Study Desk

David saw his servants whispering and understood that the baby was dead. So David asked his servants, "Is the baby dead?" The servants answered, "Yes, he is dead."

Then David got up from the floor. He washed himself. He changed his clothes and got dressed. 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.

Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife. He slept with her and had sexual relations with her. Bathsheba became pregnant again and had another son. David named the boy Solomon. The Lord loved Solomon

Then Tamar took the cakes out of the pan and set them out for him. But he refused to eat. He said to his servants, "Get out of here. Leave me alone!" So all of his servants left the room.

He called his servant and said, "Get this girl out of this room, now! And lock the door after her."

King David heard the news and became very angry, but he did not want to say anything to upset Amnon, because he loved him since he was his firstborn son.

Absalom began to hate Amnon. Absalom did not say one word, good or bad, to Amnon, but he hated him because Amnon had raped his sister Tamar.

Two years later, Absalom had some men come to Baal Hazor to cut the wool from his sheep. He invited all the king's sons to come and watch.

King David said to Absalom, "No, son. We will not all go. It will be too much trouble for you." Absalom begged David to go. David did not go, but he did give his blessing.

Then Absalom gave this command to his servants, "Watch Amnon. When he is drunk and feeling good from the wine, I will give you the command. You must attack Amnon and kill him. Don't be afraid of being punished. After all, you will only be obeying my command. Now, be strong and brave."

So Absalom's young soldiers did what he said. They killed Amnon. But all of David's other sons escaped. Each son got on his mule and escaped.

King David tore his clothes and lay on the ground. All of David's officers standing near him also tore their clothes.

But then Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah, said, "Don't think that all the king's sons were killed! Only Amnon is dead. Absalom has been planning this from the day that Amnon raped his sister Tamar.

The king's sons came in just after Jonadab said that. They were crying loudly. David and all of his officers began crying. They all cried very hard.

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

Now the whole family is against me. They said to me, ‘Bring us the son who killed his brother and we will kill him, because he killed his brother.' My son is like the last spark of a fire. If they kill my son, that fire will burn out and be finished. He is the only son left alive to get his father's property. So my dead husband's property will go to someone else and his name will be removed from the land."

The woman said, "Please, use the name of the Lord your God and swear that you will stop these people. They want to punish my son for murdering his brother. Swear that you will not let them destroy my son." David said, "As the Lord lives, no one will hurt your son. Not even one hair from your son's head will fall to the ground."

Joab bowed with his face on the ground. He blessed King David, and said, "Today I know that you are pleased with me. I know because you have done what I asked."

But King David said, "Absalom must go back to his own house. He cannot come to see me." So Absalom went back to his own house, but he could not go to see the king.

People really bragged about how good-looking Absalom was. No man in Israel was as handsome as Absalom. Every part of his body was perfect—from his head to his feet.