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.

It happened after this, that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved 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 was so troubled that he fell sick because of his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her.

3 Forsothe a freend, Jonadab bi name, sone of Semmaa, brother of Dauid, `was to Amon; Jonadab was a ful prudent man.

But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty 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 said to him, "Why, son of the king, are you so sad from day to day? Won't you tell me?" Amnon said to him, "I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."

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.

Jonadab said to him, "Lie down on your bed, and pretend to be sick. When your father comes to see you, tell him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and dress the food in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it from her hand.'"

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 faked being sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand."

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 home to Tamar, saying, "Go now to your brother Amnon and prepare food for him."

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 her brother Amnon's house; and he was lying down. And she took dough, and kneaded it, and made cakes while he watched, and baked the cakes.

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,

She took the pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat. Amnon said, "Have all men leave me." Every man went out from him.

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.

Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the room, that I may eat from your hand." Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the room to Amnon her brother.

11 And whanne sche hadde proferid mete to hym, he took hir, and seide, Come thou, my sistir, li thou with me.

When she had brought them near to him to eat, he took hold of her, and said to her, "Come, lie 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.

She answered him, "No, my brother, do not force me. For no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Do not do this folly.

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.

I, where would I carry my shame? And as for you, you will be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you."

14 Sotheli he nolde assente to hir preieris; but he was strengere in myytis, and oppresside hir, and lay with hir.

However he would not listen to her voice; but being stronger than she was, he overpowered her and 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 her with intense hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Get up, go away."

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,

And Tamar said to him, "Don't, my brother, for this latter evil in sending me away is greater than the former thing that you did to me." But he would not listen to her.

17 that mynystride to hym, he seide, Putte thou out this womman fro me, and close thou the dore aftir hir.

Then he called the young man who served him, and said, "Send this one away from me, and bolt the door after 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.

Now she was wearing an ornamented robe, for this was what the king's virgin daughters used to wear. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her.

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.

And Tamar took ashes and put them on her head, and tore the long robe she was wearing. And she put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.

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.

And her brother Absalom said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this too seriously." So Tamar, devastated, lived in her brother Absalom's house.

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.

But when king David heard of all these things, he was very angry. But he did not inflict pain on the spirit of his son Amnon, because he loved him, for he was his firstborn.

22 Forsothe Absolon spak not to Amon, nether yuel nether good; for Absolon hatide Amon, for he hadde defoulid Thamar, his sistir.

Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated 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.

It happened after two full years, that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal Hazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom invited all the king's sons.

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.

Absalom came to the king, and said, "See now, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant."

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.

The king said to Absalom, "No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you." But he pleaded with him; however he would not go, but blessed him.

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.

Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us." The king said to him, "Why should he go with you?"

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 pleaded with him, and he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. And Absalom prepared a feast like a king's feast.

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.

And Absalom commanded his servants, saying, "Watch Amnon until he is in a good mood from the wine, and when I tell you, 'Strike Amnon,' then kill him. Do not be afraid. Haven't I commanded you? Be strong and 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 the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons got up, and each mounted his mule and fled.

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.

And it happened, while they were on the way, that the news came to David, saying, "Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and there is not one of them 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.

Then the king got up and tore his clothes and lay down on the ground. And all the servants who were standing around him also tore their clothes.

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 the son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, "My lord the king must not think that they have killed all the young men, the king's sons, for only Amnon is dead. For this has been Absalom's plan since the day that he 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.

Now therefore do not let 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 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.

But Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and he saw many men coming on the road behind him from the side of the mountain in the descent. And the watchman came and told the king, and said, "I have seen many men coming from the Horonan road by the side of the mountain."

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 said to the king, "Look, the king's sons are coming. It is 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.

It happened, as soon as he had finished speaking, that look, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voice, and wept. The king also and all his servants wept bitterly.

37 Forsothe Absolon fledde, and yede to Tholmai, sone of Amyur, the kyng of Gessur. Therfor Dauid biweilide his sone Amon in many daies.

And David mourned for his son every day.

38 Forsothe Absolon, whanne he hadde fled, and hadde come in to Gessur, was there thre yeer.

And Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur, and was there three years.

39 And Dauid ceesside to pursue Absolon, for he was coumfortid on the deeth of Amon.

And the spirit of the king longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled about the death of Amnon.