¹¹ “This is what the Lord says: ‘Out of your own household^(A) I am going to bring calamity on you.^(B) Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.^(C)

²¹ Ahithophel answered, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute.” ²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.^(A)

³⁰ You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and rape her.^(A) You will build a house, but you will not live in it.^(B) You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit.^(C)

¹⁰ Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets,^(A) then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’”

⁶ Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts^(A) of the people of Israel.

²⁸ Absalom^(A) ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high^(B) spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.^(C)” ²⁹ So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.

Amnon and Tamar

13 In the course of time, Amnon^(A) son of David fell in love with Tamar,^(B) the beautiful sister of Absalom^(C) son of David.

² Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.

³ Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah,^(D) David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. ⁴ He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?”

Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”

⁵ “Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’”

⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”

⁷ David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” ⁸ So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. ⁹ Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat.

“Send everyone out of here,”^(E) Amnon said. So everyone left him. ¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. ¹¹ But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed^(F) her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”^(G)

¹² “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel!^(H) Don’t do this wicked thing.^{(I) 13} What about me?^(J) Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.” ¹⁴ But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.^(K)

²⁵ So I gave^(A) them other statutes that were not good and laws through which they could not live;^{(B) 26} I defiled them through their gifts—the sacrifice^(C) of every firstborn—that I might fill them with horror so they would know that I am the Lord.^(D)’