| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. And Amnon, her half brother, fell desperately in love with her. | 1After some time, David’s son Amnon fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of David’s son Absalom. |
| 2Amnon became so obsessed with Tamar that he became ill. She was a virgin, and Amnon thought he could never have her. | 2Amnon was sick with frustration over his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed implausible for him to do anything to her. |
| 3But Amnon had a very crafty friend—his cousin Jonadab. He was the son of David’s brother Shimea. | 3Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man, |
| 4One day Jonadab said to Amnon, “What’s the trouble? Why should the son of a king look so dejected morning after morning?” So Amnon told him, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” | 4so he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the son of the king, so depressed morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” |
| 5“Well,” Jonadab said, “I’ll tell you what to do. Go back to bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see you, ask him to let Tamar come and prepare some food for you. Tell him you’ll feel better if she prepares it as you watch and feeds you with her own hands.” | 5Jonadab told him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare it in my sight so I may watch her and eat it from her hand.’ ” |
| 6So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. And when the king came to see him, Amnon asked him, “Please let my sister Tamar come and cook my favorite dish as I watch. Then I can eat it from her own hands.” | 6So Amnon lay down and feigned illness. When the king came to see him, Amnon said, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I may eat from her hand.” |
| 7So David agreed and sent Tamar to Amnon’s house to prepare some food for him. | 7Then David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and prepare a meal for him.” |
| 8When Tamar arrived at Amnon’s house, she went to the place where he was lying down so he could watch her mix some dough. Then she baked his favorite dish for him. | 8So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked them. |
| 9But when she set the serving tray before him, he refused to eat. “Everyone get out of here,” Amnon told his servants. So they all left. | 9Then she brought the pan and set it down before him, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone away!” said Amnon. And everyone went out. |
| 10Then he said to Tamar, “Now bring the food into my bedroom and feed it to me here.” So Tamar took his favorite dish to him. | 10Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, so that I may eat it from your hand.” Tamar took the cakes she had made and went to her brother Amnon’s bedroom. |
| 11But as she was feeding him, he grabbed her and demanded, “Come to bed with me, my darling sister.” | 11And when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said, “Come lie with me, my sister!” |
| 12“No, my brother!” she cried. “Don’t be foolish! Don’t do this to me! Such wicked things aren’t done in Israel. | 12“No, my brother!” she cried. “Do not humiliate me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! |
| 13Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, and he will let you marry me.” | 13Where could I ever take my shame? And you would be like one of the fools in Israel! Please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” |
| 14But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he raped her. | 14But Amnon refused to listen to her, and being stronger, he violated her and lay with her. |
| 15Then suddenly Amnon’s love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her. “Get out of here!” he snarled at her. | 15Then Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity that his hatred was greater than the love he previously had. “Get up!” he said to her. “Be gone!” |
| 16“No, no!” Tamar cried. “Sending me away now is worse than what you’ve already done to me.” But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her. | 16“No,” she replied, “sending me away is worse than this great wrong you have already done to me!” But he refused to listen to her. |
| 17He shouted for his servant and demanded, “Throw this woman out, and lock the door behind her!” | 17Instead, he called to his attendant and said, “Throw this woman out and bolt the door behind her!” |
| 18So the servant put her out and locked the door behind her. She was wearing a long, beautiful robe, as was the custom in those days for the king’s virgin daughters. | 18So Amnon’s attendant threw her out and bolted the door behind her. Now Tamar was wearing a robe of many colors, because this is what the king’s virgin daughters wore. |
| 19But now Tamar tore her robe and put ashes on her head. And then, with her face in her hands, she went away crying. | 19And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her robe. And putting her hand on her head, she went away crying bitterly. |
| 20Her brother Absalom saw her and asked, “Is it true that Amnon has been with you? Well, my sister, keep quiet for now, since he’s your brother. Don’t you worry about it.” So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in her brother Absalom’s house. | 20Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart.” So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in the house of her brother Absalom. |
| 21When King David heard what had happened, he was very angry. | 21When King David heard all this, he was furious. |
| 22And though Absalom never spoke to Amnon about this, he hated Amnon deeply because of what he had done to his sister. Absalom’s Revenge on Amnon | 22And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon for disgracing his sister Tamar. |
| 23Two years later, when Absalom’s sheep were being sheared at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, Absalom invited all the king’s sons to come to a feast. | 23Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king. |
| 24He went to the king and said, “My sheep-shearers are now at work. Would the king and his servants please come to celebrate the occasion with me?” | 24And he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his servants please come with me?” |
| 25The king replied, “No, my son. If we all came, we would be too much of a burden on you.” Absalom pressed him, but the king would not come, though he gave Absalom his blessing. | 25“No, my son,” the king replied, “we should not all go, or we would be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he was not willing to go, but gave him his blessing. |
| 26“Well, then,” Absalom said, “if you can’t come, how about sending my brother Amnon with us?” “Why Amnon?” the king asked. | 26“If not,” said Absalom, “please let my brother Amnon go with us.” “Why should he go with you?” the king asked. |
| 27But Absalom kept on pressing the king until he finally agreed to let all his sons attend, including Amnon. So Absalom prepared a feast fit for a king. | 27But Absalom urged him, so the king sent Amnon and the rest of his sons. |
| 28Absalom told his men, “Wait until Amnon gets drunk; then at my signal, kill him! Don’t be afraid. I’m the one who has given the command. Take courage and do it!” | 28Now Absalom had ordered his young men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!” |
| 29So at Absalom’s signal they murdered Amnon. Then the other sons of the king jumped on their mules and fled. | 29So Absalom’s young men did to Amnon just as Absalom had ordered. Then all the other sons of the king got up, and each one fled on his mule. |
| 30As they were on the way back to Jerusalem, this report reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one is left alive!” | 30While they were on the way, a report reached David: “Absalom has struck down all the sons of the king; not one of them is left!” |
| 31The king got up, tore his robe, and threw himself on the ground. His advisers also tore their clothes in horror and sorrow. | 31Then the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground; and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn. |
| 32But just then Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimea, arrived and said, “No, don’t believe that all the king’s sons have been killed! It was only Amnon! Absalom has been plotting this ever since Amnon raped his sister Tamar. | 32But Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, spoke up: “My lord must not think they have killed all the sons of the king, for only Amnon is dead. In fact, Absalom has planned this since the day Amnon violated his sister Tamar. |
| 33No, my lord the king, your sons aren’t all dead! It was only Amnon.” | 33So now, my lord the king, do not take to heart the report that all the sons of the king are dead. Only Amnon is dead.” |
| 34Meanwhile Absalom escaped. Then the watchman on the Jerusalem wall saw a great crowd coming down the hill on the road from the west. He ran to tell the king, “I see a crowd of people coming from the Horonaim road along the side of the hill.” | 34Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. When the young man standing watch looked up, he saw many people coming down the road west of him, along the side of the hill. And the watchman went and reported to the king, “I see men coming from the direction of Horonaim, along the side of the hill.” |
| 35“Look!” Jonadab told the king. “There they are now! The king’s sons are coming, just as I said.” | 35So Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the sons of the king have arrived! It is just as your servant said.” |
| 36They soon arrived, weeping and sobbing, and the king and all his servants wept bitterly with them. | 36And as he finished speaking, the sons of the king came in, wailing loudly. Then the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly. |
| 37And David mourned many days for his son Amnon. Absalom fled to his grandfather, Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. | 37Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But David mourned for his son every day. |
| 38He stayed there in Geshur for three years. | 38After Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, he stayed there three years. |
| 39And King David, now reconciled to Amnon’s death, longed to be reunited with his son Absalom. | 39And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death. |
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