2 Samuel 13

Amnon and Tamar

¹Some time after this, Absalom son of David had a beautiful sister named Tamar, and Amnon son of David fell in love with her. ²Amnon was so tormented over his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. ³Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. ⁴He asked him, “Why do you look so worn out, son of the king, morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon answered him, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” ⁵Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. Then, when your father comes to visit you, tell him, ‘I beg you, let my sister Tamar come and feed me. Have her prepare the food here in front of me, so that I can watch and then eat it from her hand.’” ⁶So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I beg you, let my sister Tamar come here and make a couple of cakes in front of me, so that I can eat from her hand.” ⁷David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Please go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare some food for him.” ⁸So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying in bed. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes while he watched, and baked them. ⁹Then she took the pan and set the cakes out before him, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said, and they all left him. ¹⁰Amnon then told Tamar, “Bring the food in here to the bedroom, and I will eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom. ¹¹But when she brought them close for him to eat, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” ¹²“No, my brother!” she said to him. “Do not violate me! Such a thing is not done in Israel. Do not do this outrageous thing. ¹³As for me, where could I go with my shame? And you would be counted among the outrageous fools in Israel. Now please, speak to the king. He will not keep me from you.”^{a 14}But he would not listen to her. He was stronger than she was, and he violated her and lay with her by force. ¹⁵Then Amnon turned on her with a fierce hatred. What he felt against her now was stronger than the love he had once felt for her. “Get up and go!” Amnon said to her. ¹⁶“No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.” But he would not listen to her.^{b 17}He called the young man who attended him and said, “Put this woman out of my room, and bolt the door behind her.” ¹⁸She was wearing a long-sleeved robe, the kind of robe the king’s unmarried daughters wore. His servant put her out and bolted the door behind her.^{c 19}Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long-sleeved robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went. ²⁰Absalom, her brother, asked her, “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Now, my sister, keep quiet. He is your brother. Do not take this matter to heart.” So Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman. ²¹When King David heard about all these things, he was very angry.^{d 22}Absalom said nothing at all to Amnon, good or bad. He hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.

Absalom kills Amnon

²³Two full years later, Absalom had sheepshearers at work at Baal-hazor, near Ephraim, and he invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴Absalom came to the king and said, “Your servant has sheepshearers at work. Will the king and his officials please come with your servant?” ²⁵“No, my son,” the king said to Absalom. “We should not all go; we would only be a burden to you.” Absalom pressed him, but he would not go, though he gave him his blessing. ²⁶Then Absalom said, “If you will not come, then please let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷But Absalom kept pressing him, so he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.^e

²⁸Absalom gave his servants these orders: “Watch closely. When Amnon is in high spirits from the wine and I tell you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not given you the order myself? Be strong and act like brave men.” ²⁹So Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled. ³⁰While they were still on the road, the report reached David: “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons; not one of them is left!”

³¹The king rose, tore his clothes and lay on the ground. All his officials stood beside him with their clothes torn.

³²But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, spoke up: “My lord should not think they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons. Only Amnon is dead. Absalom has been determined to do this ever since the day Amnon violated his sister Tamar.^{f 33}So now, my lord the king should not take to heart the report that all the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”

Absalom flees

³⁴Meanwhile Absalom fled. The young man on watch looked up and saw many people coming along the road behind him, down the side of the hill.^{g 35}Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king’s sons are here! It has happened just as your servant said.” ³⁶He had hardly finished speaking when the king’s sons came in, weeping aloud. The king and all his officials also wept very bitterly. ³⁷Absalom fled; he went to Talmai son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. David grieved for his son day after day.^{h 38}So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and he stayed there three years. ³⁹And King David longed to go out to Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.^ij