2 Samuel 13:1–22

AMNON RAPES TAMAR

13Some time passed. David’s son Absalom^f had a beautiful sister named Tamar,^g and David’s son Amnon^h was infatuated with her. ²Amnon was frustrated to the point of making himself sick over his sister Tamar because she was a virgin, but it seemed impossible to do anything to her. ³Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, a son of David’s brother Shimeah.ⁱ Jonadab was a very shrewd man, ⁴and he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the king’s son, so miserable^j every morning? Won’t you tell me?”

Amnon replied, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”

⁵Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend you’re sick. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare a meal in my presence^k so I can watch and eat from her hand.’ ”

⁶So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my presence so I can eat from her hand.”

⁷David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Please go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare a meal for him.”

⁸Then Tamar went to his house while Amnon was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his presence, and baked them. ⁹She brought the pan and set it down in front of him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said, “Everyone leave me!” And everyone left him. ¹⁰“Bring the meal to the bedroom,” Amnon told Tamar, “so I can eat from your hand.” Tamar took the cakes she had made and went to her brother Amnon’s bedroom. ¹¹When she brought them to him to eat, he grabbed her and said,^A “Come sleep with me, my sister!”

¹²“Don’t, my brother!” she cried. “Don’t disgrace^l me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel.^m Don’t commit this outrage!^{n 13}Where could I ever go with my humiliation? And you—you would be like one of the outrageous fools in Israel! Please, speak to the king, for he won’t keep me from you.” ¹⁴But he refused to listen to her, and because he was stronger than she was, he disgraced her by raping her.

¹⁵So Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity that the hatred he hated her with was greater than the love he had loved her with. “Get out of here!” he said.

¹⁶“No,” she cried,^B “sending me away is much worse than the great wrong you’ve already done to me!”

But he refused to listen to her. ¹⁷Instead, he called to the servant who waited on him, “Get this away from me, throw her out, and bolt the door behind her!” ¹⁸Amnon’s servant threw her out and bolted the door behind her. Now Tamar was wearing a long-sleeved robe garment, because this is what the king’s virgin daughters wore. ¹⁹Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long-sleeved robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head^a and went away crying out.

²⁰Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister. He is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” So Tamar lived as a desolate woman^b in the house of her brother Absalom.

ABSALOM MURDERS AMNON

²¹When King David heard about all these things, he was furious. ²²Absalom didn’t say anything to Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon since he disgraced his sister Tamar.