2 Samuel 13:1–15:37
13 After this aAbsalom the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was bTamar; and cAmnon the son of David loved her. 2 Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab dthe son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4 And he said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?”
Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5 So Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’ ” 6 Then Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let Tamar my sister come and emake a couple of cakes for me in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”
7 And David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Now go to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. 9 And she took the pan and placed them out before him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said, f“Have everyone go out from me.” And they all went out from him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them to Amnon her brother in the bedroom. 11 Now when she had brought them to him to eat, ghe took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.”
12 But she answered him, “No, my brother, do not 1force me, for hno such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this idisgraceful thing! 13 And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; jfor he will not withhold me from you.” 14 However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he kforced her and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her 2exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Arise, be gone!”
16 So she said to him, “No, indeed! This evil of sending me away is worse than the other that you did to me.”
But he would not listen to her. 17 Then he called his servant who attended him, and said, “Here! Put this woman out, away from me, and bolt the door behind her.” 18 Now she had on la robe of many colors, for the king’s virgin daughters wore such apparel. And his servant put her out and bolted the door behind her.
19 Then Tamar put mashes on her head, and tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and nlaid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly. 20 And Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this thing to heart.” So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.
21 But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. 22 And Absalom spoke to his brother Amnon oneither good nor bad. For Absalom phated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.
23 And it came to pass, after two full years, that Absalom qhad sheepshearers in Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim; so Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 24 Then Absalom came to the king and said, “Kindly note, your servant has sheepshearers; please, let the king and his servants go with your servant.”
25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go now, lest we be a burden to you.” Then he urged him, but he would not go; and he blessed him.
26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.”
And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom urged him; so he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.
28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, “Watch now, when Amnon’s rheart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon!’ then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and 3valiant.” 29 So the servants of Absalom sdid to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each one got on this mule and fled.
30 And it came to pass, while they were on the way, that news came to David, saying, “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left!” 31 So the king arose and utore his garments and vlay on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn. 32 Then wJonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, “Let not my lord suppose they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for only Amnon is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. 33 Now therefore, xlet not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead. For only Amnon is dead.”
34 yThen Absalom fled. And the young man who was keeping watch lifted his eyes and looked, and there, many people were coming from the road on the hillside behind 4him. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the king’s sons are coming; as your servant said, so it is.” 36 So it was, as soon as he had finished speaking, that the king’s sons indeed came, and they lifted up their voice and wept. Also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly.
37 But Absalom fled and went to zTalmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 38 So Absalom fled and went to aGeshur, and was there three years. 39 And 5King David 6longed to go to Absalom. For he had been bcomforted concerning Amnon, because he was dead.
14 So Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was concerned aabout Absalom. 2 And Joab sent to bTekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, “Please pretend to be a mourner, cand put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead. 3 Go to the king and speak to him in this manner.” So Joab dput the words in her mouth.
4 And when the woman of Tekoa 1spoke to the king, she efell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, f“Help, O king!”
5 Then the king said to her, “What troubles you?”
And she answered, g“Indeed I am a widow, my husband is dead. 6 Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him. 7 And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him hfor the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.’ So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the earth.”
8 Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.”
9 And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord, O king, let ithe 2iniquity be on me and on my father’s house, jand the king and his throne be guiltless.”
10 So the king said, “Whoever says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore.”
11 Then she said, “Please let the king remember the Lord your God, and do not permit kthe avenger of blood to destroy anymore, lest they destroy my son.”
And he said, l“As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”
12 Therefore the woman said, “Please, let your maidservant speak another word to my lord the king.”
And he said, “Say on.”
13 So the woman said: “Why then have you schemed such a thing against mthe people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring nhis banished one home again. 14 For we owill surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not ptake away a life; but He qdevises means, so that His banished ones are not 3expelled from Him. 15 Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your maidservant said, ‘I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his maidservant. 16 For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the rinheritance of God.’ 17 Your maidservant said, ‘The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for sas the angel of God, so is my lord the king in tdiscerning good and evil. And may the Lord your God be with you.’ ”
18 Then the king answered and said to the woman, “Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you.”
And the woman said, “Please, let my lord the king speak.”
19 So the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said, “As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and uhe put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant. 20 To bring about this change of affairs your servant Joab has done this thing; but my lord is wise, vaccording to the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the earth.”
21 And the king said to Joab, “All right, I have granted this thing. Go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom.”
22 Then Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and 4thanked the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant.” 23 So Joab arose wand went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 24 And the king said, “Let him return to his own house, but xdo not let him