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Accordingly, he presently
ordered her to be brought to him; and when she was come, Amnon bade her make
cakes for him, and fry them in a pan, and do it all with her own hands, because
he should take them better from her hand [than from any one's else]. So she
kneaded the flour in the sight of her brother, and made him cakes, and baked
them in a pan, and brought them to him; but at that time he would not taste
them, but gave order to his servants to send all that were there out of his
chamber, because he had a mind to repose himself, free from tumult and
disturbance. As soon as what he had commanded was done, he desired his sister
to bring his supper to him into the inner parlor; which, when the damsel had
done, he took hold of her, and endeavored to persuade her to lie with him.
Whereupon the damsel cried out, and said,
"Nay, brother, do not
force me, nor be so wicked as to transgress the laws, and bring upon thyself
the utmost confusion. Curb this thy unrighteous and impure lust, from which our
house will get nothing but reproach and disgrace."
She also advised him to speak
to his father about this affair; for he would permit him [to marry her]. This
she said, as desirous to avoid her brother's violent passion at present. But he
would not yield to her; but, inflamed with love and blinded with the vehemency
of his passion, he forced his sister: but as soon as Amnon had satisfied his
lust, he hated her immediately, and giving her reproachful words, bade her rise
up and be gone. And when she said that this was a more injurious treatment than
the former, if, now he had forced her, he would not let her stay with him till
the evening, but bid her go away in the day-time, and while it was light, that
she might meet with people that would be witnesses of her shame, - he commanded
his servant to turn her out of his house.
Whereupon she was sorely
grieved at the injury and violence that had been offered to her, and rent her
loose coat, (for the virgins of old time wore such loose coats tied at the
hands, and let down to the ankles, that the inner coats might not be seen,) and
sprinkled ashes on her head; and went up the middle of the city, crying out and
lamenting for the violence that had been offered her. Now Absalom, her brother,
happened to meet her, and asked her what sad thing had befallen her, that she
was in that plight; and when she had told him what injury had been offered her,
he comforted her, and desired her to be quiet, and take all patiently, and not
to esteem her being corrupted by her brother as an injury. So she yielded to
his advice, and left off her crying out, and discovering the force offered her
to the multitude; and she continued as a widow with her brother Absalom a long
time.
2. When David his
father knew this, he was grieved at the actions of Amnon; but because he had an
extraordinary affection for him, for he was his eldest son, he was compelled
not to afflict him; but Absalom watched for a fit opportunity of revenging this
crime upon him, for he thoroughly hated him. Now the second year after this
wicked affair about his sister was over, and Absalom was about to go to shear
his own sheep at Baalhazor, which is a city in the portion of Ephraim, he
besought his father, as well as his brethren, to come and feast with him: but
when David excused himself, as not being willing to be burdensome to him,
Absalom desired he would however send his brethren; whom he did send
accordingly. Then Absalom charged his own servants, that when they should see
Amnon disordered and drowsy with wine, and he should give them a signal, they
should fear nobody, but kill him.
3. When they had done
as they were commanded, the rest of his brethren were astonished and disturbed,
and were afraid for themselves, so they immediately got on horseback, and rode
away to their father; but somebody there was who prevented them, and told their
father they were all slain by Absalom; whereupon he was overcome with sorrow,
as for so many of his sons that were destroyed at once, and that by their
brother also; and by this consideration, that it was their brother that
appeared to have slain them, he aggravated his sorrow for them. So he neither
inquired what was the cause of this slaughter, nor staid to hear any thing
else, which yet it was but reasonable to have done, when so very great, and by
that greatness so incredible, a misfortune was related to him: he rent his
clothes and threw himself upon the ground, and there lay lamenting the loss of
all his sons, both those who, as he was informed, were slain, and of him who
slew them.
But Jonadab, the son of his
brother Shemeah, entreated him not to indulge his sorrow so far, for as to the
rest of his sons he did not believe that they were slain, for he found no cause
for such a suspicion; but he said it might deserve inquiry as to Amnon, for it
was not unlikely that Absalom might venture to kill him on account of the
injury he had offered to Tamar. In the mean time, a great noise of horses, and
a tumult of some people that were coming, turned their attention to them; they
were the king's sons, who were fled away from the feast. So their father met
them as they were in their grief, and he himself grieved with them; but it was
more than he expected to see those his sons again, whom he had a little before
heard to have perished. However, their were tears on both sides; they lamenting
their brother who was killed, and the king lamenting his son, who was killed
also; but Absalom fled to Geshur, to his grandfather by his mother's side, who
was king of that country, and he remained with him three whole years.
4. Now David had a
design to send to Absalom, not that he should come to be punished, but that he
might be with him, for the effects of his anger were abated by length of time.
It was Joab, the captain of his host, that chiefly persuaded him so to do; for
he suborned an ordinary woman, that was stricken in age, to go to the king in
mourning apparel, who said thus to him: - That two of her sons, in a coarse
way, had some difference between them, and that in the progress of that
difference they came to an open quarrel, and that one was smitten by the other,
and was dead; and she desired him to interpose in this case, and to do her the
favor to save this her son from her kindred, who were very zealous to have him
that had slain his brother put to death, that so she might not be further
deprived of the hopes she had of being taken care of in her old age by him; and
that if he would hinder this slaughter of her son by those that wished for it,
he would do her a great favor, because the kindred would not be restrained from
their purpose by any thing else than by the fear of him. And when the king had
given his consent to what the woman had begged of him, she made this reply to
him: -
"I owe thee thanks
for thy benignity to me in pitying my old age, and preventing the loss of my
only remaining child; but in order to assure me of this thy kindness, be first
reconciled to thine own son, and cease to be angry with him; for how shall I
persuade myself that thou hast really bestowed this favor upon me, while thou
thyself continuest after the like manner in thy wrath to thine own son? for it
is a foolish thing to add willfully another to thy dead son, while the death of
the other was brought about without thy consent."
And now the king perceived
that this pretended story was a subornation derived from Joab, and was of his
contrivance; and when, upon inquiry of the old woman, he understood it to be so
in reality, he called for Joab, and told him he had obtained what he requested
according to his own mind; and he bid him bring Absalom back, for he was not
now displeased, but had already ceased to be angry with him. So Joab bowed
himself down to the king, and took his words kindly, and went immediately to
Geshur, and took Absalom with him, and came to Jerusalem.
5. However, the king
sent a message to his son beforehand, as he was coming, and commanded him to
retire to his own house, for he was not yet in such a disposition as to think
fit at present to see him. Accordingly, upon the father's command, he avoided
coming into his presence, and contented himself with the respects paid him by
his own family only. Now his beauty was not impaired, either by the grief he
had been under, or by the want of such care as was proper to be taken of a
king's son, for he still surpassed and excelled all men in the tallness of his
body, and was more eminent [in a fine appearance] than those that dieted the
most luxuriously; and indeed such was the thickness of the hair of his head,
that it was with difficulty that he was polled every eighth day; and his hair
weighed two hundred shekels (15) which
are five pounds.
However, he dwelt in Jerusalem
two years, and became the father of three sons, and one daughter; which
daughter was of very great beauty, and which Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, took
to wife afterward, and had by her a son named Abijah. But Absalom sent to Joab,
and desired him to pacify his father entirely towards him; and to beseech him
to give him leave to come to him to see him, and speak with him. But when Joab
neglected so to do, he sent some of his own servants, and set fire to the field
adjoining to him; which, when Joab understood, he came to Absalom, and accused
him of what he had done; and asked him the reason why he did so. To which
Absalom replied, that
"I have found out
this stratagem that might bring thee to us,while thou hast taken no care to
perform the injunction I laid upon thee, which was this, to reconcile my father
to me; and I really beg it of thee, now thou art here, to pacify my father as
to me, since I esteem my coming hither to be more grievous than my banishment,
while my father's wrath against me continues."
Hereby Joab was persuaded, and
pitied the distress that Absalom was in, and became an intercessor with the
king for him. And when he had discoursed with his father, he soon brought him
to that amicable disposition towards Absalom, that he presently sent for him to
come to him; and when he had cast himself down upon the ground, and had begged
for the forgiveness of his offenses, the king raised him up, and promised him
to forget what he had formerly done.
Footnotes
(15) Of this weight of Absalom's hair, how in twenty or
thirty years it might well amount to two hundred shekels, or to somewhat above
six pounds avoirdupois, see the Literal Accomplishment of Prophecies, p.
77, 78. But a late very judicious author thinks that the LXXX meant not its
weight, but its value, was twenty shekels. — Dr. Wall's Critical Notes
on the Old Testament, upon 2 Samuel 14:26. It does not appear what was
Josephus's opinion: he sets the text down honestly as he found it in his
copies, only he thought that
"at the end of
days,"
when Absalom polled or weighed
his hair, was once a week.
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