Amnon and Tamar 1 UST After this, the trouble that Nathan had announced began in David’ s family. David’ s son Absalom had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar. Another of David’ s sons, Amnon, wanted to have sexual relations with her. BSB BSB: After some time, David’s son Amnon fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of David’s son Absalom.
2 UST He wanted so badly to have sexual relations with his half- sister Tamar that he felt sick. But because she was an unmarried young woman{, she lived separately from the men in the palace, so} Amnon thought he would never have a relationship with her. BSB BSB: Amnon was sick with frustration over his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed implausible for him to do anything to her.
3 UST But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab. He was the son of David’ s brother Shimeah. Jonadab knew well how to deceive people in order to get what he wanted. BSB BSB: Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man,
4 UST One day Jonadab said to Amnon,“Even though you are the king’ s son, every day{ when I see you,} you seem depressed. Please tell me why.” Amnon replied,“I feel sexual desire toward Tamar, the sister of my half- brother Absalom.” BSB BSB: and he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the son of the king, so depressed morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5 UST Jonadab said to him,“Lie down on your bed and pretend that you are sick. Your father will come to visit you.{ Tell him that you do not feel like eating anything, but you might eat} if someone prepared food while you were watching so you could see what the person was doing and if the person then served you the food directly. Suggest that you half- sister Tamar could come and do this for you.” BSB BSB: Jonadab told him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend you are ill. 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 it in my sight so I may watch her and eat it from her hand.’”
6 UST So Amnon lay down and pretended that he was sick. When King David came to visit him, Amnon told him,“{ I might eat something if} someone made a couple of pancakes for me while I was watching and then served them to me directly. Please allow my half- sister Tamar to come and do that for me.” BSB BSB: So Amnon lay down and feigned illness. When the king came to see him, Amnon said, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I may eat from her hand.”
7 UST So David sent a message to Tamar in the palace. He told her,“Amnon your half- brother{ is sick, so} please go to his house and prepare some food for him{ so that he will eat}.” BSB BSB: Then David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and prepare a meal for him.”
8 UST So Tamar went to Amnon’ s house. He was lying on a couch there. While he was watching her, she took some dough and kneaded it, then she formed it into some pancakes and baked them. BSB BSB: So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked them.
9 UST She brought the pan and served the pancakes from it onto a plate in front of Amnon. But he refused to eat them. He said to everyone else who was present,“All the rest of you, leave me!” So they all left. BSB BSB: Then she brought the pan and set it down before him, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone away!” said Amnon. And everyone went out.
10 UST Then Amnon said to Tamar,“{ I need to lie in bed, so} bring the food into my bedroom and serve it to me there.” So Tamar brought the pancakes that she had made into his bedroom. BSB BSB: Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, so that I may eat it from your hand.” Tamar took the cakes she had made and went to her brother Amnon’s bedroom.
11 UST But when she brought them close for him to eat them, he grabbed her and told her,“I want to have sex with you!” BSB BSB: And when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said, “Come lie with me, my sister!”
12 UST She replied,“No, do not force me to have sex with you! Israelites should not do things like that. You are my half- brother! So do not commit this crime against me! BSB BSB: “No, my brother!” she cried. “Do not violate me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing!
13 UST If you did, I would always have shame afterwards. And as for you, you would be acting like the Israelite men who do wrong things without regard for God. So I plead with you, ask the king{ to allow you to marry me}. I am sure he would agree to let me become your wife.” BSB BSB: Where could I ever take my shame? And you would be like one of the fools in Israel! Please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”
14 UST But he refused to do what she said he should do. He was stronger than she was, so he forcibly had sexual relations with her. BSB BSB: But Amnon refused to listen to her, and being stronger, he violated her and lay with her.
15 UST Afterwards, Amnon felt great hatred toward her. He hated her much more than he had desired her. He told her,“Now I want you to leave!” BSB BSB: Then Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity that his hatred was greater than the love he previously had. “Get up!” he said to her. “Be gone!”
16 UST But she told him,“No! You should not send me away. That would be very wrong. It would be worse than what you just did to me!” But again he refused to do what she said he should do. BSB BSB: “No,” she replied, “sending me away is worse than this great wrong you have already done to me!” But he refused to listen to her.
17 UST Instead, he summoned his personal servant and told him,“Take this woman outside, away from me, and lock the door so that she cannot come in again!” BSB BSB: Instead, he called to his attendant and said, “Throw this woman out and bolt the door behind her!”
18 UST So the servant put her outside and locked the door so that she could not come in again. Now Tamar was wearing a long robe. That was the clothing that the unmarried daughters of the king customarily wore at that time. BSB BSB: So Amnon’s attendant threw her out and bolted the door behind her. Now Tamar was wearing a robe of many colors, because this is what the king’s virgin daughters wore.
19 UST But{ to show how distressed she was,} Tamar put ashes on her head. She tore the long robe that she was wearing. She also placed her hand on her head. As she went away, she kept screaming. BSB BSB: And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her robe. And putting her hand on her head, she went away crying aloud.
20 UST Her brother Absalom{ saw her and} said to her,“Did your half- brother Amnon force you to have sex with him? Please, my sister, do not tell anyone. He is your half- brother. Do not let this bother you.” Then Tamar went to live in Absalom’ s house, and she never got married. BSB BSB: Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart.” So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in the house of her brother Absalom.
21 UST When King David learned what had happened, it made him very angry{ but he did not do anything about it}. BSB BSB: When King David heard all this, he was furious.
22 UST Absalom hated Amnon because he had forcibly had sexual relations with his sister Tamar. But he did not say anything to Amnon about this{, because he did not want Amnon to suspect that he wanted to kill him}. BSB BSB: And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon for violating his sister Tamar.
Absalom’s Revenge on Amnon 23 UST However, two years later, Absalom hired men to cut the wool off his sheep at Baal Hazor, where he lived. That place is near the tribal land of Ephraim. He was going to host a celebration when they finished cutting the wool off the sheep, and Absalom invited all the king’ s sons to come to the celebration. BSB BSB: Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king.
24 UST Absalom went to King David and said to him,“Sir, I have workers shearing my sheep{ and we are going to celebrate when they finish}. Please come with your officials to celebrate with us!” BSB BSB: And he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his servants please come with me?”
25 UST But the king replied,“No, my son, it would not be good for all of us to come. That would be too great an expense for you.” Absalom kept inviting him, but King David finally refused. Instead, he said that he hoped that God would make them happy while they celebrated. BSB BSB: “No, my son,” the king replied, “we should not all go, or we would be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he was not willing to go, but gave him his blessing.
26 UST Then Absalom said,“If you will not come, please send my half- brother Amnon{ the crown prince} with us{ as your representative}.” But the king replied,“You do not need to invite him to the celebration either.” BSB BSB: “If not,” said Absalom, “please let my brother Amnon go with us.” “Why should he go with you?” the king asked.
27 UST But Absalom insisted, and finally King David agreed to let Amnon go with Absalom. He sent all of his other sons with him. BSB BSB: But Absalom urged him, so the king sent Amnon and the rest of his sons.
28 UST At the celebration, Absalom told his servants,“Pay attention to these instructions. Once Amnon has become a bit drunk from the wine, I will shout out,‘Kill Amnon!’ When I say that, you must kill him. Do not be afraid. You will be doing this only because I told you to do it. So be very brave{ and do it}!” BSB BSB: Now Absalom had ordered his young men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!”
29 UST So Absalom’ s servants did what Absalom told them to do. They killed Amnon. When the rest of David’ s sons saw what had happened, they left the celebration. They got onto their mules and escaped by riding away fast. BSB BSB: So Absalom’s young men did to Amnon just as Absalom had ordered. Then all the other sons of the king got up, and each one fled on his mule.
30 UST While they were still on their way home, someone{ who had fled when the servants first killed Amnon} rushed back and reported{ incorrectly} to David,“Absalom has killed all of your other sons! None of them is still alive!” BSB BSB: While they were on the way, a report reached David: “Absalom has struck down all the sons of the king; not one of them is left!”
31 UST When King David heard this, he got up from his throne, tore his clothes, and then lay down on the ground{ to show how sad he was}. His officials also tore their clothes, and they stood around him{ to show their sympathy}. BSB BSB: Then the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground. And all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.
32 UST But Jonadab, the son of David’ s brother Shimeah, said,“Your Majesty, please do not believe that Absalom has killed all your sons. I am sure that only Amnon is dead. I say this because Absalom has wanted to kill him ever since the day that Amnon raped his sister Tamar. BSB BSB: But Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, spoke up: “My lord must not think they have killed all the sons of the king, for only Amnon is dead. In fact, Absalom has planned this since the day Amnon violated his sister Tamar.
33 UST So, your Majesty, please do not let the thought that all your sons may be dead cause you great distress. I am sure that only Amnon is dead.” BSB BSB: So now, my lord the king, do not take to heart the report that all the sons of the king are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”
Absalom Flees to Geshur 34 UST (Absalom had fled{ from the celebration after his servants killed Amnon}.) One of the city guards looked out and saw a large crowd of people coming around from behind a hill on the road from the west{ and reported this to King David}. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. When the young man standing watch looked up, he saw many people coming down the road west of him, along the side of the hill. And the watchman went and reported to the king, “I see men coming from the direction of Horonaim, along the side of the hill.”
35 UST Jonadab said to the king,“You see, what I told you is true. Your other sons are alive, and they are coming here now.” BSB BSB: So Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the sons of the king have arrived! It is just as your servant said.”
36 UST And as soon as he said that, David’ s sons came in. They were all crying loudly, and David and all his officials also cried very much. BSB BSB: And as he finished speaking, the sons of the king came in, wailing loudly. Then the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.
37 UST Absalom fled{ for safety} to the kingdom of Geshur, where{ his grandfather} Talmai son of Ammihud was the king. King David mourned continually for his son Amnon. BSB BSB: Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But David mourned for his son every day.
38 UST When Absalom fled to the kingdom of Geshur, he stayed there for three years. BSB BSB: After Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, he stayed there three years.
39 UST King David had intended to attack Absalom{ to capture him and punish him for killing Amnon}. But by the end of those three years, David was not grieving as severely that Amnon had died, so he no longer planned to attack Absalom. BSB BSB: And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.