Open English Translation 2SA Chapter 13

13 Some time afterwards, David’s son Amnon fell in love with his beautiful half-sister Tamar (Abshalom’s sister), 2 and he made himself frustrated, always thinking about her because she was a virgin. However, he couldn’t do anything with her. 3 But Amnon had a very shrewd friend called Yonadab (son of David’s brother Shimeah) 4 and Yonadab asked him, “Hey, you’re a son of the king, so tell me why you’re always so unhappy?”

“I’m in love with my brother Abshalom’s sister Tamar,” Amnon replied.

5 “Go to bed and pretend to be sick,” Yonadab suggested. “Then when your father comes to see you, ask him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come to look after my food. She can cook it here and serve it to me.’ ” 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick, and when the king came to see him, Amnon asked him, “Please, let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of bread rolls while I’m watching, and then she can serve them to me.”

7 So David sent a message to Tamar to ask her to go to her brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him. 8 So Tamar went to her half-brother Amnon’s house where he was lying down. She took some dough and kneaded it into breadrolls and baked them. 9 Then she took the tray over to him, but he refused to eat, saying, “Send everyone else out of here,” so they all left. 10 Then Amnon told Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom so that you can serve it to me.” So Tamar took the breadrolls that she’d made, and took them to Amnon in the bedroom. 11 But when she got close enough to him, he grabbed her and insisted, “Come and lie down with me, my sister.”

12 “No, my brother,” she told him, “don’t humiliate me because we Israelis don’t do that. Don’t do this disgraceful thing. 13 Where could I hide my shame? And you—you’d be considered a godless fool in Israel. Just speak to the king because he’d give me to you to marry.” 14 But he didn’t want her advice, and being stronger than her, he humiliated her by forcing her down and raping her.

15 Instantly, Amnon hated her with terrible hatred—a much greater hatred than the love with which he’d loved her, and he told her to get up and get out.

16 “No, no.” she responded. “Sending me away would be even worse than what you just did to me.”

But he refused to listen to her 17 and called his personal servant. He told him to take the woman away and send her outside and then lock the door behind her. 18 (She was wearing the kind of long robe that the virgin daughters of the king wore as an outer garment.)

So the servant pushed her outside and locked the door behind her. 19 Then Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and wailed as she walked home.[fn] 20 Her brother Abshalom asked her, “Did your half-brother Amnon mess with you? But now, my sister, don’t tell anyone since he’s your brother and don’t let it upset you.” So Tamar lived in a state of desolation in her brother Abshalom’s house.

21 When King David heard about all that, he got very angry. 22 Also, Abshalom said nothing to Amnon (either good or bad) because he hated him for humiliating his sister Tamar.

23 Two years passed, then Abshalom’s shearers were in Baal-Hatsor (near Efraim) and Abshalom invited all the king’s sons. 24 Abshalom went to the king and asked him, “Listen, please, the shearers are working for your servant. Please, let the king and his servants come with your servant.”

25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “There’s too many of us—it would be too expensive for you.” Abshalom he urged him, but he wouldn’t go, however he did bless him.

26 “But if you don’t come,” Abshalom insisted, “please let my brother Amnon come with us.”

“Why should he go with you?” the king asked. 27 But Abshalom insisted, so the king agreed to send Amnon and his other sons. 28 Then Abshalom prepared his young men, “Listen now, when Amnon gets a bit drunk from the wine and I tell you all, ‘Strike Amnon!’ then you’ll kill him. You all don’t need to be afraid because I myself am the one commanding you. Be courageous warriors.” 29 At the right time, Abshalom’s servants did to Amnon what Abshalom commanded them. All the rest of the king’s sons jumped up and onto their mules and fled away.

30 While they were still on the way, David heard the news that Abshalom had struck all of his sons and killed them, and none were left alive. 31 The king stood up and tore his clothes, then he laid down on the ground. Meanwhile, all his servants there were tearing their clothes. 32 Then Yonadab (David’s brother Shimeah’s son) spoke up, “My master, don’t imagine that all those young men, the king’s sons, have been murdered. I suspect that only Amnon is dead, because Abshalom has been determined to do this ever since his sister Tamar was humiliated. 33 So my master, don’t believe the report that all your sons are dead. It’s probably only Amnon who’s dead.

34 Meanwhile, Abshalom had fled.

Suddenly the watchman turned and saw, wow, many people coming around the hill along the road behind him. 35 “Look,” Yonadab told the king. “The king’s sons are coming! It’s just what I said.” 36 He’d hardly finished speaking when, wow, the king’s sons came in. Then they all cried loudly, and the king and his servants joined them in their wailing.

37 But Abshalom had fled, and he went to Geshur to stay with King Ammihud’s son, Talmay. But David mourned for his son every day.[ref] 38 After Abshalom fled to Geshur, he stayed there for three years. 39 By then, King David was no longer grieving over Amnon’s death and longed to go to see Abshalom.