| International Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1Sometime after this, David's son Amnon fell in love with David's other son Absalom's beautiful sister Tamar. | 1In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. |
| 2Amnon became so emotionally distressed that he fell sick over his half-sister Tamar. She was a virgin, and Amnon found it difficult to do anything to her. | 2Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her. |
| 3Meanwhile, Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was the son of David's brother Shimeah. Now Jonadab was a very shrewd man. | 3Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. |
| 4"Why are you so depressed these past few mornings," Jonadab asked Amnon, "since you're a son of the king? Why not tell me?" Amnon replied, "I'm in love with my brother Absalom's sister Tamar." | 4He asked Amnon, "Why do you, the king's son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won't you tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister." |
| 5Jonadab advised him, "Lie down and fake being sick. When your father visits you, ask him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat that she prepares especially for me, and after she makes dinner for me, let her feed it to me personally.'" | 5"Go to bed and pretend to be ill," Jonadab said. "When your father comes to see you, say to him, 'I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.'" |
| 6So Amnon lay down and faked being sick. When the king came to visit him, Amnon asked the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make some of her bread especially for me, so she can feed it to me personally." | 6So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, "I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand." |
| 7So David sent for Tamar back at the palace, telling her, "Please go to your brother Amnon's home and prepare some food for him." | 7David sent word to Tamar at the palace: "Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him." |
| 8Tamar went to her brother Amnon's home, where he was lying down. She brought along some dough, kneaded it, prepared some cakes especially for him, baked them, | 8So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. |
| 9and emptied the baking skillet just for him, but he refused to eat. "Send everybody out of here," Amnon said. So everyone left the room. | 9Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat. "Send everyone out of here," Amnon said. So everyone left him. |
| 10Amnon told Tamar, "Bring the food into my private bedroom, so I can eat it with you personally." So Tamar took the cakes she had prepared and brought them into the private bedroom for her brother Amnon. | 10Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand." And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. |
| 11But as soon as she brought them near him to eat, he overpowered her and told her, "Come here and have sex with me, my sister!" | 11But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, "Come to bed with me, my sister." |
| 12"No, my brother!" she kept telling him. "Don't humiliate me like this! This just isn't done in Israel! Don't do this utterly foolish thing! | 12"No, my brother!" she said to him. "Don't force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don't do this wicked thing. |
| 13And what about me? Where will I go to escape this disgrace? And as for you, you'll be known as one of Israel's greatest fools! So please talk to the king, because he won't withhold me from you!" | 13What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you." |
| 14But he was unwilling to listen to what she was saying. Since he was stronger than she was, he forced her into having sex with him. | 14But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her. |
| 15Afterwards, though, Amnon hated her very intensely. As a result, his hatred for her exceeded the love that he had previously for her. So Amnon told her, "Get up! Leave!" | 15Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, "Get up and get out!" |
| 16Even so, she tried to tell him, "No! After all, it's more wrong to send me away than what you just did to me!" But he was unwilling to listen to her. | 16"No!" she said to him. "Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me." But he refused to listen to her. |
| 17So he called out to a young man who was serving him, and told him: "Send this woman away from me and lock the door after her." | 17He called his personal servant and said, "Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her." |
| 18Now she was clothed in a long sleeved, multi-colored ornamental tunic, commonly worn by the king's virgin daughters. When Amnon's servant threw her out and locked the door after her, | 18So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. |
| 19Tamar rubbed her head with ashes, tore her tunic that she was wearing, put her hand to her head, and ran off, crying aloud as she went away. | 19Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went. |
| 20Later, her brother Absalom asked her, "Has Amnon, that brother of yours, raped you? Then keep quiet about your half-brother for now, my sister. Stop taking this so personally." From that time on, Tamar lived in continuous desolation within her brother Absalom's house. | 20Her brother Absalom said to her, "Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart." And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman. |
| 21When King David heard all about these developments, he flew into a rage over it. | 21When King David heard all this, he was furious. |
| 22But Absalom never said a word, either good or bad, to Amnon. Nevertheless, he hated Amnon because he had humiliated his sister Tamar. | 22And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar. |
| 23Two full years later, Absalom took some men to Baal-hazor near Ephraim to shear his sheep. He also invited all of the king's sons to come. | 23Two years later, when Absalom's sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come there. |
| 24Absalom had gone to the king to ask him, "I've brought some men to shear the sheep. Won't you please come and join me, along with your senior staff?" | 24Absalom went to the king and said, "Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?" |
| 25But King David declined, saying to Absalom, "No, my son, we won't all go, since that would be too much trouble for you." Although Absalom begged David, he would not go, even though he did give his blessing. | 25"No, my son," the king replied. "All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you." Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing. |
| 26So Absalom responded, "If you aren't coming, please allow my brother Amnon to accompany us." The king asked, "Why should he go with you?" | 26Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us." The king asked him, "Why should he go with you?" |
| 27But Absalom kept begging David until he sent Amnon and all of David's sons to accompany Absalom. | 27But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king's sons. |
| 28Then Absalom instructed his young men, "Please keep watching Amnon until he's drunk. Then I'll tell you, 'Attack Amnon!' As soon as I do, kill him and don't be afraid! You have your orders, so be strong and brave!" | 28Absalom ordered his men, "Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, 'Strike Amnon down,' then kill him. Don't be afraid. Haven't I given you this order? Be strong and brave." |
| 29So Absalom's young men did to Amnon just as they had been ordered, but the rest of David's sons jumped up, mounted their mules, and escaped. | 29So Absalom's men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules and fled. |
| 30While they were still on the road, this rumor came to David: "Absalom has struck down all of the king's sons and none of them has survived." | 30While they were on their way, the report came to David: "Absalom has struck down all the king's sons; not one of them is left." |
| 31David arose, ripped his clothes in anguish, and collapsed to the ground while all of his staff stood by with their own clothes torn. | 31The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn. |
| 32But David's brother Shimeah's son Jonadab reported, "Your majesty, don't assume they've killed all of the young men—the king's sons—only Amnon has died, since that was Absalom's intention from the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. | 32But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, "My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom's express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. |
| 33Now your majesty, don't be concerned about this rumor that all the king's sons have died, because only Amnon is dead." | 33My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king's sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead." |
| 34Meanwhile, Absalom had run away. While the young man standing watch was looking around, all of a sudden he observed many people coming down the road behind and to the west of the mountain! So the watchman left his post and reported, "I have seen men coming from the direction of Horonaim." | 34Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, "I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill." |
| 35Jonadab told the king, "Look! Here come the king's sons. This thing has turned out just like your servant reported." | 35Jonadab said to the king, "See, the king's sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said." |
| 36Just as he finished his comments, the king's sons arrived, crying loudly. At this, with tears overflowing, the king and his entire staff wept bitterly. | 36As he finished speaking, the king's sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly. |
| 37Absalom continued to flee, eventually going to Ammihud's son King Talmai of Geshur, while King David continued to mourn for his son every day. | 37Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son. |
| 38After fleeing to Geshur, Absalom remained there for three years. | 38After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. |
| 39Meanwhile, King David longed to visit Absalom, since he was moved to compassion over Amnon's death. | 39And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon's death. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
|
