Amnon rapes his half-sister Tamar
1Then something happened: David's son Absalom had a beautiful sister. Her name was Tamar. Amnon was another son of David, and he was in love with Tamar. 2Amnon loved his half-sister Tamar so much that he felt sick, because she was a virgin and he did not know how he could sleep with her or do anything to her. 3Amnon had a friend. His name was Jonadab, and he was the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very clever man. 4He asked Amnon: ‘You are the son of a king. Why do you look like someone who suffers every morning? Tell me.’ Then Amnon said to Jonadab: ‘I am in love with my half-sister Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.’
5Jonadab said to Amnon: ‘You must go and lie on your bed and say you are sick, even if you are not sick. When your father comes to see how you are, you must ask him: “Can you please send my sister Tamar to me. Let her come and cook some food and give it to me to eat.” ’
6Amnon then went to lie on his bed and he said he was sick. When the king came to see how he was, he asked the king: ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and make bread for me here where I can see her, and then she can give it to me to eat.’
7So King David said to Tamar in her house: ‘Please go to your brother Amnon's house and make him some food to eat.’ 8Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house. He was in bed and she took dough and mixed it and she baked him some bread while he looked at her. 9Then she took the pan with the bread and gave it to him. But he did not want to eat. He told everyone to go out and they all went out. 10Then he said to Tamar: ‘Bring the food to my bedroom and put it into my mouth.’ Tamar took the bread that she had baked to his bedroom to give it to her brother Amnon. 11But when she came closer so that he could eat, he grabbed her and said to her: ‘My sister, come to my bed and have sex with me.’
12But she said to him: ‘No, my brother, do not rape me. That is wrong. No one in Israel should do something like this. Don't do this bad thing. 13Think of me. Where will I go? It will be a shame. And you, everyone will think you are a fool. So, please speak to the king, and he will let you marry me.’ 14But Amnon did not want to listen to her. He was stronger than she was and he raped her. 15After that Amnon did not love her anymore. He hated her more than he had loved her before. He told her: ‘Get up and go away.’
16She said to him: ‘Now you chase me away. You are doing something that is worse than what you have already done to me.’ But Amnon did not want to listen to her. 17He called his young servant and told him: ‘Throw this woman out and lock the door behind her.’ 18The servant did what Amnon said. He took her outside and he locked the door behind her.
Tamar put on a long dress that had sleeves, like all the princesses who were not married wore. 19Tamar put ashes on her head and she tore her long dress. She put her hand on her head and she started to shout and cry as far as she went and she asked someone to help her. 20Her brother Absalom asked her: ‘Did your brother Amnon do something bad to you? Stop crying. He is your brother. Don't tell anyone what happened. Try not to think about it.’ Tamar went to stay in her brother Absalom's house, and she was very sad and lonely.
21When they told King David about this, he became very angry. 22And Absalom did not speak to Amnon about this. He did not say anything bad or good, but he hated Amnon because of what he had done to his sister Tamar.
Amnon dies
23After 2 years Absalom got people to shear the wool of his sheep at the town of Baal-Hazor, a town of the Ephraim tribe. Absalom invited all the king's sons to be there. 24He also asked the king: ‘I have people who are shearing my sheep and I ask that you and your officials please come with me.’
25The king said to Absalom: ‘No, my son, it would be better if all of us do not go. It will be too much work for you.’
Absalom asked the king again and again, but the king said no. The king blessed Absalom 26and then Absalom asked him: ‘Can you ask my brother Amnon to come with us?’ The king asked: ‘Why must he go with you?’ 27Absalom kept on asking the king and the king then said Amnon and all his other sons could go.
28Absalom told the young men who were with him: ‘Wait until Amnon has had too much wine and he gets drunk. When I say: “Kill Amnon,” you must kill him. Do not be afraid. You will only be doing what I say. You must be strong and brave.’ 29Absalom's servants did what Absalom said, and they killed Amnon. Then all the sons of the king got on their mules and fled. 30While they were on the road, someone told David that Absalom had killed all the king's sons and that not one of his sons was alive. 31The king got up and he tore his clothes and lay down on the ground. All his servants who were standing near him also tore their clothes.
32Then Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah, said: ‘Your_Majesty, it is not all the princes who are dead. Only Amnon is dead. Absalom has talked about killing Amnon from the day that Amnon raped Tamar, Absalom's sister. 33Your_Majesty, do not believe the person who said that all your sons are dead. It is only Amnon who is dead and 34Absalom has fled.’
One of the guards saw a lot of people coming down the road down the side of the hill. 35Jonadab said to the king: ‘Look, there are the king's sons. It is as I told you.’ 36After Jonadab said this, the king's sons came and they started crying loudly. The king and his officials also started crying very loudly.
37Absalom fled. He went to King Talmai, son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. David continued to mourn for his son. 38Absalom fled to Geshur and he stayed there for 3 years. 39The king wanted to go to Absalom, but he did not. Later he stopped feeling sad over Amnon, who had died.
