Tanakh & Talmud. Various Authors

¹²And she answered him: 'Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel; do not thou this wanton deed. ¹³And I, whither shall I carry my shame? and as for thee, thou wilt be as one of the base men in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.' ¹⁴Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice; but being stronger than she, he forced her, and lay with her.

      ¹⁵Then Amnon hated her with exceeding great hatred; for the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her: 'Arise, be gone.' ¹⁶And she said unto him: 'Not so, because this great wrong in putting me forth is worse than the other that thou didst unto me.' But he would not hearken unto her. ¹⁷Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said: 'Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her.'—¹⁸Now she had a garment of many colours upon her; for with such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled.—And his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her. ¹⁹And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of many colours that was on her; and she laid her hand on her head, and went her way, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰And Absalom her brother said unto her: 'Hath ⁶Amnon thy brother been with thee? but now hold thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; take not 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 wroth. ²²And Absalom spoke unto Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.

      ²³And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheep-shearers in Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim; and Absalom invited all the king's sons. ²⁴And Absalom came to the king, and said: 'Behold now, thy servant hath sheep-shearers; let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant.' ²⁵And the king said to Absalom: 'Nay, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome unto thee.' And he pressed him; howbeit he would not go, but blessed him. ²⁶Then said Absalom: 'If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us.' And the king said unto him: 'Why should he go with thee?' ²⁷But Absalom pressed him, and he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. ²⁸And Absalom commanded his servants, saying: 'Mark ye now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine; and when I say unto you: Smite Amnon, then kill him, fear not; have not I commanded you? be courageous, and be valiant.' ²⁹And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man got him up upon his mule, and fled.

      ³⁰And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that the tidings came to David, saying: 'Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left.' ³¹Then the king arose, and rent his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent. ³²And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother, answered and said: 'Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king's sons; for Amnon only is dead; for by the appointment of Absalom this hath 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 Amnon only is dead.'

      ³⁴But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people in a roundabout way by the hill-side. ³⁵And Jonadab said unto the king: 'Behold, the king's sons are come; as thy servant said, so it is.' ³⁶And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voice, and wept; and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.

      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 the soul of king David failed with longing for Absalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.

      14Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom. ²And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her: 'I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead; ³and go in to the king, and speak on this manner unto him.' So Joab put the words in her mouth.

      ⁴And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and prostrated herself, and said: 'Help, O king.' ⁵And the king said unto her: 'What aileth thee?' And she answered: 'Of a truth I am a widow, my husband being dead. ⁶And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killed him. ⁷And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they said: Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and so destroy the heir also. Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.'

      ⁸And the king said unto the woman: 'Go to thy house, and I will give charge concerning thee.' ⁹And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king: 'My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house; and the king and his throne be guiltless.' ¹⁰And the king said: 'Whosoever saith aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.' ¹¹Then said she: 'I pray thee, let the king remember the Lord thy God, that the avenger of blood destroy not any more, lest they destroy my son.' And he said: 'As the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.'

      ¹²Then the woman said: 'Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak a word unto my lord the king.' And he said: 'Say on.' ¹³And the woman said: 'Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the people of God? for in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished one. ¹⁴For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person; but let him devise means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him. ¹⁵Now therefore seeing that I am come to speak this word unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid; and thy handmaid said: I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. ¹⁶For the king will hear, to deliver his servant out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God. ¹⁷Then thy handmaid said: Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king be for my comfort; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad; and the Lord thy God be with thee.'

      ¹⁸Then the king answered and said unto the woman: 'Hide not from me, I pray thee, aught that I shall ask thee.' And the woman said: 'Let my lord the king now speak.' ¹⁹And the king said: 'Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this?' And the woman answered and said: 'As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid; ²⁰to change the face of the matter hath thy servant Joab done this thing; and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.'

      ²¹And the king said unto Joab: 'Behold now, I have granted this request; go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back.' ²²And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and prostrated himself, and blessed the king; and Joab said: 'To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found favour in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath performed the request of thy servant.' ²³So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. ²⁴And the king said: 'Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face.' So Absalom turned to his own house, and saw not the king's face.

      ²⁵Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty; from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. ²⁶And when he polled his head—now it was at every year's end that he polled it; because the hair was heavy on him, therefore