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)

¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”

¹⁶ “No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.”

But he refused to listen to her.

²¹ When King David heard all this, he was furious.^{(A) 22} And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad;^(B) he hated^(C) Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.

Psalm 103

Of David.

⁹ Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked^(A) night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone^(B) while we preached the gospel of God to you. ¹⁰ You are witnesses,^(C) and so is God,^(D) of how holy,^(E) righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. ¹¹ For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children,^{(F) 12} encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy^(G) of God, who calls^(H) you into his kingdom and glory.

The Little Children and Jesus^(A)

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.^{(B) 15} Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”^{(C) 16} And he took the children in his arms,^(D) placed his hands on them and blessed them.