2 Samuel 13
Contemporary English Version
Amnon Disgraces Tamar
13 David had a beautiful daughter named Tamar, who was the sister of Absalom. She was also the half sister of Amnon,[a] who fell in love with her. 2 But Tamar was a virgin, and Amnon could not think of a way to be alone with her. He was so upset about it that he made himself sick.
3 Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab always knew how to get what he wanted, 4 and he said to Amnon, “What's the matter? You're the king's son! You shouldn't have to go around feeling sorry for yourself every morning.”
Amnon said, “I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.”
5 Jonadab told him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. When your father comes to see you, ask him to send Tamar, so you can watch her cook something for you. Then she can serve you the food.”
6 So Amnon went to bed and pretended to be sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said, “Please, ask Tamar to come over. She can make some special bread[b] while I watch, and then she can serve it to me.”
7 David told Tamar, “Go over to Amnon's house and fix him some food.” 8 When she got there, he was lying in bed. She mixed the dough, made the loaves, and baked them while he watched. 9 Then she took the bread out of the pan and put it on his plate, but he refused to eat it.
Amnon said, “Send the servants out of the house.” After they had gone, 10 he said to Tamar, “Serve the food in my bedroom.”
Tamar picked up the bread that she had made and brought it into Amnon's bedroom. 11 But as she was taking it over to him, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me!”
12 She answered, “No! Please don't force me! This sort of thing isn't done in Israel. It's disgusting! 13 Think of me. I'll be disgraced forever! And think of yourself. Everyone in Israel will say you're nothing but trash! Just ask the king, and he will let you marry me.”
14 But Amnon would not listen to what she said. He was stronger than she was, so he overpowered her and raped her. 15 Then Amnon hated her even more than he had loved her before. So he told her, “Get up and get out!”
16 She said, “Don't send me away! That would be worse than what you have already done.”
But Amnon would not listen. 17 He called in his servant and said, “Throw this woman out and lock the door!”
18 The servant made her leave, and he locked the door behind her.
The king's unmarried daughters used to wear long robes with sleeves.[c] 19 Tamar tore the robe she was wearing and put ashes on her head. Then she covered her face with her hands and cried loudly as she walked away.
Absalom Kills Amnon
20 Tamar's brother Absalom said to her, “How could Amnon have done such a terrible thing to you! But since he's your brother, don't tell anyone what happened. Just try not to think about it.”
Tamar soon moved into Absalom's house, but she was always sad and lonely. 21 When David heard what had happened to Tamar, he was very angry. But Amnon was his oldest son and also his favorite, and David would not do anything to make Amnon unhappy.[d]
22 Absalom treated Amnon as though nothing had happened, but he hated Amnon for what he had done to his sister Tamar.
23 Two years later, Absalom's servants were cutting wool from his sheep in Baal-Hazor near the town of Ephraim, and Absalom invited all of the king's sons to be there.[e] 24 Then he went to David and said, “My servants are cutting the wool from my sheep. Please come and join us!”
25 David answered, “No, my son, we won't go. It would be too expensive for you.” Absalom tried to get him to change his mind, but David did not want to go. He only said that he hoped they would have a good time.
26 Absalom said, “If you won't go, at least let my brother Amnon come with us.”
David asked, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom kept on insisting, and finally David let Amnon and all his other sons go with Absalom.
Absalom prepared a banquet fit for a king.[f] 28 But he told his servants, “Keep an eye on Amnon. When he gets a little drunk from the wine and is feeling relaxed, I'll give the signal. Then kill him! I've commanded you to do it, so don't be afraid. Be strong and brave.”
29 Absalom's servants killed Amnon, just as Absalom had told them. The rest of the king's sons quickly rode away on their mules to escape from Absalom.
30 While they were on their way to Jerusalem, someone told David, “Absalom has killed all of your sons! Not even one is left.” 31 David got up, and in his sorrow he tore his clothes and lay down on the ground. His servants remained standing, but they tore their clothes too.
32 Then David's nephew[g] Jonadab said, “Your Majesty, not all of your sons were killed! Only Amnon is dead. On the day that Amnon raped Tamar, Absalom decided to kill him. 33 Don't worry about the report that all your sons were killed. Only Amnon is dead, 34 and Absalom has run away.”
One of the guards noticed a lot of people coming along the hillside on the road to Horonaim.[h] He went and told the king, “I saw some men coming along Horonaim Road.”[i]
35 Jonadab said, “Your Majesty, look! Here come your sons now, just as I told you.”
36 No sooner had he said it, than David's sons came in. They were weeping out loud, and David and all his officials cried just as loudly. 37-38 (A) David was sad for a long time because Amnon was dead.
David Lets Absalom Come Home
Absalom had run away to Geshur, where he stayed for three years with King Talmai[j] the son of Ammihud. 39 David still felt so sad over the loss of Amnon that he wanted to take his army there and capture Absalom.[k]
Footnotes
- 13.1 Tamar … Absalom … Amnon: David was their father, but Amnon had a different mother.
- 13.6 special bread: Or “heart-shaped bread” or “dumplings.”
- 13.18 long … sleeves: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- 13.21 But Amnon … unhappy: The Dead Sea Scrolls and one ancient translation; these words are not in the Standard Hebrew Text.
- 13.23 invited … there: Cutting the wool from sheep was a time for celebrating as well as working.
- 13.27 Absalom prepared … king: One ancient translation; these words are not in the Hebrew text.
- 13.32 David's nephew: The Hebrew text has “the son of David's brother Shimeah.”
- 13.34 the road to Horonaim: Or “the road behind him” or “the road to the west.”
- 13.34 He … Road: One ancient translation; these words are not in the Hebrew text.
- 13.37,38 King Talmai: Absalom's grandfather (see 3.3).
- 13.39 David … Absalom: Or “David was comforted over the loss of Amnon, and he no longer wanted to take his army there and capture Absalom.”
2 Samuel 13
English Standard Version
Amnon and Tamar
13 Now (A)Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was (B)Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David's son, loved her. 2 And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of (C)Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4 And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.” 5 Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and (D)make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”
7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon's house and prepare food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. 9 And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, (E)“Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. 11 But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” 12 She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate[a] me, for (F)such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this (G)outrageous thing. 13 As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of (H)the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” 14 But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” 16 But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.”[b] But he would not listen to her. 17 He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” 18 Now she was wearing (I)a long robe with sleeves,[c] for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. 19 And Tamar (J)put ashes on her head and (K)tore the long robe that she wore. And (L)she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.
20 And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom's house. 21 When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.[d] 22 But Absalom spoke to Amnon (M)neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.
Absalom Murders Amnon
23 After two full years Absalom had (N)sheepshearers at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons. 24 And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” 25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. 28 Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon's (O)heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Do not fear; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.” 29 So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and each mounted his mule and fled.
30 While they were on the way, news came to David, “Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one of them is left.” 31 Then the king arose and (P)tore his garments and (Q)lay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments. 32 But (R)Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king's sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar. 33 Now therefore let not my lord the king so (S)take it to heart as to suppose that all the king's sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.”
Absalom Flees to Geshur
34 (T)But Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him[e] by the side of the mountain. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king's sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about.” 36 And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king's sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his servants wept very bitterly.
37 (U)But Absalom fled and went to (V)Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of (W)Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day. 38 (X)So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 And the spirit of the king[f] longed to go out[g] to Absalom, because (Y)he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 13:12 Or humiliate; also verses 14, 22, 32
- 2 Samuel 13:16 Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- 2 Samuel 13:18 Or a robe of many colors (compare Genesis 37:3); compare long robe, verse 19
- 2 Samuel 13:21 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint add But he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn
- 2 Samuel 13:34 Septuagint the Horonaim Road
- 2 Samuel 13:39 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Hebrew David
- 2 Samuel 13:39 Compare Vulgate ceased to go out
2 Samuel 13
EasyEnglish Bible
Amnon and Tamar
13 David's son Absalom had a beautiful sister. Her name was Tamar. After some time, David's son Amnon began to love Tamar very much.[a] 2 Amnon was very upset because he loved his sister Tamar so much. He became ill because of this. Tamar had never had sex with any man, so Amnon knew that it would be difficult to get near her.
3 Amnon had a friend called Jonadab. He was the son of David's brother, Shimeah. Jonadab was a clever man. 4 He said to Amnon, ‘You are the king's son! So why do you seem so sad every morning? Tell me about your trouble.’
Amnon said to him, ‘I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.’
5 Jonadab told him, ‘Go and lie down on your bed. Pretend that you are ill. Your father will come to see you. Then you can say to him, “Please send my sister Tamar in here to give me something to eat. I will watch her as she prepares the food. Then she can use her own hand to feed me.” ’
6 So Amnon lay down on his bed. He pretended that he was ill. When the king came in to see him, Amnon said to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come in here. I want her to cook some little cakes while I watch her. Then she can feed me herself.’
7 David sent a message to Tamar in the palace. He told her, ‘Go to your brother Amnon's house. Prepare some food for him to eat there.’ 8 So Tamar went to Amnon's house. He was lying down on his bed. She took some flour and water and she mixed them together. She made the cakes while he watched her. Then she baked them.
9 Then she put the cakes on a plate and she put them in front of him. But he refused to eat them. Instead, Amnon said, ‘Everyone must go out and leave me alone here.’ So everyone left him alone with Tamar.
10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, ‘Bring the food here into my bedroom. Then you can use your own hand to feed me.’
So Tamar took the cakes that she had made. She brought them to Amnon in his bedroom. 11 But when she offered the cakes to him, he took hold of her. He said to her, ‘Come here, my sister! Come into bed with me.’
12 Tamar answered him, ‘Do not do this, my brother! Do not make me ashamed. Nobody in Israel would do such a wicked thing. Do not be so foolish! 13 Think about me. I would have to hide because of my shame. And people would say that you are the worst fool in Israel. No, you should speak to the king. I am sure that he will let you marry me.’
14 But Amnon refused to listen to her. He was stronger than she was. So he took hold of her and he had sex with her.
15 After that, Amnon hated Tamar very much. He now hated her more strongly than he had loved her. He said to her, ‘Go away from here!’
16 But Tamar replied, ‘No, I will not go! If you send me away, that would be even worse. It would be more evil that what you have already done to me.’
But Amnon refused to listen to her. 17 He called out to his own special servant. He told him, ‘Throw this woman out of my house! Then lock the door after she has gone.’ 18 So the servant took her out and then he locked the door. Tamar was wearing a beautiful long dress. All the king's daughters who were not yet married wore beautiful dresses like that. 19 Now Tamar put ashes on her head. She tore the beautiful dress that she was wearing. She covered her head with her hands. She wept loudly as she went home.
20 When her brother Absalom saw her, he said, ‘Has your brother Amnon done this to you? Now be quiet. Remember that he is your brother. So do not be too upset.’
After that, Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house. She was sad and lonely.
21 When King David heard about what had happened, he was very angry. 22 But Absalom would not say anything to Amnon, good or bad. He hated Amnon because he had brought shame on his sister, Tamar.
Absalom kills Amnon
23 Two years later, Absalom's men were cutting the wool from his sheep. They were in Baal Hazor, near to Ephraim's land. Absalom asked all the king's sons to meet him there. 24 Then he went to the king and he said, ‘My men have started to cut the wool from my sheep. Please will your and your officers come and join us at this happy time?’
25 King David replied to Absalom, ‘No, my son, we should not all go. It would cause you too much trouble.’
Absalom asked him again, but the king still refused to go. Instead, he asked God to bless Absalom.
26 So Absalom said, ‘If you will not come with me, please let my brother Amnon come.’
The king said, ‘Why do you want him to go with you?’ 27 But Absalom asked the king more strongly. So the king agreed to send Amnon and all his other sons.
28 Absalom then told his servants, ‘When Amnon has drunk a lot of wine I will tell you, “Knock him down!” Then you must kill him immediately. Do not be afraid. I am the one who is commanding you to do this. So be strong and brave.’
29 So Absalom's men killed Amnon, as Absalom had told them to do. Then all the king's other sons got on their mules. They quickly rode away.
30 While they were still on the way home, David heard news about what had happened. Someone told him, ‘Absalom has attacked all the king's sons. Not one son is still alive.’ 31 The king was very upset. He stood up and he tore his clothes. Then he lay down on the ground. All his servants were standing around him. They had torn their clothes, too.
32 But Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah, said, ‘My lord, do not think that they have killed all your sons. Only Amnon is dead. Absalom has decided to do this since Amnon brought shame on his sister Tamar. 33 My lord the king, you should not believe the report that all your sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.’
34 While this was happening, Absalom had run away.
There was an officer standing on the wall of Jerusalem to watch. When he looked, he saw a big group of people who were coming from the west. They were coming down the hill on the road from Horonaim. He went to the king and he told him the news.
35 Jonadab said to the king, ‘See, the king's sons are coming now, as I said they would.’
36 As he said that, the king's sons arrived. They were weeping loudly. The king and all his servants were also weeping. King David continued to weep for his son Amnon every day.
37 Absalom ran away to Ammihud's son, Talmai, the king of Geshur. 38 He stayed in Geshur for three years.
39 By this time, King David had stopped being so upset about Amnon's death. He wanted very much to see Absalom again.
Footnotes
- 13:1 David was the father of both Tamar and Amnon, but they had different mothers. So Tamar was Amnon's half-sister.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.