2 Samuel 13
1 David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Another of David’s sons, Amnon, was attracted to Tamar.
Now after this so it was, that Absalom the sonne of Dauid hauing a fayre sister, whose name was Tamar, Amnon the sonne of Dauid loued her.
2 He wanted [to have sex with] [EUP] his half-sister very much, with the result that he made himself sick [thinking about her all the time]. But it was not possible for Amnon to get her, because she was a virgin, [so they kept men away from her].
And Amnon was so sore vexed, that he fell sicke for his sister Tamar: for she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to doe any thing to her.
3 But Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very crafty/shrewd man.
But Amnon had a friend called Ionadab, the sonne of Shimeah Dauids brother: and Ionadab was a very subtile man.
4 [One day] Jonadab said to Amnon, “You are the king’s son, but every day I see that [RHQ] you seem very depressed/sad. What is your problem?” Amnon replied, “I (am in love/want to sleep) [EUP] with Tamar, my half-brother Absalom’s sister.”
Who sayde vnto him, Why art thou the Kings sonne so leane from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? Then Amnon answered him, I loue Tamar my brother Absaloms sister.
5 Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed, and pretend that you are sick. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Allow my half-sister Tamar to come and give me some food to eat. She can prepare the food while I am watching her. Then she can serve it to me herself.’”
And Ionadab sayd vnto him, Lie downe on thy bed, and make thy selfe sicke: and when thy father shall come to see thee, say vnto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and giue me meate, and let her dresse meate in my sight, that I may see it, and eate it of her hand.
6 So Amnon lay down, and pretended that he was sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “[I am sick; ] please allow my half-sister Tamar to come and make a couple scones/dumplings for me while I am watching, and then she can serve them to me.”
So Amnon lay downe, and made himselfe sicke: and when the King came to see him, Amnon sayde vnto the King, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may receiue meate at her hand.
7 So David sent a message to Tamar in the palace, saying “Amnon [is sick and he wants you to] go to his house and prepare some food for him.”
Then Dauid sent home to Tamar, saying, Goe now to thy brother Amnons house, and dresse him meate.
8 So Tamar went to Amnon’s house, where he was lying in bed. She took some dough and kneaded it, and formed it into some scones/dumplings while he was watching her. Then she baked them.
So Tamar went to her brother Amnons house, and he lay downe: and she tooke floure, and knead it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes.
9 She took them out of the pan and put them [on a plate] in front of him, but he refused to eat them. Then he said to everyone else in the room, “All the rest of you, leave me now!” So all the others left his [room].
And she tooke a pan, and powred them out before him, but he would not eat. Then Amnon saide, Cause ye euery man to goe out from me: so euery man went out from him.
10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into my room and serve it to me.” So Tamar took into his room the scones/dumplings that she had made.
Then Amnon said vnto Tamar, Bring the meate into the chamber, that I may eate of thine hand. And Tamar tooke the cakes which shee had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
11 But when she brought them close for him to eat them, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come to bed with me!”
And when she had set them before him to eate, he tooke her, and sayd vnto her, Come, lye with me, my sister.
12 She replied, “No, do not force me to do such a disgraceful thing! We never do things like that in Israel! That would be awful/terrible!
But shee answered him, Nay, my brother, doe not force me: for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: commit not this follie.
13 As for me, if I did that, I would not be able to [RHQ] endure being disgraced by having done that. And as for you, everyone in Israel would condemn you for having done such a disgraceful deed. So I plead with you, talk to the king. I am sure that he will allow me to marry you.”
And I, whither shall I cause my shame to goe? and thou shalt be as one of the fooles in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, speake to the King, for he will not denie me vnto thee.
14 But he would not listen to her. He was stronger than she was, so he forced her to have sex with him.
Howbeit he would not hearken vnto her voyce, but being stronger then she, forced her, and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her very much. He hated her much more than he had desired her. He said to her, “Get up and get out of here!”
Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred wherewith he hated her, was greater then the loue, wherewith hee had loued her: and Amnon sayde vnto her, Vp, get thee hence.
16 But she said to him, “No! It would be very wrong for you to send me away. It would be worse than what you just did to me!” But he would not listen to her.
And she answered him, There is no cause: this euill (to put mee away) is greater then the other that thou diddest vnto me: but he would not heare her,
17 He summoned his personal servant and said to him, “Take this woman outside, away from me, and lock the door [so that she cannot come in again]!”
But called his seruant that serued him, and sayd, Put this woman now out from me, and locke the doore after her.
18 So the servant put her outside and locked the door. Tamar was wearing a long robe with long sleeves, which was the clothing that was usually worn by the unmarried daughters of the king at that time.
(And she had a garment of diuers coulours vpon her: for with such garments were the Kings daughters that were virgins, apparelled) Then his seruant brought her out, and locked the doore after her.
19 But Tamar tore the long robe that she was wearing, and put ashes on her head [to show that she was very sad]. Then she put her hands on her head [to show that she was grieving], and she went away, crying.
And Tamar put ashes on her head and rent the garment of diuers colours which was on her, and layde her hand on her head, and went her way crying.
20 Her brother Absalom [saw her and] said to her, “Has your half-brother Amnon [DOU] forced you to have sex with him [EUP]? Please, my sister, do not tell anyone, and do not become depressed/sad.” So Tamar went to live in Absalom’s house, and she was very sad and lonely.
And Absalom her brother sayd vnto her, Hath Amnon thy brother bene with thee? Now yet be still, my sister: he is thy brother: let not this thing grieue thine heart. So Tamar remayned desolate in her brother Absaloms house.
21 When King David heard about all that, he became very angry.
But when King Dauid heard all these things, he was very wroth.
22 And Absalom hated Amnon, because he had raped his sister, so he would not speak to Amnon about anything.
And Absalom sayde vnto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.
23 Two years later, Absalom’s servants were shearing sheep at Baal-Hazor, which is near [a town named] Ephraim. [When they finished shearing the sheep, they celebrated], and Absalom invited all the king’s sons [to come and celebrate].
And after the time of two yeeres, Absalom had sheepesherers in Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim, and Absalom called all the Kings sonnes.
24 Absalom went to the king and said to him, “Sir, my servants have been shearing my sheep. Please come with your officials [to celebrate] with us!”
And Absalom came to the King and sayd, Beholde now, thy seruant hath sheepesherers: I pray thee, that the King with his seruants would goe with thy seruant.
25 But the king replied, “No, my son, it would not be good for all of us to go, because it would cause you to do a lot of work and spend a lot of money for food.” Absalom continued urging him, but the king would not go. Instead, he said that he hoped/desired that God would bless them [while they celebrated].
But the King answered Absalom, Nay my sonne, I pray thee, let vs not goe all, lest we be chargeable vnto thee. Yet Absalom lay sore vpon him: howbeit he would not go, but thanked him.
26 Then Absalom said, “If you will not go, please allow my half-brother Amnon to go with us.” But the king replied, “Why [do you want] him to go with you?”
Then sayd Absalom, But, I pray thee, shall not my brother Amnon goe with vs? And the king answered him, Why should he go with thee?
27 But Absalom continued to insist, so finally the king permitted Amnon and all David’s other sons to go with Absalom.
But Absalom was instant vpon him, and he sent Amnon with him, and all the Kings children.
28 [So they all went. And at the celebration], Absalom commanded his servants, “Notice when Amnon has become a bit drunk from the wine. Then when I signal to you, kill him. Do not be afraid; you will be doing this [only] because I told you [RHQ] to do it. So be courageous and do it!”
Now had Absalom commanded his seruants, saying, Marke now when Amnons heart is merry with wine, and when I say vnto you, Smite Amnon, kill him, feare not, for haue not I commanded you? be bold therefore, and play the men.
29 So Absalom’s servants did what Absalom told them to do. [They killed Amnon]. All the rest of David’s sons [saw what happened and] fled, riding on their mules.
And the seruantes of Absalom did vnto Amnon, as Absalom had commanded: and al the Kings sonnes arose, and euery man gate him vp vpon his mule, and fled.
30 While they were on their way home, someone [went quickly and] reported to David, “Absalom has killed all of your other sons; none of them is still alive!”
And while they were in the way, tydings came to Dauid, saying, Absalom hath slaine al the Kings sonnes, and there is not one of them left.
31 The king stood up, tore his clothes [because he was extremely sad], and then he threw himself down on the ground. All the servants who were there also tore their clothes.
Then the King arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the ground, and all his seruants stoode by with their clothes rent.
32 But Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said, “Your Majesty, [I am sure that] they have not killed all your sons. [I am sure that] only Amnon is dead, because Absalom has determined to do this ever since the day that Amnon raped [EUP] his half-sister Tamar.
And Ionadab the sonne of Shimeah Dauids brother answered and sayde, Let not my lord suppose that they haue slayne all the yong men the Kings sonnes: for Amnon onely is dead, because Absalom had reported so, since hee forced his sister Tamar.
33 So, your majesty, do not believe the report that all your sons are dead. [I am sure that] only Amnon is dead.”
Nowe therefore let not my lord the King take the thing so grieuously, to thinke that all ye Kings sonnes are dead: for Amnon only is dead.
34 In the meantime, Absalom ran away. Just then, the soldier/sentry [who was standing on the city wall] saw a large crowd of people coming down the hill along the road from Horonaim. [He ran and told the king what he had seen].
Then Absalom fled: and the yong man that kept the watch, lift vp his eyes, and looked, and behold, there came much people by the way of the hill side behinde him.
35 Jonadab said to the king, “Aha! What I told you is true. Your other sons [are alive and] have come!”
And Ionadab said vnto the King, Behold, ye Kings sonnes come: as thy seruant sayd, so it is.
36 And as soon as he said that, David’s sons came in. They all started crying, and David and all his officials also cried very much.
And assoone as hee had left speaking, behold, the Kings sonnes came, and lift vp their voyces, and wept: and the King also and all his seruants wept exceedingly sore.
37 But Absalom had fled. He went to stay with the king of [the] Geshur [region], who was Talmai the son of Ammihud. Absalom stayed there for three years. David mourned for his son Amnon for a long time,
But Absalom fled away, and went to Talmai the sonne of Ammihur King of Geshur: and Dauid mourned for his sonne euery day.
So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three yeeres.
39 but after that, he desired very much to see Absalom, because he was no longer grieving about Amnon being dead.
And King Dauid desired to go forth vnto Absalom, because he was pacified concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.
