2 Samuel 13
1 Forsothe it was doon aftir these thingis, that Amon, the sone of Dauid, louyde the faireste sistir, Thamar bi name, of Absolon, sone of Dauid.
David's son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar, and another of David's sons, Amnon, fell in love with her.
2 And Amon perischide greetli for hir, so that he was sijk for `the loue of hir. For whanne she was a virgyn, it semyde hard to hym, that he schulde do ony thing vnonestli with hir.
Amnon became so infatuated with his sister Tamar that he felt sick. She was a virgin, and Amnon saw it was impossible for him to have her.
3 Forsothe a freend, Jonadab bi name, sone of Semmaa, brother of Dauid, `was to Amon; Jonadab was a ful prudent man.
However, Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, and he was the son of David's brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very cunning man.
4 Which seide to Amon, Sone of the kyng, whi art thou maad feble so bi leenesse bi alle daies? whi schewist thou not to me? And Amon seide to him, Y loue Thamar, the sister of my brother Absolon.
He asked Amnon, “Why are you, the king's son, so down every morning? Why don't you tell me what's wrong?” “I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister,” Amnon replied.
5 And Jonadab answeride to hym, Li thou on thi bed, and feyne thou sikenesse; and whanne thi fadir cometh, that he visyte thee, seie thou to hym, Y preye, come Thamar, my sister, that sche yyue mete to me, and make a seew, that Y ete of hir hond.
“Lie down on your bed and pretend you're sick,” Jonadab told him. “When your father comes to see you, tell him, ‘Please have my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat. She can make it as I watch and she can hand it to me.’”
6 Therfor Amon lay doun, and `bigan as to be sijk. And whanne the kyng hadde come to visite him, Amon seide to the kyng, Y biseche, come Thamar, my sistir, that sche make twei soupyngis bifor my iyen, and that Y take of hir hond meete maad redi.
So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon asked him, “Please have my sister Tamar come and make a couple of pancakes as I watch, and she can hand them to me to eat.”
7 Therfor Dauid sente to the hows of Thamar, and seide, Come thou in to the hows of Amon, thi brother, and make thou seew to hym.
Then David sent a message to Tamar at the palace: “Please be so kind as to go to the house of your brother Amnon and make him some food.”
8 And Thamar cam in to the hows of Amon, hir brother. Sotheli he lai; and sche took mele, and medlide, and made moist bifor hise iyen, and sethide soupyngis;
So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon to where he was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, and cooked the pancakes as he watched.
9 and sche took that, that sche hadde sode, and helde out, and settide byfor hym, and he nolde ete. And Amon seide, Putte ye out alle men fro me. And whanne thei hadden put out alle men,
Then she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. “Everybody leave me!” Amnon shouted. Everyone left.
10 Amon seide to Thamar, Bere the mete in to the closet, that Y ete of thin hond. Therfor Thamar took the soupingis whiche sche hadde maad, and brouyte in to Amon, hir brother, in the closet.
Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so you can hand it to me to eat.” So Tamar took the pancakes she had made to her brother Amnon in his bedroom.
11 And whanne sche hadde proferid mete to hym, he took hir, and seide, Come thou, my sistir, li thou with me.
But as she handed him the food, he grabbed hold of her, and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister!”
12 And sche answeride to hym, My brother, nyle thou, nyle thou oppresse me, for this is not leueful in Israel; nyle thou do this foli.
“No, you're my brother!” she exclaimed. “Don't rape me! That's not what we do in Israel! Don't do something so shameful!
13 For Y schal not mow bere my schenschip, and thou schalt be as oon of the vnwise men in Israel; but rather speke thou to the kyng, and he schal not denye me to thee.
Stop and think about me! How could I bear such a disgrace? Think about yourself too! You'd be treated with contempt as a complete fool in Israel! Please talk with the king, for he won't stop you marrying me.”
14 Sotheli he nolde assente to hir preieris; but he was strengere in myytis, and oppresside hir, and lay with hir.
But Amnon wouldn't to listen to her, and because he was stronger than she was, he raped her.
15 And `Amon hadde hir hateful bi ful grete haterede, so that the hatrede was gretter, bi which he hatide hir, than the loue bi which he louyde hir bifor. And Amon seide to hir, Rise thou, and go.
Then Amnon hated Tamar with immense hatred. His hatred was so strong that it was greater than the love he'd had before. “Get up! Get lost!” he told her.
16 And sche answeride to hym, This yuel is more which thou doist now ayens me, and puttist me out, than that, that thou didist bifore. And he nolde here hir; but whanne the child was clepide,
“No! Don't do this!” she answered. “Sending me away in disgrace would be an even greater evil than what you've already done to me.” But he wouldn't listen to her.
17 that mynystride to hym, he seide, Putte thou out this womman fro me, and close thou the dore aftir hir.
He called for his servant and said, “Get rid of this woman and lock the door behind her!”
18 And sche was clothid with a coote doun to the heele; for the kyngis douytris virgyns vsiden siche clothis. Therfor the mynystre of Amon puttide hir out, and closide the dore aftir hir.
So his servant threw her out and locked the door behind her. Tamar was wearing the long robe of a princess, which is what the king's virgin daughters wore.
19 And sche spreynte aische to hir heed, whanne the coote to `the heele was to-rent, and whanne the hondis weren put on hir heed, and sche yede entrynge and criynge.
Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her long robe. She put her hands on her head, she went away crying loudly.
20 Forsothe Absolon, hir brother, seide to hir, Whether Amon, thi brothir, hath leyn with thee? But `now, sister, be stille; he is thi brother, and turmente not thin herte for this thing. Therfor Thamar dwellide morenynge in the hows of Absolon, hir brothir.
Her brother Absalom found her and asked, “Has brother Amnon been with you? Keep quiet for the moment, my sister. He's your brother. Don't be so upset about it.” So Tamar lived as a ruined and abandoned woman in her brother Absalom's home.
21 Forsothe whanne `kyng Dauid hadde herd these wordis, he was ful sori, and he nolde make sore the spyrit of Amon, his sone; for he louyde Amon, for he was the firste gendrid `to hym.
When King David heard about it, he was very angry.
22 Forsothe Absolon spak not to Amon, nether yuel nether good; for Absolon hatide Amon, for he hadde defoulid Thamar, his sistir.
Absalom didn't talk to Amnon at all because he hated Amnon for raping his sister Tamar.
23 Forsothe it was doon aftir the tyme of twei yeer, that the scheep of Absolon weren shorun in Baalasor, which is bisidis Effraym. And Absolon clepide alle the sones of the kyng.
Some two years later, when his sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, Absalom invited all the king's sons to join the celebrations.
24 And he cam to the kyng, and seide to hym, Lo! the scheep of thi seruaunt ben schorun; Y preye, come the king with hise seruauntis to his seruaunt.
He went to the king and said, “I, your servant, have hired shearers. Would the king and his servants please join me?”
25 And the kyng seide to Absolon, Nyle thou, my sone, nyle thou preye, that alle we come, and greeue thee. Forsothe whanne he constreynede Dauid, and he nolde go, he blesside Absolon.
“No, my son,” the king replied, “we can't all go. We would be a burden to you.” Even though Absalom went on asking, he was not willing to go, but he did give Absalom his blessing.
26 And Absolon seide to Dauid, If thou nylt come, Y byseche, come nameli Amon, my brother, with vs. And the kyng seide to hym, It is no nede, that he go with thee.
“Well then, at least let my brother Amnon join us,” Absalom responded. “Why do you want him to go?” the king asked.
27 Therfor Absolon constreynede hym; and he delyuerede with him Amon, and alle the sones of the kyng. And Absolon hadde maad a feeste as the feeste of a kyng.
But Absalom kept on asking, so the king sent Amnon and his other sons.
28 Sotheli Absolon comaundide to hise children, and seide, Aspie ye, whanne Amon is drunkun of wyn, and Y seie to you, Smyte ye, and sle hym. Nyle ye drede, for Y am that comaunde to you; be ye strengthid, and be ye stronge men.
Absalom gave orders to his men, saying, “Pay attention! When Amnon is feeling happy from drinking wine and I tell you, ‘Attack Amnon!’ then kill him. Don't be afraid. I myself am giving you this order. Be strong and be brave.”
29 Therfor the children of Absolon diden ayens Amon, as Absolon hadde comaundide to hem; and alle the sones of the kyng risiden, and stieden ech on his mule, and fledden.
So Absalom's men did what Absalom had ordered and killed Amnon. Then all the rest of the king's sons jumped up, got on their mules, and ran away.
30 And whanne thei yeden yit in the weie, fame cam to the kyng, and seide, Absolon hath kild alle the sones of the king, and `nameli not oon lefte of hem.
While they were on their way back, David received a message, “Absalom has killed all the king's sons—there's not a single one left!”
31 Therfor the kyng roos, and to-rente hise clothis, and felde doun on the erthe; and alle hise seruauntis that stoden nyy to hym, to-renten her clothis.
The king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground. All his officials stood beside him with their clothes torn.
32 Sotheli Jonadab, sone of Semmaa, brother of Dauid, answeride and seide, My lord the kyng, gesse not, that alle the children, and sones of the kyng, ben slayn; Amon aloone is deed, for he was set in hatrede to Absolon, fro the day in which he oppresside Thamar, his sistir.
But Jonadab, son of David's brother Shimeah, told them: “Your Majesty must not think they have killed all the king's sons—only Amnon is dead. Absalom has been planning ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar.
33 Now therfor, my lord the kyng, set not this word on his herte, and seie, Alle the sones of the kyng ben slayn; for Amon aloone is deed.
So, Your Majesty, please don't believe the report that all the king's sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.”
34 Forsothe Absolon fledde. And a child aspiere reiside hise iyen, and bihelde, and lo! myche puple cam bi a weye out of the comyn weie bi the side of the hil.
In the meantime, Absalom had run away. When the watchman in Jerusalem looked out, he saw a large crowd coming along the road west of him, down the side of the hill.
35 And Jonadab seide to the kyng, Lo! the sones of the kyng comen; bi the word of thi seruaunt, so it is doon.
Jonadab told the king, “Can you see? The king's sons are arriving! It's exactly as your servant said.”
36 And whanne he hadde ceessid to speke, also the sones of the kyng apperiden; and thei entriden, and reisiden her vois, and wepten; but also the kyng and alle his seruauntis wepten bi ful greet wepyng.
As he finished speaking, the king's sons came in, crying and wailing. Then the king and all his officials also cried loudly.
37 Forsothe Absolon fledde, and yede to Tholmai, sone of Amyur, the kyng of Gessur. Therfor Dauid biweilide his sone Amon in many daies.
Absalom ran away to Talmai, son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. Every day David mourned for his son Amnon.
38 Forsothe Absolon, whanne he hadde fled, and hadde come in to Gessur, was there thre yeer.
After Absalom had run away to Geshur, he remained there for three years.
39 And Dauid ceesside to pursue Absolon, for he was coumfortid on the deeth of Amon.
King David longed to go and see Absalom, for he had finished grieving over the death of Amnon.
