Study Desk

But now the baby is dead, so why should I refuse to eat? Can I bring the baby back to life? No. Some day I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me."

and sent word for Nathan the prophet to give Solomon the name Jedidiah. So Nathan did this for the Lord .

So David gathered all the soldiers together and went to Rabbah. He fought against Rabbah and captured the city.

She was a virgin. Amnon wanted her very much, but he did not think it was possible for him to have her. He thought about her so much that he made himself sick.

He said to Amnon, "You are the king's son. So why do you always look so sad? Tell me what the trouble is!" Amnon told Jonadab, "I love Tamar. But she is the sister of my half-brother Absalom."

So Amnon lay down in bed and pretended to be sick. King David came in to see Amnon. He said to King David, "Please let my sister Tamar come in. Let her make two cakes for me while I watch. Then I can eat from her hands."

So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon. He was in bed. Tamar took some dough, pressed it together with her hands, and cooked the cakes. She did this while he watched.

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.

Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom and feed me by hand." So Tamar took the cakes she had made and went into her brother's bedroom.

But Amnon refused to listen to Tamar. He was stronger than she was, so he forced her to have sexual relations with him.

So Amnon's servant led Tamar out of the room and locked the door. Tamar was wearing a long robe with many colors. The king's virgin daughters wore robes like this.

Then Tamar's brother Absalom said to her, "Have you been with your brother Amnon? Did he hurt you? Now, calm down sister. Amnon is your brother, so we will take care of this . Don't let it upset you too much." So Tamar did not say anything. She quietly went to live at Absalom's house.

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.

So Jonadab said to King David, "Look, I was right! The king's sons are coming."

So Joab sent messengers to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. Joab said to this wise woman, "Please pretend to be very sad. Put on sackcloth. Don't dress up. Act like a woman who has been crying many days for someone who died.

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."

Joab did this so that you would see things differently. My lord, you are as wise as God's angel. You know everything that happens on earth."

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.

Absalom sent a message to Joab, asking for permission to see the king, but Joab refused to come see him. So Absalom sent a second message to Joab. Again, Joab refused to come see him.

Then Absalom said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is next to my field. He has barley growing in that field. Go burn the barley." So Absalom's servants went and started a fire in Joab's field.