II. Samvuen XIII. 36

20 And Absalom her brother said unto | B.C. abot her, “-Hath Amnon thy brother been| 1082. with thee? but -hold now thy my sister: he is thy brother ; s . 5 not xthis xthing.” So Tamar rei ed a@ desolate in her brother Absalom’s house,
21 But when king David heard_of all xthese xthings, he was very wroth.
2 And Absalom spake unto his bro- ther Amnon neither good nor bad : for Absalom hated ~Amnon, because he hu had_forced his sister “amar. bled.
% And it came_to_ after two y full years, that Absalom sheepshearers in Baal-hazor, which ts beside Ephraim : and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
24 And Absalom cameto the king, and said, “Behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; ‘let the king, I_beseech_ thee, and his servants go with thy ser- vant.”
2% And the king said to Absalom, “Nay, my son, ‘let us not all now £0, lest we tbe_bchargeable unto thee.” And he pressed him : howbeit he would not go, but blessed him.
26 Then said Absalom, “ If not, I_pray_|~ thee, ‘let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said unto him, “Why should he go with thee?”
27 But Absalom pressed him, that he let -Amnon and «all the king’s sons go with him.
28 Now Absalom had_commanded his -servants, saying, “*Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is_merry with and when I «say unto you, ‘*Smite ~Am- non;’ then -kill him, ‘fear not: shave not £ commanded pon? -be_courage- ous, and »be « valiant.” .
29 And the_servants_of Absalom did] val
unto Amnon aas Absalom had_com- manded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and ‘ every_man * gat_him_up upon his i. i mule, and fled. 30 And it came_to_pass while thep were in the way, that ane came to David, saying, “Absalom -hath_slain vall the king’s sons, and there «is not one of them left.”
31 Then the king arose, and tare his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants sstood_by with their clothes rent.
32 And Jonadab, the_son_of Shimeah
David’s brother, answered and said, “tLet not my -lord suppose that they shaye_slain all the young_men the king’s sons; for Amnon only is_dead: for by the_appointment_of Absalom this -hath_been determined from the_ day_that he Aw forced his sister -Ta- mar. 33 Now therefore ‘let not my -lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons sare_dead : for Amnon only -is_dead.”
34 But Absalom fled. And the young_ man «that kept_the_watch lifted_up his -eyes, and looked, and, behold, 4there_came much people by the_way_ of the hill side behind him.
35 And Jonadab said unto the king, “Behold, the king’s sons -come: «as thy servant said, so it is.”
36 And it came_to_pass, as_soon-as he,
t. Tekoah, Pitching-of tents.
| SHEPLEADS FOR
| ABSALOM. 8a, save.
5. See ch. 12. 1-6.
{
on
By ayenger- of F J. Jehovah.
Fars l1
| IL. Samvzn XII. 37. BC. 1030. |had_made_an_end of speaking, that,
behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted_ ni their voice and wept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.
87 But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the_son_of Ammihud, king_of Geshur. And David mourned for his son @ every day.
388 So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.
39 And the soul of xking David longed to go_forth unto Absalom: for he was_ comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was_dead.
NOW Joab the_son_of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was toward Absalom. 2 And Joab sent to ‘Tekoah, and
*|fetched thence a wise woman, and said
unto her, “I_pray_thee, -feign_thyself_ to_be_a_mourner, and -put_on now mourning apparel, and ‘anoint not thyself with oil, but-be as a woman that 1 eosladan Mapai mourned for the
8 And -come to the king, and «speak on «this xmanner unto him.” So Joab put «the words in her mouth.
4 And when the woman_of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did_obeisance, and said, sa “ Help, O_king.”
5 And the king said unto her, “ What aileth thee?” And she answered, “£ aim indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is_dead.
6 And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove_together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew
it.
7 And, behold, the whole xfamily -is_ risen against thine handmaid, and they said, ‘*Deliver. ~him_that_smote his brother, that we may_kill him, for the_ slife_of his brother whom he slew; and we will_destroy «the heir also :’ and so they :shall_quench my «coal which is_ left, and shall not leave to my husband enetther name nor remainder upon af the 7 earth.”
8 And the king said unto the woman, “*Go to thine house, and £ will_give_ charge concerning thee.”
9 And the woman_of xTekoah said unto the king, “My -lord, O_king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’s house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.”
10 And the king said, “=x1Whosoever saith ought unto thee, ‘bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.”
11 Then said she, “I_pray_thee, let the king remember ‘-the Lorp thy =God, that thou wouldest not suffer tthe_revengers_of xblood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my -son.” And he said, “As Jthe Lorp liveth, there shall not one hair_of thy son fall to_ the_earth.”
12 Then the woman said, “'Let thine handmaid, I_pray_thee, speak one word
unto my -lord the king.” And he said, “ *Say_on.”