11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I
will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give themunto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with
thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst itsecretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The
LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to
blaspheme, the child also that isborn unto thee shall surely die.
15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bare
unto David, and it was very sick.
16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night
upon the earth.
17 And the elders of his house arose, and wentto him, to raise him up from the earth: but he
would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared
to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we
spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we
tell him that the child is dead?
19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead:
therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel,
and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when
he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing isthis that thou hast done? thou didst fast and
weep for the child, while it wasalive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat
bread.
22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell
whetherGOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him,
but he shall not return to me.
24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she
bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.
25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of
the LORD.
26 And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.
27 And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken
the city of waters.
28 Now therefore gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take
it: lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.
29 And David gathered all the people together, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and
took it.
30 And he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight whereof wasa talent of gold
with the precious stones: and it was seton David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the
city in great abundance.
31 And he brought forth the people that weretherein, and put themunder saws, and under
harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did
he unto all the cities of the children of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto
Jerusalem.
1 And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name

wasTamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.
2 And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she wasa virgin; and
Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her.
3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name wasJonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and
Jonadab wasa very subtil man.
4 And he said unto him, Why artthou, beingthe king's son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not
tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.
5 And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick: and when thy
father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me
meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat itat her hand.
6 So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon
said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my
sight, that I may eat at her hand.
7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and dress him
meat.
8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house; and he was laid down. And she took flour, and
kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes.
9 And she took a pan, and poured themout before him; but he refused to eat. And Amnon said,
Have out all men from me. And they went out every man from him.
10 And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the meat into the chamber, that I may eat of thine hand.
And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought theminto the chamber to Amnon her
brother.
11 And when she had brought themunto him to eat, he took hold of her, and said unto her, Come
lie with me, my sister.
12 And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done
in Israel: do not thou this folly.
13 And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go? and as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the
fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king; for he will not withhold me from
thee.
14 Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and
lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her wasgreater
than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.
16 And she said unto him, There isno cause: this evil in sending me away isgreater than the
other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her.
17 Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said, Put now this womanout from
me, and bolt the door after her.
18 And she hada garment of divers colours upon her: for with such robes were the king's
daughters that werevirgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door
after her.
19 And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that wason her,
and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying.
20 And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee? but hold
now thy peace, my sister: he isthy brother; regard not this thing. So Tamar remained desolate in
her brother Absalom's house.
21 But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth.
22 And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: for Absalom hated Amnon,
because he had forced his sister Tamar.
23 And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor,

which isbeside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king's sons.
24 And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; let the
king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
25 And the king said to Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all now go, lest we be chargeable unto
thee. And he pressed him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him.
26 Then 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?
27 But Absalom pressed him, that he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.
28 Now Absalom had 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.
29 And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's
sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled.
30 And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to David, saying,
Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left.
31 Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood
by with their clothes rent.
32 And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose
thatthey have slain 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.
33 Now 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.
34 But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes, and looked, and,
behold, there came much people by the way of the hill side behind him.
35 And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king's sons come: as thy servant said, so it is.
36 And 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.
37 But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David
mourned for his son every day.
38 So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.
39 And the soul ofking David longed to go forth unto Absalom: for he was comforted concerning
Amnon, seeing he was dead.
1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart wastoward Absalom.
2 And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee,
feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil,
but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
3 And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did
obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
5 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I amindeed a widow woman,
and mine husband is dead.
6 And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there wasnone
to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him.
7 And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine 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 we will
destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my
husband neithername nor remainder upon the earth.
8 And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.
9 And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity beon me, and on my