Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

After this, Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Amnon, the son of David and brother of Absalom, fell deeply in love with her.

The problem was that she was still a virgin, and Amnon couldn't bear to do anything about his feelings for her. He became so troubled by his desire that he fell ill.

One day, Amnon confided in his friend Jonadab, the son of Shimeah and David's brother. Jonadab was a clever man who understood people well. Amnon told him about his love for Tamar, but he didn't know how to approach her because she was Absalom's sister.

Jonadab offered some advice. He suggested that Amnon pretend to be sick and ask their father, King David, to send Tamar to take care of him. When the king came to visit, Jonadab instructed Amnon to tell him that he needed his sister's help with preparing food.

So Amnon lay down on his bed, faking illness, and when King David arrived, he asked for Tamar to come and prepare some food in his sight. The king sent word to Tamar, instructing her to go to Amnon's house and make him some cakes.

Tamar went as instructed, took flour, kneaded it, made the cakes, and baked them in Amnon's presence. But when she brought them near to him to eat, he suddenly grabbed hold of her and said, "Come lie with me."

She resisted his advances, saying, "No, my brother! Don't force me! This kind of thing should never happen in Israel." She warned him that if he did this, everyone would know about it, and she would be shamed.

But Amnon was stronger than Tamar and overpowered her. He forced himself on her despite her protests.

Afterward, Amnon's feelings changed completely. He hated Tamar with even greater intensity than he had loved her. He told her to leave him alone, saying that what he had done was worse than before.

Tamar was devastated, feeling as though she'd been rejected and hurt even more by Amnon's actions. She begged him not to send her away, but he refused to listen. Finally, his servant took her out of the room and locked the door behind her.

Tamar put ashes on her head, tore her beautiful garment, and laid her hand on her head in grief. Absalom, her brother, discovered what had happened and tried to comfort her, telling her not to worry about it. But Tamar felt desolate and alone.

When King David heard about the whole situation, he became extremely angry. However, he didn't take any action against Amnon because of his role as a king and a father.

Years went by, but Absalom's hatred for Amnon only grew stronger. Two years after the incident, when Absalom was hosting sheepshearers in Baalhazor near Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come and celebrate with him.

Absalom specifically asked his father to let him go with the group, but King David refused. However, when Absalom persisted, the king finally agreed, allowing Amnon to join them as well.

But secretly, Absalom had instructed his servants to wait for Amnon to get drunk and then strike him down. And that's exactly what happened during the celebration. When news reached David that all of his sons had been killed, he was overcome with grief.

However, Jonadab, David's brother and Shimeah's son, knew that not all the king's sons were dead. He revealed to David that Amnon had indeed died, just as Absalom had planned when he forced Tamar into a situation from which there would be no escape.

King David was relieved to know that at least one of his sons was safe, but he was still deeply concerned about Absalom, who had fled to Geshur and remained there for three years. The king mourned the loss of his son Amnon every day, while also longing to find a way to comfort his estranged child, Absalom.