2 Samuel 13:7-19

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

⁷ David then sent home a message to Tamar, “Please go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” ⁸ Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was in bed. Taking dough and kneading it, she twisted it into cakes before his eyes and fried the cakes. ⁹ Then she took the pan and set out the cakes before him. But Amnon would not eat; he said, “Have everyone leave me.” When they had all left him, ¹⁰ Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may have it from your hand.” So Tamar picked up the cakes she had prepared and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom. ¹¹ But when she brought them close to him so he could eat, he seized her and said to her, “Come! Lie with me, my sister!” ¹² But she answered him, “No, my brother! Do not force me! This is not done in Israel. Do not commit this terrible crime.^{(A) 13} Where would I take my shame? And you would be labeled a fool in Israel.^[a] So please, speak to the king; he will not keep me from you.”^{(B) 14} But he would not listen to her; he was too strong for her: he forced her down and raped her. ¹⁵ Then Amnon felt intense hatred for her; the hatred he felt for her far surpassed the love he had had for her. Amnon said to her, “Get up, leave.” ¹⁶ She replied, “No, brother, because sending me away would be far worse than this evil thing you have done to me.” He would not listen to her, ¹⁷ but called the youth who was his attendant and said, “Send this girl outside, away from me, and bar the door after her.” ¹⁸ Now she had on a long tunic, for that is how virgin princesses dressed in olden days. When his attendant put her out and barred the door after her, ¹⁹ Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long tunic in which she was clothed. Then, putting her hands to her head, she went away crying loudly.