Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The XIII. Chapter.

ANd it: fortuned after this, that Absa¦lom [ A] y^e sonne of Dauid had a fayre sis∣ter, whose name was Thamar, & Am∣mon the sonne of Dauid loued her. And Am¦mon was in greate combraunce, in so moch that he was euen sicke, because of Thamar his sister. For she was a virgin, and Ammon thoughte it shulde be harde for him to do eny thinge vnto her. But Ammon had a frēde, whose name was Ionadab the sonne of Simea Dauids brother, And the same Io∣nadab was a very wyse man, which sayde vnto him: Why art thou so leane (thou kyn∣ges sonne) from daye to daye? Mayest thou not tell me? Then sayde Ammon vnto him: I loue Thamar my brother Absaloms sister ex∣ceadingly.

Ionadab sayde vnto him: laye the dow∣ne [ B] vpon thy bedd, and make the sicke. And

whan thy father commeth to loke how thou doest, saye vnto him: Oh let my sister Tha∣mar come, that she maye fede me, and make a meece of meate before me, that I maye se it, & eate it of hir hande. So Ammon layed him downe, and made him sicke. Now whā the kynge came in to loke how he dyd, Am∣mon sayde vnto the kynge: Oh let my sister Thamar come, and make me a syppynge or two, and that I maye eate it of hir hand••. Then sent Dauid for Thamar in to the hou¦se, and sayde vnto her: Go thy waye to thy brother Ammons house, & make him a mee∣ce of meate. Thamar wente vnto hir bro∣ther Amons house, but he laye in his bed. And she toke floure, and mixte it, and dighte it before his eyes, and made him a syppyn∣ge. And she toke the meece of meate, and poured it out before him: but he wolde not eate.

[ C] And Ammon saide: Put forth euery man fro me. And euery man wēte forth from him. Then sayde Ammon vnto Thamar: Bryn∣ge me that meece of meate in to the cham∣ber, that I maye eate it of thy hande. Then toke Thamar y^e syppynge that she had ma¦de, and broughte it vnto Ammon hir brother in to the chamber.

And whan she broughte it vnto him y^t he mighte eate, he toke holde of her, & sayde vn∣to her: Come my sister, lye with me. Neuer∣theles she saide: Oh no my brother, force me not: for so do they not in Israel, do not thou soch foly. Whither shal I go with my sha∣me? And thou shalt be as one of the vnwy∣se in Israel. But speake vnto the kynge, he shal not withholde me from the.

[ D] Howbeit he wolde not herken vnto her, and ouercame her, and forced her, and laye with her. And Ammon hated her exceading¦ly, so that the hate was greater then the lo∣ue was before. And Ammon sayde vnto her: Vp, and get the hence.

She saide vnto him: This euell that thou thrustest me out, is greater then the o∣ther, that thou hast done vnto me. Neuer∣theles he herkened not vnto her, but called his boye that serued him, and sayde: Put a∣waye this woman fro me, and locke the dore after her. And she had a partye garment on: for soch garmentes wayre y^e kynges dough¦ters whyle they were virgins.

And whā his seruaunt had put hir forth, & lockte the dore after her, Thamar strowed aszshes vpon hir heade, and rente the par∣tye garment which she had vpon her, and layed hir hande vpon hir heade, and wente on, and cryed. And hir brother Absalom say¦de vnto her: Hath thy brother Ammon bene with the? Now holde thy peace my sister, it is thy brother, and take not the matter so to hert.

So Thamar remayned a wyddowe in brother Absaloms house. And whan kynge Dauid herde of all this, he was very sory. As for Absalom, he spake nether euell ner good to Ammon: but Absalom hated Am¦mon, because he had forced his sister Tha∣mar.

After two yeares had Absalom shepe clyppers at Baal Hazor, which lyeth by Ephraim. And Absalom called all the kyn∣ges children, and came to the kynge, and say¦de: Beholde, thy seruaunt hath shepe clyp∣pers, let it please y^e kynge with his seruaun¦tes to go with his seruaunte. But the kynge sayde vnto Absalom: No my sonne, let vs not all go, lest we be to chargeable vnto the.

And he wolde nedes haue had him to go, howbeit he wolde not, but blessed him. Ab∣salom sayde: Shall my brother Ammon go with vs then? The kynge sayde vnto him Wherfore shall he go with the? Then was Absalom so importune vpon him, that he let Ammon and all the kynges childrē go with him.

But Absalom commaunded his yonge men, and sayde: Take hede whan Ammon is mery with wyne (and I saye vnto you: Smyte Ammon, and slaye him) that ye be not afrayed: for I haue commaunded you, be stronge, and playe the men. So Absaloms yonge men dyd vnto Ammon, as Absalom had commaunded them. Then stode all the kynges children vp, and euery one gat him vp vpō his Mule, and fled. And whyle they were yet on their waye, the rumoure came to kynge Dauid, that Absalom had slayne all the kynges children, so that not one of them was lefte.

Then stode the kynge vp, and rente his clothes, & layed him downe vpon the earth, and all his seruaūtes that stode aboute him, rente their clothes. Then answered Iona∣dab y^e sonne of Simea Dauids brother, and sayde: Let not my lorde thynke that all the yonge men the kynges children are deed, but y^t Ammon is deed onely: for Absalom hath kepte it in him selfe sence the daie that he for¦ced his sister Thamar. Therfore let not my lorde the kynge take it so to hert, that all the kynges children shulde be deed, but that Am¦mon is deed onely.

[ G] As for Absalom, he fled. And the yonge man that kepte the watch, lifte vp his eyes, and loked, and beholde, A greate people ca∣me in the waye one after another by the hill syde. Then sayde Ionadab vnto the kynge: Beholde, the kynges children come. Euen as thy seruaunt sayde, so is it happened. And whan he had ended his talkynge, the kyn∣ges children came, and lifte vp their voyce, and wepte.

The kynge and all his seruauntes wepte also very sore. But Absalom fled, and wente vnto Thalmai the sonne of Ammihud kyn∣ge of Gesur. As for Dauid, he mourned for his sonne euery daye. Whan Absalom was fled and gone vnto Gesur, he was there thre yeare. And kynge Dauid ceassed from goin¦ge out agaynst Absalom, for he had com∣forted him selfe ouer Ammon that he was deed.

Notes

• Gen. 34. a Leui. 18. a