Amnon and Tamar

¹After some time, David’s son Amnon fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of David’s son Absalom.

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.

³Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah.Jonadab was a very shrewd man,

⁴and 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.”

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 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.”

⁷Then David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and prepare a meal 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.

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 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.

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. “Do not violate me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing!

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 refused to listen to her, and being stronger, he violated her and lay with 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,” she replied, “sending me away is worse than this great wrong you have already done to me!”But he refused to listen to her.

¹⁷Instead, he called to his attendant and said, “Throw this woman out and bolt the door behind her!”

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.

¹⁹And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her robe. And putting her hand on her head, she went away crying aloud.

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 all this, he was furious.

²²And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon for violating his sister Tamar.

Absalom’s Revenge on Amnon

²³Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king.

²⁴And he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his servants please come with me?”

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“If not,” said Absalom, “please let my brother Amnon go with us.”“Why should he go with you?” the king asked.

²⁷But Absalom urged him, so the king sent Amnon and the rest of his sons.

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 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.

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!”

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 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.

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.”

Absalom Flees to Geshur

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.”

³⁵So Jonadab said to the king, “Look, the sons of the king have arrived! It is just as your servant said.”

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.

³⁷Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But David mourned for his son every day.

³⁸After Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, he stayed there three years.

³⁹And King Davidlonged to go to Absalom,for he had been consoled over Amnon’s death.

Absalom Killed

¹Then David reviewed his troops and appointed over them commanders of thousands and of hundreds.

²He sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the troops, “I will surely march out with you as well.”

³But the people pleaded, “You must not go out! For if we have to flee, they will not care about us. Even if half of us die, they will not care. But you are worth ten thousand of us.It is better now if you support us from the city.”

⁴“I will do whatever seems best to you,” the king replied. So he stood beside the gate, while all the troops marched out by hundreds and by thousands.

⁵Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” And all the people heard the king’s orders to each of the commanders regarding Absalom.

⁶So David’s army marched into the field to engage Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.

⁷There the people of Israel were defeated by David’s servants, and the slaughter was great that day—twenty thousand men.

⁸The battle spread over the whole countryside, and that day the forest devoured more people than the sword.

⁹Now Absalom was riding on his mule when he met the servants of David, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak,Absalom’s head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so that he was suspended in midair.

¹⁰When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”

¹¹“You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed. “Why did you not strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten shekels of silverand a warrior’s belt!”

¹²The man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels of silverwere weighed out into my hands, I would not raise my hand against the son of the king. For we heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’

¹³If I had jeopardized my own life—and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”

¹⁴But Joab declared, “I am not going to wait like this with you!” And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak tree.

¹⁵And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

¹⁶Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and the troops broke off their pursuit of Israel because Joab had restrained them.

¹⁷They took Absalom, cast him into a large pit in the forest, and piled a huge mound of stones over him. Meanwhile, all the Israelites fled, each to his home.

¹⁸During his lifetime, Absalom had set up for himself a pillar in the King’s Valley, for he had said, “I have no son to preserve the memory of my name.” So he gave the pillar his name, and to this day it is called Absalom’s Monument.

David Mourns for Absalom

¹⁹Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the LORD has avenged him of his enemies.”

²⁰But Joab replied, “You are not the man to take good news today. You may do it another day, but you must not do so today, because the king’s son is dead.”

²¹So Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab and took off running.

²²Ahimaaz son of Zadok, however, persisted and said to Joab, “No matter what, please let me also run behind the Cushite!”“My son,” Joab replied, “why do you want to run, since you will not receive a reward?”

²³“No matter what, I want to run!” he replied.“Then run!” Joab told him.So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plainand outran the Cushite.

²⁴Now David was sitting between the two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gateway by the wall, looked out, and saw a man running alone.

²⁵So he called out and told the king.“If he is alone,” the king replied, “he bears good news.”As the first runner drew near,

²⁶the watchman saw another man running, and he called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!”“This one also brings good news,” said the king.

²⁷The watchman said, “The first man appears to me to be running like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.”“This is a good man,” said the king. “He comes with good news.”

²⁸Then Ahimaaz called out to the king, “All is well!” And he bowed facedown before the king.He continued, “Blessed be the LORD your God! He has delivered up the men who raised their hands against my lord the king.”

²⁹The king asked, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”And Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab sent the king’s servant and your servant, I saw a great tumult, but I do not know what it was.”

³⁰“Move aside,” said the king, “and stand here.”So he stepped aside.

³¹Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: Today the LORD has avenged you of all who rose up against you!”

³²The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom all right?”And the Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you to harm you be like that young man.”

³³The king was shaken and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

Absalom’s Conspiracy

¹Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.

²He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate.Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out and ask, “What city are you from?” And if he replied, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,”

³Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear you.”

⁴And he would add, “If only someone would appoint me judge in the land, then everyone with a grievance or dispute could come to me, and I would give him justice.”

⁵Also, when anyone approached to bow down to him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him.

⁶Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

⁷After fouryears had passed, Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron to fulfill a vow I have made to the LORD.

⁸For your servant made a vow while dwelling in Geshur of Aram, saying: ‘If indeed the LORD brings me back to Jerusalem, I will worship the LORD in Hebron.’”

⁹“Go in peace,” said the king. So Absalom got up and went to Hebron.

¹⁰Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’”

¹¹Two hundred men from Jerusalem accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and they went along innocently, for they knew nothing about the matter.

¹²While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh.So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.

David Flees Jerusalem

¹³Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”

¹⁴And David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! We must leave quickly, or he will soon overtake us, heap disaster on us, and put the city to the sword.”

¹⁵The king’s servants replied, “Whatever our lord the king decides, we are your servants.”

¹⁶Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But he left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace.

¹⁷So the king set out with all the people following him. He stopped at the last house,

¹⁸and all his servants marched past him—all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath.

¹⁹Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you also go with us? Go back and stay with the new king, since you are both a foreigner and an exile from your homeland.

²⁰In fact, you arrived only yesterday; should I make you wander around with us today while I do not know where I am going? Go back and take your brothers with you. May the LORD show you loving devotion and faithfulness.”

²¹But Ittai answered the king, “As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be!”

²²“March on then,” said David to Ittai. So Ittai the Gittite marched past with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.

²³Everyone in the countryside was weeping loudly as all the people passed by. And as the king crossed the Kidron Valley, all the people also passed toward the way of the wilderness.

²⁴Zadok was also there, and all the Levites with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrificesuntil all the people had passed out of the city.

²⁵Then the king said to Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and let me see both it and His dwelling place again.

²⁶But if He should say, ‘I do not delight in you,’ then here I am; let Him do to me whatever seems good to Him.”

²⁷The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer?Return to the city in peace—you with your son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar with his son Jonathan.

²⁸See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”

²⁹So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and stayed there.

David Weeps at the Mount of Olives

³⁰But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up. His head was covered, and he was walking barefoot. And all the people with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went.

³¹Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.”So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”

³²When David came to the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Archite was there to meet him with his robe torn and dust on his head.

³³David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.

³⁴But you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me if you return to the city and say to Absalom: ‘I will be your servant, my king; in the past I was your father’s servant, but now I will be your servant.’

³⁵Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be there with you? Report to them everything you hear from the king’s palace.

³⁶Indeed, their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with everything you hear.”

³⁷So David’s friend Hushai arrived in Jerusalem just as Absalom was entering the city.

My Heart Is Stirred by a Noble Theme

¹My heart is stirred by a noble themeas I recite my verses to the king;my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

²You are the most handsome of men;grace has anointed your lips;therefore God has blessed you forever.

³Strap your sword at your side, O mighty warrior;appear in your majesty and splendor.

⁴In your splendor ride forth in victoryon behalf of truth and humility and justice;may your right hand show your awesome deeds.

⁵Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s foes;the nations fall beneath your feet.

⁶Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever,and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.

⁷You have loved righteousnessand hated wickedness;therefore God, your God, has anointed youabove your companions with the oil of joy.

⁸All your garments are fragrantwith myrrh and aloes and cassia;from palaces of ivory the harps make you glad.

⁹The daughters of kings are among your honored women;the queen stands at your right hand,adorned with the gold of Ophir.

¹⁰Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your ear:Forget your people and your father’s house,

¹¹and the king will desire your beauty;bow to him, for he is your lord.

¹²The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;men of wealth will seek your favor.

¹³All glorious is the princess in her chamber;her gown is embroidered with gold.

¹⁴In colorful garments she is led to the king;her virgin companions are brought before you.

¹⁵They are led in with joy and gladness;they enter the palace of the king.

¹⁶Your sons will succeed your fathers;you will make them princes throughout the land.

¹⁷I will commemorate your name through all generations;therefore the nations will praise you forever and ever.