13
Amnon and Tamar
1After this ⚓Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was⚓Tamar; and ⚓Amnon the son of David loved her.
2Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her.
3But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab ⚓the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man.
4And he said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?”
Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5So 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 my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’ ”
6Then Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let Tamar my sister come and ⚓make a couple of cakes for me in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”
7And David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Now go to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.”
8So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.
9And she took the pan and placed them out before him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said, ⚓“Have everyone go out from me.” And they all went out from him.
10Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them to Amnon her brother in the bedroom.
11Now when she had brought them to him to eat, ⚓he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.”
12But she answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me, for ⚓no such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this ⚓disgraceful thing!
13And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; ⚓for he will not withhold me from you.”
14However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he ⚓forced her and lay with her.
15Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Arise, be gone!”
16So she said to him, “No, indeed! This evil of sending me away is worse than the other that you did to me.”
But he would not listen to her.
17Then he called his servant who attended him, and said, “Here! Put this woman out, away from me, and bolt the door behind her.”
18Now she had on ⚓a robe of many colors, for the king’s virgin daughters wore such apparel. And his servant put her out and bolted the door behind her.
19Then Tamar put ⚓ashes on her head, and tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and ⚓laid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly.
20And Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this thing to heart.” So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.
21But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.
22And Absalom spoke to his brother Amnon ⚓neither good nor bad. For Absalom ⚓hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.
Absalom Murders Amnon
23And it came to pass, after two full years, that Absalom ⚓had sheepshearers in Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim; so Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
24Then Absalom came to the king and said, “Kindly note, your servant has sheepshearers; please, let the king and his servants go with your servant.”
25But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go now, lest we be a burden to you.” Then he urged him, but he would not go; and he blessed him.
26Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.”
And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”
27But Absalom urged him; so he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.
28Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, “Watch now, when Amnon’s ⚓heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon!’ then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant.”
29So the servants of Absalom ⚓did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each one got on ⚓his mule and fled.
30And it came to pass, while they were on the way, that news came to David, saying, “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left!”
31So the king arose and ⚓tore his garments and ⚓lay on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.
32Then ⚓Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, “Let not my lord suppose they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for only Amnon is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.
33Now therefore, ⚓let not my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead. For only Amnon is dead.”
Absalom Flees to Geshur
34⚓Then Absalom fled. And the young man who was keeping watch lifted his eyes and looked, and there, many people were coming from the road on the hillside behind him.
35And Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the king’s sons are coming; as your servant said, so it is.”
36So it was, as soon as he had finished speaking, that the king’s sons indeed came, and they lifted up their voice and wept. Also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly.
37But Absalom fled and went to ⚓Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.
38So Absalom fled and went to ⚓Geshur, and was there three years.
39And King David longed to go to Absalom. For he had been ⚓comforted concerning Amnon, because he was dead.
13
暗嫩和她玛
1后来发生了一件事。大卫的儿子押沙龙有一个美貌的妹妹，名叫她玛。大卫的儿子暗嫩爱上了她。
2暗嫩为他妹妹她玛苦恋成疾，因为她玛还是处女，暗嫩眼看难以向她行事。
3暗嫩有一个密友，名叫约拿达，是大卫长兄示米亚的儿子。这约拿达为人极其狡猾。
4他对暗嫩说：“王的儿子啊，你何不告诉我，为何你一天比一天憔悴呢？”暗嫩对他说：“我爱上了我兄弟押沙龙的妹妹她玛。”
5约拿达对他说：“你躺在床上装病，等你父亲来看你，就对他说：‘请让我妹妹她玛来，给我东西吃，在我眼前预备食物，使我可以看见，好从她手里接过来吃。’”
6于是暗嫩躺着装病，王来看他。暗嫩对王说：“请让我妹妹她玛来，在我眼前为我做两个饼，我好从她手里接过来吃。”
7大卫就派人去宫里，到她玛那里，说：“你到你哥哥暗嫩的屋里去，为他预备食物。”
8她玛就到她哥哥暗嫩的屋里，那时暗嫩正躺着。她玛拿了面团揉面，在他眼前做饼，把饼烤熟了。
9她玛拿了锅子，在他面前把饼倒出来，他却不肯吃。暗嫩说：“每一个人都离开我，出去吧！”众人就都离开他，出去了。
10暗嫩对她玛说：“你把食物拿进卧房，我好从你手里接过来吃。”她玛就把所做的饼拿进卧房，到她哥哥暗嫩那里。
11她玛上前去给他吃，他就拉住她玛，对她说：“我妹妹，你来与我同寝。”
12她玛对他说：“哥哥，不可以！不要玷辱我！以色列中不可以这样做，你不要做这丑事！
13我蒙受耻辱，该往那里去呢？至于你，你在以色列中也成了一个愚顽人。现在你可以求王，他必不禁止我归你。”
14但暗嫩不肯听她的话，因他比她更有力，就玷辱她，与她同寝。
15随后，暗嫩极其恨她，恨她的心比先前爱她的心更甚，就对她说：“你起来，去吧！”
16她玛对暗嫩说：“不要这样！你赶我出去的这恶比你刚才向我所做的更严重！”但暗嫩不肯听她，
17就叫伺候自己的仆人来，说：“把这女子从我这里赶出去！她一出去，你就闩上门。”
18那时她玛穿着彩衣，因为没有出嫁的公主都穿这样的外袍。暗嫩的仆人把她赶出去，她一出去，仆人就闩上门。
19她玛把灰尘撒在头上，撕裂所穿的彩衣，以手抱头，一面走一面哭喊。
20她胞兄押沙龙对她说：“你哥哥暗嫩与你亲近了吗？妹妹，现在暂且不要作声，他是你的哥哥，不要把这事放在心上。”她玛就孤孤单单地住在她胞兄押沙龙的家里。
21大卫王听见这一切的事，就非常愤怒。⚓
22押沙龙却不和暗嫩说好说歹；因为暗嫩玷辱他妹妹她玛，所以押沙龙恨恶他。
押沙龙为妹报仇
23过了二年，有人在靠近以法莲的巴力．夏琐为押沙龙剪羊毛。押沙龙请了王所有的儿子来。
24押沙龙来到王那里，说：“看哪，有人正为你的仆人剪羊毛，请王和王的臣仆与你的仆人同去。”
25王对押沙龙说：“不，我儿，我们不必都去，免得成了你的负担。”押沙龙再三请王，王仍是不肯去，只为他祝福。
26押沙龙说：“王若不去，请让我哥哥暗嫩与我们同去。”王对他说：“为何要他与你同去呢？”
27押沙龙再三求王，王就派暗嫩和王所有的儿子与他同去。
28押沙龙吩咐仆人说：“你们注意， 暗嫩开怀畅饮的时候，我对你们说击杀暗嫩，你们就杀他。不要惧怕，这不是我吩咐你们的吗？你们要刚强，作勇士！”
29押沙龙的仆人就照押沙龙所吩咐的，向暗嫩行了。王所有的儿子都起来，各人骑上骡子逃跑了。
30他们还在路上，就有风声传到大卫那里，说：“押沙龙击杀了王所有的儿子，没有留下一个。”
31王就起来，撕裂衣服，躺在地上。王的臣仆全都撕裂衣服，站在旁边。
32大卫的长兄示米亚的儿子约拿达说：“我主，不要以为他们把所有的年轻人，就是王的儿子都杀了，只有暗嫩一个人死了。自从暗嫩玷辱了押沙龙的妹妹她玛那日，押沙龙已经决定这事了。
33现在，我主我王，不要把这事放在心上，以为王所有的儿子都死了。其实，只有暗嫩一人死了。”
34押沙龙逃跑了。守望的年轻人举目观看，看哪，有许多人从何罗念⚓山坡的路上来。
35约拿达对王说：“看哪，王的儿子都来了，正如你仆人所说的，事情就这样发生了。”
36话刚说完，看哪，王的儿子都到了，放声大哭。王和他的众臣仆也都号啕痛哭。
37押沙龙逃到亚米忽的儿子基述王达买那里去了。大卫天天为他儿子悲哀。
38押沙龙逃到基述去了，在那里住了三年。
39王想要出去对付押沙龙的心化解了⚓，因为王对暗嫩之死这事已经得了安慰。