Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, O Yahweh, and do not place the guilt of ^(B)innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.’ And the bloodguiltiness shall be atoned for them. ^9 (C)So you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh.

³¹ And the king said to him, “^(A)Do as he has spoken and fall upon him and bury him, ^(B)that you may remove from me and from my father’s house the blood which Joab shed without cause. ^32 (C)And Yahweh will return his blood on his own head, ^(D)because he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he and killed them with the sword, but my father David did not know 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 shall their blood return on the head of Joab and on the head of his seed forever; but to David and his seed and his house and his throne, may there be peace from Yahweh forever.”