And it came to pass after this that Ammon the son of David loved the sister of Absalom the son of David, who was very beautiful, and her name was Thamar.

²And 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.

³Now Ammon had a friend, named Jonadab, the son of Semmaa the brother of David, a very wise man:

⁴And 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 Ammon said to him: I am in love with Thamar the sister of my brother Absalom.

⁵And 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.

⁶So Ammon lay down, and made as if he were sick: and when the king came to visit him, Ammon 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.

⁷Then David sent home to Thamar, saying: Come to the house of thy brother Ammon, and make him a mess.

⁸And Thamar came to the house of Ammon her brother: but he was laid down: and she took meal and tempered it: and dissolving it in his sight she made little messes.

⁹And taking what she had boiled, she poured it out, and set it before him, but he would not eat: and Ammon said: Put out all persons from me. And when they had put all persons out,

¹⁰Ammon 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 Ammon in the chamber.

¹¹And when she had presented him the meat, he took hold of her, and said: Come lie with me, my sister.

¹²She 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.

¹³For 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.

¹⁴But he would not hearken to her prayers, but being stronger overpowered her and lay with her.

¹⁵Then Ammon 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 Ammon said to her: Arise, and get thee gone.

¹⁶She answered him: The 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:

¹⁷But calling the servants that ministered to him, he said: Thrust this woman out from me: and shut the door after her.

¹⁸And she was clothed with a long 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.

¹⁹And she put ashes on her head, and rent her long robe and laid her hands upon her head, and went on crying.

²⁰And Absalom her brother said to her: Hath thy brother Ammon 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.

²¹And when king David heard of these things he was exceedingly grieved: and he would not afflict the spirit of his son Ammon, for he loved him, because he was his firstborn.

²²But Absalom spoke not to Ammon neither good nor evil: for Absalom hated Ammon because he had ravished his sister Thamar.

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