2 Samuel 13–18

13And it came to pass after this, ^athat Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was ^bTamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. ²And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and ^†Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her. ³But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of ^cShimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man. ⁴And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king’s son, ^†lean ^†from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister. ⁵And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand. ⁶So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and ^dmake me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand. ⁷Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon’s house, and dress him meat. ⁸So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was laid down. And she took ^||flour, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes. ⁹And she took a pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, ^eHave out all men from me. And they went out every man from him. ¹⁰And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. ¹¹And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister. ¹²And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not ^†force me; for ^f†no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this ^gfolly. ¹³And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one ^hof the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee. ¹⁴Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, ⁱbeing stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. ¹⁵Then Amnon hated her ^†exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone. ¹⁶And she said unto him, There is no ^jcause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her. ¹⁷Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and ^kbolt the door after her. ¹⁸And she had ^la garment of divers colours upon her: for with such robes were the king’s daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and ^kbolted the door after her. ¹⁹And Tamar put ^mashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and ⁿlaid her hand on her head, and went on crying. ²⁰And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath ^†Amnon thy brother been with thee? but hold now thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; ^†regard not this thing. So Tamar remained ^†desolate in her brother Absalom’s house. ²¹But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth. ²²And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon ^oneither good nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.

^23*And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had ^psheepshearers in Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant. ²⁵And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee. And he ^qpressed him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him. ²⁶Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee? ²⁷But Absalom pressed him, that he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. ²⁸Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is ^rmerry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not: ^||have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be ^†valiant. ²⁹And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and every man ^†gat him up upon his mule, and fled. ³⁰And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left. ³¹Then the king arose, and ^stare his garments, and ^tlay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent. ³²And ^uJonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men the king’s sons; for Amnon only is dead: for by the ^†appointment of Absalom this hath been ^||determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar. ³³Now therefore ^xlet not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead: for Amnon only is dead. ^34yBut Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people by the way of the hill side behind him. ³⁵And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king’s sons come: ^†as thy servant said, so it is. ³⁶And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up their voice and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept ^†very sore. ³⁷But Absalom fled, and went to ^zTalmai, the son of ^||Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. ³⁸So Absalom fled, and went to ^aGeshur, and was there three years. ³⁹And the soul of king David ^||longed to go forth unto Absalom: for he was ^bcomforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.

14^*Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was ^atoward Absalom. ²And Joab sent to ^bTekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and ^canoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead: ³And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab ^dput the words in her mouth. ⁴And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she ^efell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, ^†Help, O king. ⁵And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, ^fI am ^gindeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead. ⁶And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was ^†none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him. ⁷And, behold, ^hthe whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and ^hwe will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not ⁱleave to my husband neither name nor remainder ^†upon the earth. ⁸And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee. ⁹And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, ^jthe iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: ^kand the king and his throne be guiltless. ¹⁰And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more. ¹¹Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the Lord thy God, ^†that thou wouldest not suffer ^lthe revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, ^mAs the Lord liveth, ⁿthere shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. ¹²Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on. ¹³And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against ^othe people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again ^phis banished. ¹⁴For we must needs die, and are as ^qwater spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; ^||neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he ^rdevise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. ¹⁵Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid. ¹⁶For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of ^sthe inheritance of God. ¹⁷Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be ^†comfortable: for ^tas an angel of God, so is my lord the king ^†to discern good and bad: therefore the Lord thy God will be with thee. ¹⁸Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak. ¹⁹And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, ^uAs thy soul liveth, my lord the king, ^vnone can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and ^whe put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid: ²⁰To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth. ²¹And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again. ²²And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and ^†thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the…