2 Samuel 13

¹ After this, the fol owing events took place. Absalom son of David had a beautiful sister whose namewas Tamar; Amnon son of David fel in love with her.

² Amnon was so obsessed with his sister Tamar that it made him il , since she was a virgin and Amnonthought it impossible to do anything to her.

³ But Amnon had a friend called Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, and Jonadab was a veryshrewd man.

⁴ 'Son of the king,' he said, 'tel me why, morning after morning, you look so worn? Won't you tel me?'Amnon replied, 'I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.'

⁵ Then Jonadab said, 'Take to your bed, pretend to be ill and, when your father comes to visit you, say,"Please let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat; let her prepare the food where I can see. Whatshe gives me I shal eat." '

⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. The king then came to visit him and Amnon said to theking, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and make a cake or two where I can watch. What she gives me, I shaleat.'

⁷ David then sent word to Tamar at the palace, 'Go to your brother Amnon's house and prepare somefood for him.'

⁸ Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon who was lying there in bed. She took dough andkneaded it, and she made some cakes while he watched, and baked the cakes.

⁹ She then took the pan and dished them up in front of him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said, 'Leteveryone leave me!' So everyone withdrew.

¹⁰ Amnon then said to Tamar, 'Bring the food to the inner room, so that I can eat what you give me.' SoTamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them to her brother Amnon in the inner room.

¹¹ And as she was offering the food to him, he caught hold of her and said, 'Come to bed with me,sister!'

¹² She replied, 'No, brother! Do not force me! This is no way to behave in Israel. Do not do anything sodisgraceful!

¹³ Wherever should I go? I should be marked with this shame, while you would become disgraced inIsrael. Why not go and speak to the king? He wil not refuse to give me to you.'

¹⁴ But he would not listen to her; he overpowered her and raped her.

¹⁵ Amnon was then seized with extreme hatred for her; the hatred he now felt for her was greater thanhis earlier love. 'Get up and go!' he said.

¹⁶ She said, 'No, brother! To send me away would be worse than the other wrong you have done me!'But he would not listen to her.

¹⁷ He cal ed his personal servant. 'Rid me of this woman!' he said. 'Throw her out and bolt the doorbehind her!'

¹⁸ (She was wearing a magnificent dress, for this was what the king's unmarried daughters wore indays gone by.) So the servant put her out and bolted the door behind her.

¹⁹ Tamar put dust on her head, tore the magnificent dress which she was wearing, laid her hand on herhead, and went away, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰ Her brother Absalom said to her, 'Has Amnon your brother been with you? Sister, be quiet; he is yourbrother; do not take the matter to heart!' Tamar, however, went back to her brother Absalom's houseinconsolable.

²¹ When King David heard the whole story, he was very angry; but he had no wish to harm his sonAmnon, whom he loved because he was his first-born.

²² Absalom, however, would not so much as speak to Amnon, since he hated Amnon for having rapedhis sister Tamar.

²³ Two years later, when Absalom had the sheep-shearers at Baal-Hazor, which is near Ephraim, heinvited al the king's sons.

²⁴ Absalom went to the king and said, 'Now sir, your servant has the sheep-shearers. Wil the king andhis retinue be pleased to come with your servant?'

²⁵ 'No, my son,' the king replied, 'we must not al come and be a burden to you.' And though Absalomwas insistent, he would not go but dismissed him.

²⁶ Absalom persisted, 'Then at least let my brother Amnon come with us.' The king said, 'Why should hego with you?'

²⁷ On Absalom's insistence, however, he let Amnon and al the king's sons to go with him. Absalomprepared a royal banquet

²⁸ and then gave this order to the servants, 'Listen careful y; when Amnon's heart is merry with wineand I say, "Strike Amnon down", then kil him. Don't be afraid. Have I not myself given you the order? Use yourstrength and show your mettle!'

²⁹ Absalom's servants treated Amnon as Absalom had ordered. The king's sons al leapt to their feet,mounted their mules and fled.

³⁰ While they were on the road, word reached David, 'Absalom has killed all the king's sons; not one ofthem is left.'

³¹ The king stood up, tore his clothes and threw himself on the ground. Al his officers tore their clothestoo.

³² Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, then spoke up and said, 'Do not let my lord take to heartthe report that al the young men, the king's sons, have been killed, since only Amnon is dead: for Absalom hasbeen promising himself to do this since the day when Amnon raped his sister Tamar.

³³ So my lord the king must not imagine that al the king's sons are dead; only Amnon is dead

³⁴ and Absalom has fled.' The man on sentry duty looked up and saw a large troop coming along theroad from Bahurim. The sentry came to tell the king, 'I have seen some people coming down the Bahurim roadon the mountainside.'

³⁵ Jonadab then said to the king, 'These are the king's sons arriving: what your servant said is exactlywhat happened.'

³⁶ He had scarcely finished speaking when the king's sons arrived and wept aloud; the king and al hisretinue wept aloud too.

³⁷ Absalom had gone to Talmai son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. The king mourned for his son everyday.

³⁸ When Absalom had gone to Geshur, he stayed there for three years.

³⁹ Once the king was consoled over Amnon's death, his anger against Absalom subsided.