Amnon and Tamar

¹Now wAbsalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was xTamar. And after a time Amnon, David's son, loved her. ²And 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. ³But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of yShimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. ⁴And 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.” ⁵Jonadab 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.’” ⁶So 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 zmake a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”

⁷Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon's house and prepare food for him.” ⁸So 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. ⁹And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, a“Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. ¹⁰Then 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. ¹¹But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” ¹²She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate1 me, for bsuch a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this coutrageous thing. ¹³As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of dthe outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” ¹⁴But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.

¹⁵Then 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!” ¹⁶But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.”2 But he would not listen to her. ¹⁷He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” ¹⁸Now she was wearing ea long robe with sleeves,3 for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. ¹⁹And Tamar fput ashes on her head and gtore the long robe that she wore. And hshe laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰And 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. ²¹When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.4 ²²But Absalom spoke to Amnon ineither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.

Absalom Murders Amnon

²³After two full years Absalom had jsheepshearers at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons. ²⁴And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” ²⁵But 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. ²⁶Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. ²⁸Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon's kheart 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.” ²⁹So 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.

³⁰While 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.” ³¹Then the king arose and ltore his garments and mlay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments. ³²But nJonadab 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. ³³Now therefore let not my lord the king so otake it to heart as to suppose that all the king's sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.”

Absalom Flees to Geshur

³⁴pBut 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 him5 by the side of the mountain. ³⁵And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king's sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about.” ³⁶And 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.

³⁷qBut Absalom fled and went to rTalmai the son of Ammihud, king of sGeshur. And David mourned for his son day after day. ³⁸qSo Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. ³⁹And the spirit of the king6 longed to go out7 to Absalom, because the was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.

¹tWorking together with him, then, uwe appeal to you vnot to receive the grace of God in vain. ²For he says,

w“In a favorable time I listened to you,

and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, xnow is the yfavorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. ³We zput no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, ⁴but aas servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: bby great endurance, cin afflictions, dhardships, calamities, ⁵ebeatings, imprisonments, friots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; ⁶gby purity, hknowledge, patience, kindness, ithe Holy Spirit, jgenuine love; ⁷by ktruthful speech, and lthe power of God; with mthe weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; ⁸through honor and dishonor, nthrough slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; ⁹as unknown, and oyet well known; pas dying, and behold, we live; qas punished, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ras sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; sas poor, yet making many rich; tas having nothing, uyet possessing everything.

¹¹We have spoken freely to you,1 Corinthians; vour heart is wide open. ¹²You are not restricted by us, but wyou are restricted in your own affections. ¹³xIn return (I speak yas to children) widen your hearts also.

The Temple of the Living God

¹⁴zDo not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For awhat partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or bwhat fellowship has light with darkness? ¹⁵cWhat accord has Christ with Belial?2 Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For dwe are the temple of the living God; as God said,

e“I will make my dwelling among them and fwalk among them,

and gI will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

¹⁷Therefore hgo out from their midst,

and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch no unclean thing;

then I will welcome you,

¹⁸iand I will be a father to you,

and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

says the Lord Almighty.”

Israel's Continuing Rebellion

¹qIn the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain of rthe elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, sand sat before me. ²And the word of the Lord came to me: ³t“Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Is it to inquire of me that you come? uAs I live, declares the Lord God, vI will not be inquired of by you. ⁴wWill you judge them, son of man, will you judge them? xLet them know the abominations of their fathers, ⁵and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: yOn the day when I chose Israel, zI swore1 to the offspring of the house of Jacob, amaking myself known to them in the land of Egypt; zI swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. ⁶On that day I swore to them that bI would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land bflowing with milk and honey, cthe most glorious of all lands. ⁷And I said to them, d‘Cast away the detestable things eyour eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with fthe idols of Egypt; gI am the Lord your God.’ ⁸hBut they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. iNone of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them jand spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. ⁹kBut I acted lfor the sake of my name, mthat it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, nin whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰oSo I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. ¹¹pI gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, qby which, if a person does them, he shall live. ¹²Moreover, I gave them rmy Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, sthat they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. ¹³tBut the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. uThey did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; vand my Sabbaths they greatly profaned.

t“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them in the wilderness, to make a full end of them. ¹⁴But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, win whose sight I had brought them out. ¹⁵Moreover, xI swore to them in the wilderness ythat I would not bring them into the land that I had given them, a land zflowing with milk and honey, zthe most glorious of all lands, ¹⁶because they rejected my rules and did not walk in my statutes, and profaned my Sabbaths; afor their heart went after their idols. ¹⁷Nevertheless, bmy eye spared them, and I did not destroy them or cmake a full end of them in the wilderness.

¹⁸“And I said to dtheir children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk ein the statutes of your fathers, nor keep their rules, fnor defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹gI am the Lord your God; hwalk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, ²⁰and ikeep my Sabbaths holy that jthey may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’ ²¹kBut the children lrebelled against me. mThey did not walk in my statutes and were not careful to obey my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; they profaned my Sabbaths.

n“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. ²²oBut I withheld my hand pand acted for the sake of my name, qthat it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. ²³rMoreover, sI swore to them in the wilderness tthat I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries, ²⁴because they had not obeyed my rules, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my Sabbaths, uand their eyes were set on their fathers' idols. ²⁵vMoreover, I gave them statutes that were not good and rules by which they could not have life, ²⁶and I defiled them through wtheir very gifts win their offering up all their firstborn, that I might devastate them. I did it xthat they might know that I am the Lord.

²⁷“Therefore, yson of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: In this also your fathers blasphemed me, by zdealing treacherously with me. ²⁸For when I had brought them into the land that aI swore to give them, then wherever they saw bany high hill or any leafy tree, there they offered their sacrifices and there they presented cthe provocation of their offering; there they sent up their pleasing aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹(I said to them, d‘What is the high place to which you go?’ So its name is called Bamah2 to this day.)

³⁰“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: eWill you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go fwhoring after their detestable things? ³¹When you present your gifts and goffer up your children in fire,3 you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And hshall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? iAs I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

³²j“What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, k‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, land worship wood and stone.’

The Lord Will Restore Israel

³³i“As I live, declares the Lord God, msurely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and nwith wrath poured out I will be king over you. ³⁴oI will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. ³⁵pAnd I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, qand there I will enter into judgment with you rface to face. ³⁶sAs I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God. ³⁷I will make you tpass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. ³⁸uI will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. vI will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, wbut they shall not enter the land of Israel. xThen you will know that I am the Lord.

³⁹“As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: yGo serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; zbut my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.

⁴⁰a“For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord God, there ball the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. cThere I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. ⁴¹As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when dI bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And eI will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. ⁴²fAnd you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that gI swore to give to your fathers. ⁴³hAnd there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, hand you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. ⁴⁴And you shall know that I am the Lord, iwhen I deal with you for my name's sake, jnot according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

⁴⁵4 And the word of the Lord came to me: ⁴⁶k“Son of man, lset your face toward the southland;5 mpreach against the south, and prophesy against the forest land in the Negeb. ⁴⁷Say to the forest of the Negeb, Hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Behold, nI will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every ogreen tree in you and every odry tree. The blazing flame shall not be quenched, and pall faces from south to north shall be scorched by it. ⁴⁸qAll flesh shall see that I the Lord have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.” ⁴⁹Then I said, r“Ah, Lord God! They are saying of me, s‘Is he not a maker of parables?’”

Psalm 66

How Awesome Are Your Deeds

To the choirmaster. A Song. A Psalm.

¹bShout for joy to God, all the earth;

²sing the glory of his name;

cgive to him glorious praise!

³Say to God, d“How awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power that your enemies ecome cringing to you.

⁴fAll the earth worships you

and sings praises to you;

they sing praises to your name.” Selah

⁵gCome and see what God has done:

dhe is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

⁶He hturned the sea into dry land;

they ipassed through the river on foot.

There did we rejoice in him,

⁷who rules by his might forever,

whose jeyes keep watch on the nations—

let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

⁸Bless our God, O peoples;

let the sound of his praise be heard,

⁹who has kept our soul among the living

and khas not let our feet slip.

¹⁰For you, O God, have ltested us;

you have tried us as silver is tried.

¹¹You brought us into mthe net;

you laid a crushing burden on our backs;

¹²you let men nride over our heads;

we went through fire and through owater;

yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.

¹³I will come into your house with burnt offerings;

I will pperform my vows to you,

¹⁴that which my lips uttered

and my mouth promised qwhen I was in trouble.

¹⁵I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,

with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;

I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah

¹⁶rCome and hear, all you who fear God,

and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

¹⁷I cried to him with my mouth,

and high praise was on1 my tongue.2

¹⁸If I had scherished iniquity in my heart,

tthe Lord would not have listened.

¹⁹But truly uGod has listened;

he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

²⁰Blessed be God,

because he has not rejected my prayer

or removed his steadfast love from me!

Psalm 67

Make Your Face Shine upon Us

To the choirmaster: with vstringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

¹May God wbe gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to xshine upon us, Selah

²that yyour way may be known on earth,

your zsaving power among all nations.

³aLet the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you bjudge the peoples with equity

and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

⁵aLet the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

⁶The earth has cyielded its increase;

God, our God, shall bless us.

⁷God shall bless us;

let dall the ends of the earth fear him!