1 Some time after this, David's son Absalom had a lovely sister named Tamar, and David's son Amnon fell in love with her.
2 Amnon was so tormented over his sister Tamar that he made himself sick, since she was a virgin, and to Amnon it seemed out of the question to do anything to her.
3 Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, son of Shimeah, David's brother, and Jonadab was a very crafty man.
4 He said to him, "Why are you so worn down, O king's son, morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Amnon told him, "I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."
5 Jonadab told him, "Lie down on your bed and make yourself out to be sick. When your father comes to see you, tell him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food where I can see it, and I will eat from her hand.'"
6 So Amnon lay down and made himself out to be sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of heart-shaped cakes where I can see, and I will eat from her hand."
7 David sent word home to Tamar: "Go to your brother Amnon's house, please, and prepare some food for him."
8 Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, where he lay in bed. She took dough, kneaded it, shaped the cakes while he watched, and baked them.
9 She took the pan and served them out in front of him, but he would not eat. Amnon said, "Have everyone leave me," and everyone left him.
10 Then Amnon told Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom so I can eat from your hand." Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon.
11 As she was holding them out to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, "Come to bed with me, my sister."
12 She told him, "No, my brother! Do not humble me; nothing like this is done in Israel. Do not commit this outrage!
13 And I, where could I take my disgrace? And you, you would be like one of the outrageous fools in Israel. Now please speak to the king; he will not keep me from you."
14 But he would not listen to her. He overpowered her, humbled her, and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her with an intense hatred; the hatred he felt for her was greater than the love he had felt for her. Amnon told her, "Get up and get out!"
16 She said to him, "No! Sending me away is a greater wrong than the other thing you did to me." But he would not listen to her.
17 He called the young man who attended him and said, "Get this woman away from me, out of here, and bolt the door after her."
18 She was wearing a long robe with sleeves, since that was how the king's virgin daughters dressed. His attendant put her out and bolted the door after her.
19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe with sleeves she had on; she put her hand on her head and went off, crying out as she went.
20 Her brother Absalom said to her, "Has your brother Amnon been with you? Keep quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart." So Tamar stayed, desolate, in her brother Absalom's house.
21 King David heard about all this and was furious.
22 Absalom said nothing to Amnon, good or bad, for Absalom hated Amnon because he had humbled his sister Tamar.
23 Two full years later Absalom had sheepshearers at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons.
24 Absalom came to the king and said, "Your servant has sheepshearers just now. Will the king and his servants please come with your servant?"
25 The king told Absalom, "No, my son, we must not all go, or we will be a burden to you." Absalom urged him, but he was unwilling to go, though he gave him his blessing.
26 Absalom said, "If not, then please let my brother Amnon go with us." The king asked him, "Why should he go with you?"
27 But Absalom kept urging him, and he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.
28 Absalom gave orders to his young men: "Watch for when Amnon's heart is merry with wine. When I tell you, 'Strike Amnon,' kill him. Do not be afraid; it is I who have given you the order, is it not? Be strong and act like valiant men."
29 Absalom's young men did to Amnon as Absalom had ordered. All the king's sons got up, each mounted his mule, and they fled.
30 While they were still on the road, the news reached David: "Absalom has killed all the king's sons; not one of them is left!"
31 The king got up, tore his clothes, and lay on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.
32 But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, spoke up: "My lord should not think they have killed all the young men, the king's sons; only Amnon is dead. Absalom has had this planned ever since the day Amnon humbled his sister Tamar.
33 So my lord the king should not take it to heart, thinking that all the king's sons are dead; only Amnon is dead."
34 Absalom fled. The young man on watch looked up and saw a crowd of people coming along the road behind him, down the hillside.
35 Jonadab told the king, "There, the king's sons have come! It is just as your servant said."
36 The moment he finished speaking, the king's sons came in, raised their voices and wept, and the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.
37 Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day.
38 Absalom, having fled and gone to Geshur, stayed there three years.
39 And King David's spirit longed to go out to Absalom, for he had been consoled over Amnon's death.