The Byble in Englyshe that is to saye, the content of all the holye scrypture, bothe of the olde and newe Testament, truly translated after the veryte of the Hebrue and Greke textes, by the diligent studye of dyuers excellent lerned [men e]xperte in the fore[saide] tongues.

¶ Amnen Dauids sonne desyleth his systet Thamae. Absalom therfore hylleth Amnon.

CAPI. XIII.

AFter this it chaūced that Absalom the [unspec A] son of Dauid had a fayre syster, named Thamar, whome Amnon the sonne of Dauid loued. And he was so fore vered, that he fell sycke for the loue of his syster Tha∣mar: for she was a virgyn, and he thought it herde for hym to haue his purpose of her. But Amnon had a frende, called Ionadab / the sonne of Simeah Dauids brother: and ☞ Ionadab was a very wyse man. And he sayde vnto hym: howe cōmeth it, that thou beynge the kyng{is} sonne, arte thus consumed euery daye? Wylt thou not tell me? Amnon answered hym: I loue Thamar my brother Absaloms syster. Ionadab sayde vnto hym: laye the downe on thy bed, & make thy selfe sycke. And when thy father is come to se the / saye vnto hym: Oh lette my syster Thamar come, & gyue me meat, & dresse it in my syght, that I maye se it and eate it of her hande.

And so Amnon laye downe, & made hym [unspec B] selfe sycke. And when the kynge was come to se hym, Amnon sayd vnto hym: Oh let Tha∣mar my syster come, and make me a couple of frytters in my syght, that I maye eate of her hande. Then Dauid sent home to Tha∣mar, sayenge: go nowe to thy brother Am∣nons house, & dresse hym meat. So Thamar went to her brother Amnons house, & he was layde downe. And she toke floure, and made paste, and dressed frytters in his syght, & dyd bake them, & toke a platter, & powred them out before hym, but he wolde not cate. And Amnon sayde: Haue out all men from me. And they went all out from hym. And Am∣non sayde vnto Thamar: brynge the meate into the chambrē, that I maye eate of thyne hande. And Thamar toke the frytters which she had made, & brought them into the cham¦bre to Amnō her brother. And when she had set them before hym, to cate, he toke her, and sayde vnto her: come lye with me my syster.

And she answered hym: nay my brother / do [unspec C] not force me, for there hath no such thyng ben done in Israell: do not thou this ab ho∣minacyon. For whyther shall I be able to go with my shame? And thou shalt be as one of the fooles in Israel. O speake vnto the kyng and he shall not denye me vnto the. Now be••t he wolde not herken vnto her voyce but toke her, and forced her, and laye with her. And then Amnon hated her excedynglye: so that the hate wher with he hated her, was greater then the loue with which he before loued her. And Amnon sayde vnto her: vp, and get the hence. She answered hym. Thou hast no cause. This euyll that thou puttest me away is greater then the other that thou dydest vn to me. Neuerthelesse he wolde not heare her, but called his boye that serued hym, & sayde: put awaye this woman from me, & bolte the dore after her. And she had a kyrtell of dy∣uerse colours vpon her: for with soche were the kynges doughters (that were virgyns) apparelled. Then his seruaunt brought her [unspec D] out, and locked the dore after her. And Tha∣mar toke and put asshes on her heade, & rent her gaye kyrtell that was on her, & la•• de her hande on her heade, and so went, and as she went, cryed. And Absalom her brother sayde vnto her: hath Amnon thy brother ben with

the? Now yet be styll my syster: he is thy bro∣ther. Let not this thynge greue thyne herte. And so thamar remayned desolate in her bro¦ther Absaloms house. But whē kyng Dauid herde of all these thyng{is}, he was very wroth. ❀ (And he vvolde not vexe the spiryte of Am∣non his son for he loued hym, bycause he vvas his fyrst borne.) And Absalom sayd vnto his brother Amnon neyther good nor bad. Nowe be it Absalom hated Amnon bycause he had [unspec E] forced his syster Thamar. And it happened after two yeare, that Absalom had shepe shearers in the playne of Nazor, besyde the trybe of Ephraim, and bad all the kynges sonnes, and came to the kynge, & sayde: be∣holde, thy seruaunt hath shepe shearers, let the kyng with his seruaūtes come to thy ser∣uaunt. The kynge answered Absalom: naye my sonne. We wyll not go al, nor be charge∣able vnto the. And Absalom laye sore vpon hym: howbeit he wolde not go, but blessed hym. Then sayde Absalom: Yf thou wylt not come, then let my brother Amnō go with vs. And the kynge answered hym: what nedeth it, that he go with the? But Bvsalom made soche instance that he let Amnon, and all the kyng{is} chyldren go with hym. Now had Ab∣salom cōmaunded his yonge men sayenge: marke when Amnons herte is mery w^t wyne and when I byd you smyte Amnon, then kyl hym: & feare not, haue not I bydden you? be holde therfore, & play the men. And the yong [unspec F] men of Absalom dyd vnto Amnon euen as Absalom had cōmaunded. And all the kyng{is} sonnes arose, & euery man gat hym vp, vpon his Mule, & fled. And it fortuned, that whyle they were yet in the waye, tydynges came to Dauid sayenge: Absalom hath steyne all the kynges sonnes, & ther is none lefte alyue. Then Dauid arose, & tare his garmentes / & laye alonge on the earth: & all his seruaun∣tes stode by with theyr clothes rent. And Io∣nadah the son of Simeah Dauids brother / answered, and sayd: let not my lorde suppose that they haue sleyne all the yonge men / the kynges sonnes, saue Amnon onely is deade. For that hath ben determyned in Absaloms mynde, sence he forced his syster Thamar. Now therfore, let not my lorde the kyng take [unspec G] the thynge so greuouslye, to thynke that all the kyng{is} sonnes are dead, but Amnon only is deade. But Absalom fled. And the yonge man that kepte the watche, lyfte vp his eyes and loked: And beholde, there came moche peple by a way that was behynde his backe / alonge by an hylles syde. And Ionadab sayd vnto the kynge: beholde, the kynges sonnes come: As thy seruaunte sayd, so it is. And as soone as he had lefte speakynge: beholde, the kynges sonnes came, & lyfte vp theyr voyces and wepte. The kynge also and all his ser∣uauntes wepte excedynglye. But Absalom escaped, & went to Thalmai the son of Ami∣hur kynge of Gesur. And Dauid mourned for his son euery daye. And so Absalom esca∣ped & went to Gesur, & was there thre yeres. And kynge Dauid desyred to go forth vnto Absalom: For where as Amnon was deade / he was comforted ouer hym.

Notes

• 〈…〉〈…〉
• E••••te. 3••. c. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. xx•• viii
• ••••. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. l. b and. iii. f.