Skip to content

2 Samuel

Amnon's Crime against Tamar

13
Chapter 13
1 And after this, Absalom son of David had a beautiful sister, and her name was Tamar, and Amnon son of David loved her. 2 It was distressing to Amnon for the sake of Tamar his sister, for she was a virgin. And it was extraordinary in the eyes of Amnon to do anything for her. 3 And Amnon had a companion, and his name was Jonadab son of Shimeah brother of David, and Jonadab was a very wise man. 4 And he said to him, "Why are you so thin, son of the king, morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" And Amnon said to him, "I love Tamar, sister of Absalom my brother." 5 And 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, 'Please let Tamar my sister come and make the unleavened bread for me before my eyes, so that I may see it and eat from her hand.'" 6 Amnon lay down and became ill, and the king came to see him. Amnon said to the king, "Please let Tamar my sister come and make heart-cakes before my eyes—two of them—and I will eat from her hand." 7 David sent to Tamar in the house to say, "Go now to the house of Amnon your brother and make the thing for him." 8 Tamar went to the house of Amnon her brother, and he was lying down. She took the dough and kneaded it and made heart-cakes before his eyes, and boiled the heart-cakes. 9 She took the pan and poured it out before him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said, "Have every man leave me." And every man went out from him. 10 And Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the baked food into the inner chamber, and let me eat it from your hand." And Tamar took the heart-cakes that she had made and brought them to Amnon her brother in the inner chamber. 11 She approached him to eat, and he seized her and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister." 12 And she said to him, "No, my brother! Do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel. Do not do this folly." 13 But where will I take my reproach? And you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you. 14 But he refused to listen to her. And he overpowered her and humbled her and lay with her. 15 And Amnon hated her with a very great hatred, for 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 And she said to him, "No, this greater moral evil of proclaiming it is worse than the other thing you have done to me, to send me away!" And he refused to hear her. 17 And he called to his young servant and said, "Send this one away from me outside, and lock the door behind her." 18 She was wearing a coat of stripes, for that is what the virgin daughters of the king wore. Her servant took her out and locked the door behind her. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the coat of stripes that was on her. She put her hand on her head and went away crying out. 20 And he said to her, "Absalom her brother said to her: 'Amnon your brother—it was with you. And now, my sister, be silent. He is your brother. Do not take this matter to heart.'" And Tamar sat desolate in the house of Absalom her brother. 21 King David heard all these words, and it burned him greatly. 22 And Absalom did not speak to Amnon, either good or evil, for Absalom hated Amnon because of the matter that he afflicted Tamar his sister.