2 Samuel 13

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
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.	1 And it came to pass after this, that Amnon the son of David loved the sister of Absalom the son of David, who was very beautiful, and her name was Thamar.
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.	2 And he was exceedingly fond of her, so that he fell sick for the love of her: for as she was a virgin, he thought it hard to do any thing dishonestly with her.
3 But Amnon had a friend called Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, and Jonadab was a veryshrewd man.	3 Now Amnon had a friend, named Jonadab the son of Semmaa the brother of David, a very wise 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.'	4 And he said to him: Why dost thou grow so lean from day to day, O son of the king? why dost thou not tell me the reason of it? And Amnon said to him: I am in love with Thamar the sister of my brother Absalom.
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." '	5 And Jonadab said to him: Lie down upon thy bed, and feign thyself sick: and when thy father shall come to visit thee, say to him: Let my sister Thamar, I pray thee, come to me, to give me to eat, and to make me a mess, that I may eat it at her hand.
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.'	6 So Amnon lay down, and made as if he were sick: and when the king came to visit him, Amnon said to the king: I pray thee let my sister Thamar come, and make in my sight two little messes, that I may eat at her hand.
7 David then sent word to Tamar at the palace, 'Go to your brother Amnon's house and prepare somefood for him.'	7 Then David sent home to Thamar, saying: Come to the house of thy brother Amnon, and make him a mess.
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.	8 And Thamar came to the house of Amnon her brother: but he was laid down: and she took meal and tempered it: and dissolving it in his sight she made little messes.
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.	9 And taking what she had boiled, she poured it out, and set it before him, but he would not eat: and Amnon said: Put out all persons from me. And when they had put all persons out,
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.	10 Amnon said to Thamar: Bring the mess into the chamber, that I may eat at thy hand. And Thamar took the little messes which she had made, and brought them in to her brother Amnon in the chamber.
11 And as she was offering the food to him, he caught hold of her and said, 'Come to bed with me,sister!'	11 And when she had presented him the meat, he took hold of her, and said: Come lie with me, my sister.
12 She replied, 'No, brother! Do not force me! This is no way to behave in Israel. Do not do anything sodisgraceful!	12 She answered him: Do not so, my brother, do not force me: for no such thing must be done in Israel. Do not thou this folly.
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.'	13 For I shall not be able to bear my shame, and thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel: but rather speak to the king, and he will not deny me to thee.
14 But he would not listen to her; he overpowered her and raped her.	14 But he would not hearken to her prayers, but being stronger overpowered her and lay with 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.	15 Then Amnon hated her with an exceeding great hatred: so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her before, And Amnon said to her: Arise, and get thee gone.
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.	16 She answered him: This evil which now thou dost against me, in driving me away, is greater than that which thou didst before. And he would not hearken to her:
17 He cal ed his personal servant. 'Rid me of this woman!' he said. 'Throw her out and bolt the doorbehind her!'	17 But calling the servants that ministered to him, he said: Thrust this woman out from me: and shut the door after 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.	18 And she was clothed with along robe: for the king's daughters that were virgins, used such kind of garments. Then his servant thrust her out: and shut the door after 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.	19 And she put ashes on her head, and rent her long robe and laid her hands upon her head, and went on crying.
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.	20 And Absalom her brother said to her: Hath thy brother Amnon lain with thee? but now, sister, hold thy peace, he is thy brother: and afflict not thy heart for this thing. So Thamar remained pining away in the house of Absalom her brother.
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.	21 And when king David heard of these things he was exceedingly grieved: and he would not afflict the spirit of his son Amnon, for he loved him, because he was his firstborn.
22 Absalom, however, would not so much as speak to Amnon, since he hated Amnon for having rapedhis sister Tamar.	22 But Absalom spoke not to Amnon neither good nor evil: for Absalom hated Amnon because he had ravished his sister Thamar.
23 Two years later, when Absalom had the sheep-shearers at Baal-Hazor, which is near Ephraim, heinvited al the king's sons.	23 And it came to pass after two years, that the sheep of Absalom were shorn in Baalhasor, which is near Ephraim: and Absalom invited all 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?'	24 And he came to the king, and said to him: Behold thy servant's sheep are shorn. Let the king, I pray, with his servants come to his 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.	25 And the king said to Absalom: Nay, my son, do not ask that we should all come, and be chargeable to thee. And when he pressed him, and he would not go, he blessed him.
26 Absalom persisted, 'Then at least let my brother Amnon come with us.' The king said, 'Why should hego with you?'	26 And Absalom said: If thou wilt not come, at least let my brother Amnon, I beseech thee, come with us. And the king said to him: It is not necessary that he should go with thee.
27 On Absalom's insistence, however, he let Amnon and al the king's sons to go with him. Absalomprepared a royal banquet	27 But Absalom pressed him, so that he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. And Absalom made a feast as it were the feast of a king.
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!'	28 And Absalom had commanded his servants, saying: Take notice when Amnon shall be drunk with wine, and when I shall say to you: Strike him, and kill him, fear not: for it is I that command you: take courage, and be valiant men.
29 Absalom's servants treated Amnon as Absalom had ordered. The king's sons al leapt to their feet,mounted their mules and fled.	29 And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded them. And all the king's sons arose and got up every man upon his mule, 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.'	30 And while they were yet in the way, a rumour came to David, saying: Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left.
31 The king stood up, tore his clothes and threw himself on the ground. Al his officers tore their clothestoo.	31 Then the king rose up, and rent his garments: and fell upon the ground, and all his servants, that stood about him, rent their garments.
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.	32 But Jonadab the son of Semmaa David's brother answering, said: Let not my lord the king think that all the king's sons are slain: Amnon only is dead, for he was appointed by the mouth of Absalom from the day that he ravished his sister Thamar.
33 So my lord the king must not imagine that al the king's sons are dead; only Amnon is dead	33 Now therefore let not my lord the king take this thing into his heart, saying: All the king's sons are slain: for Amnon only 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.'	34 But Absalom fled away: and the young man that kept the watch, lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold there came much people by a by-way on the side of the mountain.
35 Jonadab then said to the king, 'These are the king's sons arriving: what your servant said is exactlywhat happened.'	35 And Jonadab said to the king: Behold the king's sons are come: as thy servant said, so it is.
36 He had scarcely finished speaking when the king's sons arrived and wept aloud; the king and al hisretinue wept aloud too.	36 And when he made an end of speaking, the king's sons also appeared: and coming in they lifted up their voice, and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very much.
37 Absalom had gone to Talmai son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. The king mourned for his son everyday.	37 But Absalom fled, and went to Tholomai the son of Ammiud the king of Gessur. And David mourned for his son every day.
38 When Absalom had gone to Geshur, he stayed there for three years.	38 And Absalom after he was fled, and come into Gessur, was there three years. And king David ceased to pursue after Absalom, because he was comforted concerning the death of Amnon.
39 Once the king was consoled over Amnon's death, his anger against Absalom subsided.