2 Samuel 13:1-22
Expanded Bible
Amnon and Tamar
13 [L Sometime later; After this] David had a son named Absalom and a son named Amnon. Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar, and Amnon loved her. 2 Tamar was a virgin. Amnon made himself sick ·just thinking about her [by his obsession/frustration with her], because ·he could not find any chance to be alone with her [it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her; it appeared he could never have her].
3 Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very ·clever [shrewd; crafty; wise] man. 4 He asked Amnon, “Son of the king, why do you look so ·sad [depressed; dejected] ·day after day [L morning after morning]? Tell me what’s wrong!”
Amnon told him, “I love Tamar, the sister of my ·half-brother [L brother] Absalom.”
5 Jonadab said to Amnon, “Go to bed and ·act as if you are [pretend to be] sick. ·Then [When…] your father will come to see you. Tell him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come in and give me food to eat. Let her make the food in front of me so I can watch and eat it from her hand.’”
6 So Amnon went to bed and acted sick. When King David came in to see him, Amnon said to him, “Please let my sister Tamar come in. Let her make ·two of her special cakes [some special bread] for me while I watch. Then I will eat them from her hands.”
7 David sent for Tamar in the palace, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and make some food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, and he was ·in bed [L lying down]. Tamar took some dough and ·pressed it together with her hands [kneaded it]. She made some special ·cakes [bread] while Amnon watched. Then she baked them. 9 Next she took the pan and ·served him [L dished/poured them out before him], but he refused to eat.
He said to his servants, “·All of you, leave me alone [Everyone get out of here]!” So they all ·left him alone [got out]. 10 Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the ·bedroom [inner room] so I may eat from your hand.”
Tamar took the ·cakes [bread] she had made and brought them to her brother Amnon in the ·bedroom [inner room]. 11 She went to him so he could eat from her hands, but Amnon grabbed her. He said, “Sister, come and ·have sexual relations [L lie] with me.”
12 Tamar said to him, “No, [L my] brother! Don’t ·force [violate; rape; L humiliate] me! This ·should never be [isn’t] done in Israel! Don’t do this ·shameful [disgraceful; wicked; vile] thing! 13 ·I could never [L Where could I…?] get rid of my shame! And you will be ·like the shameful [one of the greatest] ·fools [scoundrels] in Israel! Please talk with the king, and he will ·let you marry [L not refuse your marrying] me.”
14 But Amnon refused to listen to her. He was stronger than she was, so he ·forced her to have sexual relations with him [raped/L humiliated her and lay with her]. 15 After that, Amnon hated Tamar [L intensely; with a great hatred]. He hated her more than he had loved her before. Amnon said to her, “Get ·up and leave [out]!”
16 Tamar said to him, “No! Sending me away would be ·worse [a greater wrong] than what you’ve already done [L to me]!”
But he refused to listen to her. 17 He called his young ·servant [L man] back in and said, “Get this woman out of here and away from me! Lock the door ·after [behind] her.” 18 So his servant led her out of the room and bolted the door ·after [behind] her.
Tamar was wearing a special robe with long sleeves, because the king’s virgin daughters wore this kind of robe. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her special robe [C a sign of mourning or distress]. ·Putting her hand on her head [or with her face in her hands], she went away, crying loudly.
20 Absalom, Tamar’s brother, said to her, “Has Amnon, your brother, ·forced you to have sexual relations with him [L been with you]? For now, sister, ·be quiet [keep silent]. He is your half-brother. Don’t ·let this upset you so much [worry about this; L take this to heart]!” So Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house and was ·sad and lonely [desolate and inconsolable].
21 When King David heard the news, he was very angry. 22 Absalom did not say a word, good or bad, to Amnon. But he hated Amnon for ·disgracing [violating; raping; L humiliating] his sister Tamar.
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2 Samuel 13:1-22
Amplified Bible
Amnon and Tamar
13 It happened afterwards that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon [her half brother] the son of David was in love with her. 2 Amnon was so frustrated because of his [half-] sister Tamar that he made himself sick, for she was a virgin, and Amnon thought it impossible for him to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd (cunning) man. 4 He said to Amnon, “Why are you, the king’s son, so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” And Amnon said to him, “I am in love with Tamar, my [half-] brother Absalom’s sister.” 5 Jonadab said to him, “Go to bed and pretend you are sick; and when your father [David] comes to see you, say to him, ‘Just let my sister Tamar come and serve me food, and let her prepare it in my sight, so that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I may eat from her hand.”
7 Then David sent word to the house for Tamar, saying, “Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare some food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, and he was in bed. And she took dough and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and baked them. 9 She took the pan and dished them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Have everyone leave me.” So everyone left him [except Tamar]. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, so that I may eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her [half-] brother Amnon. 11 When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” 12 She replied, “No, my brother! Do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing!(A) 13 As for me, how could I get rid of my shame and disgrace? And you, you will be considered one of the fools in Israel. So now, just speak to the king [about taking me as your wife], for he will not withhold me from you.” 14 But he would not listen to her; and since he was stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon became extremely hateful toward her, for his hatred toward her was greater than the love which he had for her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!” 16 But she said, “No, because this wrong of [a]sending me away is worse than the other that you have done to me!” But he would not listen to her. 17 Instead, he called his young man who was his personal servant and said, “Now throw this woman out of my presence and bolt the door behind her.” 18 Now Tamar was wearing [b]a [long-sleeved] robe of various colors; for that is how the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then Amnon’s personal servant took her out and bolted the door behind her. 19 So [c]Tamar put dust on her head [in grief] and tore the long-sleeved robe which she had on, and she put her hand on her head and went away crying out [for help].
20 So her brother Absalom said to her, “Has your brother Amnon been with you? But now keep silent, my sister; he is your brother; [d]do not take this matter to heart.” So Tamar remained secluded in her brother Absalom’s house. 21 Now when King David heard about all these things, he was very angry [but failed to take any [e]action]. 22 But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.
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- 2 Samuel 13:16 Sending her out like this would cast suspicion on Tamar’s behavior.
- 2 Samuel 13:18 Lit a garment of extremities. This robe must have been similar to the one Jacob (Israel) made for Joseph in Gen 37:3.
- 2 Samuel 13:19 Because she had been forced and violated in this way she would no longer be acceptable to another man as a wife.
- 2 Samuel 13:20 Absalom consoled and quieted Tamar so that he could plan his revenge.
- 2 Samuel 13:21 According to Jewish law, Amnon should have been executed for the rape of his half sister.
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