1 WYC Forsothe it was doon aftir these thingis, that Amon, the sone of Dauid, louyde the faireste sistir, Thamar bi name, of Absolon, sone of Dauid. BSB BSB: After some time, David’s son Amnon fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of David’s son Absalom.
2 WYC And Amon perischide greetli for hir, so that he was sijk for `the loue of hir. For whanne she was a virgyn, it semyde hard to hym, that he schulde do ony thing vnonestli with hir. 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 WYC Forsothe a freend, Jonadab bi name, sone of Semmaa, brother of Dauid, `was to Amon; Jonadab was a ful prudent man. BSB BSB: Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man,
4 WYC Which seide to Amon, Sone of the kyng, whi art thou maad feble so bi leenesse bi alle daies? whi schewist thou not to me? And Amon seide to him, Y loue Thamar, the sister of my brother Absolon. 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 WYC And Jonadab answeride to hym, Li thou on thi bed, and feyne thou sikenesse; and whanne thi fadir cometh, that he visyte thee, seie thou to hym, Y preye, come Thamar, my sister, that sche yyue mete to me, and make a seew, that Y ete of hir hond. 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 WYC Therfor Amon lay doun, and `bigan as to be sijk. And whanne the kyng hadde come to visite him, Amon seide to the kyng, Y biseche, come Thamar, my sistir, that sche make twei soupyngis bifor my iyen, and that Y take of hir hond meete maad redi. 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 WYC Therfor Dauid sente to the hows of Thamar, and seide, Come thou in to the hows of Amon, thi brother, and make thou seew to hym. 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 WYC And Thamar cam in to the hows of Amon, hir brother. Sotheli he lai; and sche took mele, and medlide, and made moist bifor hise iyen, and sethide soupyngis; 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 WYC and sche took that, that sche hadde sode, and helde out, and settide byfor hym, and he nolde ete. And Amon seide, Putte ye out alle men fro me. And whanne thei hadden put out alle men, 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 WYC Amon seide to Thamar, Bere the mete in to the closet, that Y ete of thin hond. Therfor Thamar took the soupingis whiche sche hadde maad, and brouyte in to Amon, hir brother, in the closet. 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 WYC And whanne sche hadde proferid mete to hym, he took hir, and seide, Come thou, my sistir, li thou with me. 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 WYC And sche answeride to hym, My brother, nyle thou, nyle thou oppresse me, for this is not leueful in Israel; nyle thou do this foli. 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 WYC For Y schal not mow bere my schenschip, and thou schalt be as oon of the vnwise men in Israel; but rather speke thou to the kyng, and he schal not denye me to thee. 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 WYC Sotheli he nolde assente to hir preieris; but he was strengere in myytis, and oppresside hir, and lay with hir. BSB BSB: But Amnon refused to listen to her, and being stronger, he violated her and lay with her.
15 WYC And `Amon hadde hir hateful bi ful grete haterede, so that the hatrede was gretter, bi which he hatide hir, than the loue bi which he louyde hir bifor. And Amon seide to hir, Rise thou, and go. 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 WYC And sche answeride to hym, This yuel is more which thou doist now ayens me, and puttist me out, than that, that thou didist bifore. And he nolde here hir; but whanne the child was clepide, 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 WYC that mynystride to hym, he seide, Putte thou out this womman fro me, and close thou the dore aftir hir. BSB BSB: Instead, he called to his attendant and said, “Throw this woman out and bolt the door behind her!”
18 WYC And sche was clothid with a coote doun to the heele; for the kyngis douytris virgyns vsiden siche clothis. Therfor the mynystre of Amon puttide hir out, and closide the dore aftir hir. 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 WYC And sche spreynte aische to hir heed, whanne the coote to `the heele was to-rent, and whanne the hondis weren put on hir heed, and sche yede entrynge and criynge. 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 WYC Forsothe Absolon, hir brother, seide to hir, Whether Amon, thi brothir, hath leyn with thee? But `now, sister, be stille; he is thi brother, and turmente not thin herte for this thing. Therfor Thamar dwellide morenynge in the hows of Absolon, hir brothir. 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 WYC Forsothe whanne `kyng Dauid hadde herd these wordis, he was ful sori, and he nolde make sore the spyrit of Amon, his sone; for he louyde Amon, for he was the firste gendrid `to hym. BSB BSB: When King David heard all this, he was furious.
22 WYC Forsothe Absolon spak not to Amon, nether yuel nether good; for Absolon hatide Amon, for he hadde defoulid Thamar, his sistir. BSB BSB: And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon for violating his sister Tamar.
23 WYC Forsothe it was doon aftir the tyme of twei yeer, that the scheep of Absolon weren shorun in Baalasor, which is bisidis Effraym. And Absolon clepide alle the sones of the kyng. BSB BSB: Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king.
24 WYC And he cam to the kyng, and seide to hym, Lo! the scheep of thi seruaunt ben schorun; Y preye, come the king with hise seruauntis to his seruaunt. 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 WYC And the kyng seide to Absolon, Nyle thou, my sone, nyle thou preye, that alle we come, and greeue thee. Forsothe whanne he constreynede Dauid, and he nolde go, he blesside Absolon. 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 WYC And Absolon seide to Dauid, If thou nylt come, Y byseche, come nameli Amon, my brother, with vs. And the kyng seide to hym, It is no nede, that he go with thee. BSB BSB: “If not,” said Absalom, “please let my brother Amnon go with us.” “Why should he go with you?” the king asked.
27 WYC Therfor Absolon constreynede hym; and he delyuerede with him Amon, and alle the sones of the kyng. And Absolon hadde maad a feeste as the feeste of a kyng. BSB BSB: But Absalom urged him, so the king sent Amnon and the rest of his sons.
28 WYC Sotheli Absolon comaundide to hise children, and seide, Aspie ye, whanne Amon is drunkun of wyn, and Y seie to you, Smyte ye, and sle hym. Nyle ye drede, for Y am that comaunde to you; be ye strengthid, and be ye stronge men. 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 WYC Therfor the children of Absolon diden ayens Amon, as Absolon hadde comaundide to hem; and alle the sones of the kyng risiden, and stieden ech on his mule, and fledden. 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 WYC And whanne thei yeden yit in the weie, fame cam to the kyng, and seide, Absolon hath kild alle the sones of the king, and `nameli not oon lefte of hem. 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 WYC Therfor the kyng roos, and to-rente hise clothis, and felde doun on the erthe; and alle hise seruauntis that stoden nyy to hym, to-renten her clothis. 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 WYC Sotheli Jonadab, sone of Semmaa, brother of Dauid, answeride and seide, My lord the kyng, gesse not, that alle the children, and sones of the kyng, ben slayn; Amon aloone is deed, for he was set in hatrede to Absolon, fro the day in which he oppresside Thamar, his sistir. 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 WYC Now therfor, my lord the kyng, set not this word on his herte, and seie, Alle the sones of the kyng ben slayn; for Amon aloone is deed. 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.”
34 WYC Forsothe Absolon fledde. And a child aspiere reiside hise iyen, and bihelde, and lo! myche puple cam bi a weye out of the comyn weie bi the side of the hil. 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 WYC And Jonadab seide to the kyng, Lo! the sones of the kyng comen; bi the word of thi seruaunt, so it is doon. BSB BSB: So Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the sons of the king have arrived! It is just as your servant said.”
36 WYC And whanne he hadde ceessid to speke, also the sones of the kyng apperiden; and thei entriden, and reisiden her vois, and wepten; but also the kyng and alle his seruauntis wepten bi ful greet wepyng. 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 WYC Forsothe Absolon fledde, and yede to Tholmai, sone of Amyur, the kyng of Gessur. Therfor Dauid biweilide his sone Amon in many daies. 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 WYC Forsothe Absolon, whanne he hadde fled, and hadde come in to Gessur, was there thre yeer. BSB BSB: After Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, he stayed there three years.
39 WYC And Dauid ceesside to pursue Absolon, for he was coumfortid on the deeth of Amon. 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.