2 Samuel 13:1

The Rape of Tamar

13:1 Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. In the course of time David’s son Amnon fell madly in love with her. ¹ 

2 Samuel 13:8-14

13:8 So Tamar went to the house of Amnon her brother, who was lying down. She took the dough, kneaded it, made some cakes while he watched, ²  and baked them. ³  13:9 But when she took the pan and set it before him, he refused to eat. Instead Amnon said, “Get everyone out of here!” ⁴  So everyone left. ⁵ 

13:10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the cakes into the bedroom; then I will eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes that she had prepared and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom. 13:11 As she brought them to him to eat, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come on! Get in bed with me, ⁶  my sister!”

13:12 But she said to him, “No, my brother! Don’t humiliate me! This just isn’t done in Israel! Don’t do this foolish thing! 13:13 How could I ever be rid of my humiliation? And you would be considered one of the fools ⁷  in Israel! Just ⁸  speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” 13:14 But he refused to listen to her. ⁹  He overpowered her and humiliated her by raping her. ¹⁰ 

¹ tn Heb “Amnon the son of David loved her.” The following verse indicates the extreme nature of his infatuation, so the translation uses “madly in love” here.

² tn Heb “in his sight.”

³ tn Heb “the cakes.”

⁴ tn Heb “from upon me.”

⁵ tc A few medieval Hebrew mss have “and they removed everyone” (Hiphil preterite with vav consecutive 3cp, rather than Qal preterite with vav consecutive 3cp).

⁶ tn Heb “lie with me” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “come and have sexual relations with me.”

⁷ tn Heb “and you will be like one of the fools.”

⁸ tn Heb “Now.”

⁹ tn Heb “to her voice.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “and he humiliated her and lay with her.”