Study Desk

When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she cried for him.

"Then a traveler stopped to visit the rich man. The rich man wanted to feed the traveler, but he didn't want to take one of his own sheep or cattle. Instead, he took the lamb from the poor man and cooked it for his visitor."

He must pay for the lamb four times for doing such a thing. He had no mercy!"

Now there will always be people in your family who will die by a sword, because you did not respect me; you took the wife of Uriah the Hittite for yourself!'

But what you did caused the Lord 's enemies to lose all respect for him. For this reason the son who was born to you will die."

David prayed to God for the baby. David fasted and went into his house and stayed there, lying on the ground all night.

Then David got up from the floor, washed himself, put lotions on, and changed his clothes. Then he went into the Lord 's house to worship. After that, he went home and asked for something to eat. His servants gave him some food, and he ate.

David said, "While the baby was still alive, I fasted, and I cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.'

So Amnon went to bed and acted sick. When King David came in to see him, Amnon said to him, "Please let my sister Tamar come in. Let her make two of her special cakes for me while I watch. Then I will eat them from her hands."

David sent for Tamar in the palace, saying, "Go to your brother Amnon's house and make some food for him."

Absalom, Tamar's brother, said to her, "Has Amnon, your brother, forced you to have sexual relations with him? For now, sister, be quiet. He is your half-brother. Don't let this upset you so much!" So Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house and was sad and lonely.

Absalom did not say a word, good or bad, to Amnon. But he hated Amnon for disgracing his sister Tamar.

King David said to Absalom, "No, my son. We won't all go, because it would be too much trouble for you." Although Absalom begged David, he would not go, but he did give his blessing.

David cried for his son every day. But Absalom ran away to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur.

After Absalom ran away to Geshur, he stayed there for three years.

So Joab sent messengers to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He said to her, "Pretend to be very sad. Put on funeral clothes and don't put lotion on yourself. Act like a woman who has been crying many days for someone who died.

Now all the family group is against me. They said to me, ‘Bring the son who killed his brother so we may kill him for killing his brother. That way we will also get rid of the one who would receive what belonged to his father.' My son is like the last spark of a fire. He is all I have left. If they kill him, my husband's name and property will be gone from the earth."

Then the king said to the woman, "Go home. I will take care of this for you."

Then the woman said, "Why have you decided this way against the people of God? When you judge this way, you show that you are guilty for not bringing back your son who was forced to leave home.

Absalom was greatly praised for his handsome appearance. No man in Israel was as handsome as he. No blemish was on him from his head to his foot.