2 Samuel 13–18

Amnon and Tamar

13Now ^wAbsalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was ^xTamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her. ²And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. ³But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of ^yShimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. ⁴And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” ⁵Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’ ” ⁶So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and ^zmake a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”

⁷Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him.” ⁸So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. ⁹And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, ^a“Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. ¹⁰Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. ¹¹But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” ¹²She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate¹ me, for ^bsuch a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this ^coutrageous thing. ¹³As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of ^dthe outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” ¹⁴But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.

¹⁵Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, 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, “Get up! Go!” ¹⁶But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.”² But he would not listen to her. ¹⁷He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” ¹⁸Now she was wearing ^ea long robe with sleeves, ³ for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. ¹⁹And Tamar ^fput ashes on her head and ^gtore the long robe that she wore. And ^hshe laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house. ²¹When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.^{4 22}But Absalom spoke to Amnon ⁱneither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.

Absalom Murders Amnon

²³After two full years Absalom had ^jsheepshearers at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” ²⁵But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing. ²⁶Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. ²⁸Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon’s ^kheart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Do not fear; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.” ²⁹So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each mounted his mule and fled.

³⁰While they were on the way, news came to David, “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.” ³¹Then the king arose and ^ltore his garments and ^mlay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments. ³²But ⁿJonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar. ³³Now therefore let not my lord the king so ^otake it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.”

Absalom Flees to Geshur

^34pBut Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him⁵ by the side of the mountain. ³⁵And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about.” ³⁶And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his servants wept very bitterly.

^37qBut Absalom fled and went to ^rTalmai the son of Ammihud, king of ^sGeshur. And David mourned for his son day after day. ^38qSo Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. ³⁹And the spirit of the king⁶ longed to go out⁷ to Absalom, because ^the was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.

Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

14Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew ^uthat the king’s heart went out to Absalom. ²And Joab sent to ^vTekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. ^wDo not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. ³Go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab ^xput the words in her mouth.

⁴When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, ^yshe fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, ^z“Save me, O king.” ⁵And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, ^a“Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead. ⁶And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. ⁷And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would ^bdestroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor ^cremnant on the face of the earth.”

⁸Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.” ⁹And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, ^d“On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father’s house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.” ¹⁰The king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.” ¹¹Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that ^ethe avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, ^f“As the Lord lives, ^gnot one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

¹²Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.” ¹³And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against ^hthe people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring ⁱhis banished one home again. ¹⁴We must all die; we are ^jlike water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means ^kso that the banished one will not remain an outcast. ¹⁵Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. ¹⁶For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from ^lthe heritage of God.’ ¹⁷And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is ^mlike the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!”

¹⁸Then the king answered the woman, “Do not hide from me anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.” ¹⁹The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, ⁿ“As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; ^oit was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant. ²⁰In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of ^mthe angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.”

²¹Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.” ²²And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage ^pand blessed the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant.” ²³So Joab arose and went to ^qGeshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. ²⁴And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king’s presence.

²⁵Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. ^rFrom the sole of his foot…