2Sa 12:10, 2Sa 13, 2Sa 16, Job 5:17-18, Psa 66:10-12, 94:12-13 | ESV | STEP | Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house , because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife .

10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

2 Samuel 13

Amnon and Tamar

1 Now ^aAbsalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was ^bTamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her. 2 And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of ^cShimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. 4 And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” 5 Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and ^dmake a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”

7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. 9 And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, ^e“Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. 11 But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” 12 She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate ^{▼▼Or humiliate; also verses 14, 22, 32} me, for ^gsuch a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this ^houtrageous thing. 13 As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of ⁱthe outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” 14 But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.

15 Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” 16 But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” ^{▼▼Compare Septuagint, Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain} But he would not listen to her. 17 He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” 18 Now she was wearing ^ka long robe ^{▼▼Or a robe of many colors (compare Genesis 37:3); also verse 19} with sleeves, for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. 19 And Tamar ^mput ashes on her head and ⁿtore the long robe that she wore. And ^oshe laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.

20 And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house. 21 When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. ^{▼▼Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint add But he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn} 22 But Absalom spoke to Amnon ^qneither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.

Absalom Murders Amnon

23 After two full years Absalom had ^rsheepshearers at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 24 And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” 25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. 28 Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon’s ^sheart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Do not fear; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.” 29 So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each mounted his mule and fled.

30 While they were on the way, news came to David, “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.” 31 Then the king arose and ^ttore his garments and ^ulay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments. 32 But ^vJonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar. 33 Now therefore let not my lord the king so ^wtake it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.”

Absalom Flees to Geshur

34 ^xBut Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him ^{▼▼Septuagint the Horonaim Road} by the side of the mountain. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about.” 36 And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his servants wept very bitterly.

37 ^zBut Absalom fled and went to ^aaTalmai the son of Ammihud, king of ^abGeshur. And David mourned for his son day after day. 38 ^acSo Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 And the spirit of the king ^{▼▼Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint; Hebrew David} longed to go out ^{▼▼Compare Vulgate ceased to go out} to Absalom, because ^afhe was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.

2 Samuel 16

David and Ziba

1 When David had passed a little beyond ^agthe summit, ^ahZiba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, ^aia hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, ^aj“The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who ^akfaint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 And the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” ^alZiba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.’” 4 Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”

Shimei Curses David

5 When King David came to ^amBahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was ^anShimei, the son of Gera, and as he came ^aohe cursed continually. 6 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. 7 And Shimei said as he ^apcursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! 8 The Lord ^aqhas avenged on you all ^arthe blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”

9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this ^asdead dog ^atcurse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” 10 But the king said, ^au“What have I to do with you, ^avyou sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, ^awmy own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12 It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, ^{▼▼Septuagint, Vulgate will look upon my affliction} and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.” 13 So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and ^aycursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. 14 And the king, and all the people who were with him, ^azarrived weary at the Jordan. ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew lacks at the Jordan} And there he refreshed himself.

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

15 ^bbNow Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16 And when Hushai the Archite, ^bcDavid’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, ^bd“Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17 And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? ^beWhy did you not go with your friend?” 18 And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 And again, ^bfwhom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.”

20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What shall we do?” 21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to ^bgyour father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and ^bhthe hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom ^bion the roof. And Absalom went in to his father’s concubines ^bjin the sight of all Israel. 23 Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, ^bkboth by David and by Absalom.

Job 5:17-18

17 “Behold, ^blblessed is the one whom God reproves;
therefore ^bmdespise not the discipline of the ^bnAlmighty.
18 For he wounds, but he ^bobinds up;
he ^bpshatters, but his hands heal.

Psalms 66:10-12

10 For you, O God, have ^bqtested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into ^brthe net;
you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
12 you let men ^bsride over our heads;
we went through fire and through ^btwater;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

Psalms 94:12-13

12 ^buBlessed is the man whom you ^bvdiscipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him ^bwrest from ^bxdays of trouble,
until ^bya pit is dug for the wicked.