Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 165
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| 12:29–13:13
S am u el – K I N G S
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the rest of the army and capture the city. Otherwise, I will capture it and
get credit for the victory.”
So David gathered the rest of the army and went to Rabbah, and he
fought against it and captured it. David removed the crown from the king’s
head, and it was placed on his own head. The crown was made of gold
and set with gems, and it weighed s eventy-five pounds. David took a vast
amount of plunder from the city. He also made slaves of the people of
Rabbah and forced them to labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, and
to work in the brick kilns. That is how he dealt with the people of all the
Ammonite towns. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.
Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. And Am
non, her half brother, fell desperately in love with her. Amnon became
so obsessed with Tamar that he became ill. She was a virgin, and Amnon
thought he could never have her.
But Amnon had a very crafty friend—his cousin Jonadab. He was the
son of David’s brother Shimea. One day Jonadab said to Amnon, “What’s
the trouble? Why should the son of a king look so dejected morning after
morning?”
So Amnon told him, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s
sister.”
“Well,” Jonadab said, “I’ll tell you what to do. Go back to bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see you, ask him to let Tamar
come and prepare some food for you. Tell him you’ll feel better if she
prepares it as you watch and feeds you with her own hands.”
So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. And when the king came
to see him, Amnon asked him, “Please let my sister Tamar come and cook
my favorite dish as I watch. Then I can eat it from her own hands.” So David
agreed and sent Tamar to Amnon’s house to prepare some food for him.
When Tamar arrived at Amnon’s house, she went to the place where he
was lying down so he could watch her mix some dough. Then she baked
his favorite dish for him. But when she set the serving tray before him, he
refused to eat. “Everyone get out of here,” Amnon told his servants. So
they all left.
Then he said to Tamar, “Now bring the food into my bedroom and feed
it to me here.” So Tamar took his favorite dish to him. But as she was feeding him, he grabbed her and demanded, “Come to bed with me, my darling
sister.”
“No, my brother!” she cried. “Don’t be foolish! Don’t do this to me!
Such wicked things aren’t done in Israel. Where could I go in my shame?