Bible Reading Plan

2 Samuel 13

Chapter 13

Amnon and Tamar

¹ In the course of time, Amnon^(a) son of David fell in love with Tamar,^(b) the beautiful sister of Absalom^(c) son of David.

² Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.

³ Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah,^(d) David's brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. ⁴ He asked Amnon, "Why do you, the king's son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won't you tell me?"

Amnon said to him, "I'm in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister."

⁵ "Go to bed and pretend to be ill," Jonadab said. "When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.'"

⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, "I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand."

⁷ David sent word to Tamar at the palace: "Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him." ⁸ So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. ⁹ Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat.

"Send everyone out of here,"^(e) Amnon said. So everyone left him. ¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand." And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. ¹¹ But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed^(f) her and said, "Come to bed with me, my sister."^(g)

¹² "No, my brother!" she said to him. "Don't force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel!^(h) Don't do this wicked thing.^{(i) 13} What about me?^(j) Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you." ¹⁴ But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.^(k)

¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, "Get up and get out!"

¹⁶ "No!" she said to him. "Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me."

But he refused to listen to her. ¹⁷ He called his personal servant and said, "Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her." ¹⁸ So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate^[a] robe,^(l) for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. ¹⁹ Tamar put ashes^(m) on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.

²⁰ Her brother Absalom said to her, "Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart." And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom's house, a desolate woman.

²¹ When King David heard all this, he was furious.^{(n) 22} And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad;^(o) he hated^(p) Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.

Absalom Kills Amnon

²³ Two years later, when Absalom's sheepshearers^(q) were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king's sons to come there. ²⁴ Absalom went to the king and said, "Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?"

²⁵ "No, my son," the king replied. "All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you." Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.

²⁶ Then Absalom said, "If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us."

The king asked him, "Why should he go with you?" ²⁷ But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king's sons.

²⁸ Absalom^(r) ordered his men, "Listen! When Amnon is in high^(s) spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,' then kill him. Don't be afraid. Haven't I given you this order? Be strong and brave.^(t)" ²⁹ So Absalom's men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.

³⁰ While they were on their way, the report came to David: "Absalom has struck down all the king's sons; not one of them is left." ³¹ The king stood up, tore^(u) his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn.

³² But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, "My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom's express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. ³³ My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king's sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead."

³⁴ Meanwhile, Absalom had fled.

Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, "I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill."^[b]

³⁵ Jonadab said to the king, "See, the king's sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said."

³⁶ As he finished speaking, the king's sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly.

³⁷ Absalom fled and went to Talmai^(v) son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son.

³⁸ After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. ³⁹ And King David longed to go to Absalom,^(w) for he was consoled^(x) concerning Amnon's death.

Daniel 7

Chapter 7

Daniel's Dream of Four Beasts

¹ In the first year of Belshazzar^(a) king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions^(b) passed through his mind^(c) as he was lying in bed.^(d) He wrote^(e) down the substance of his dream.

² Daniel said: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven^(f) churning up the great sea. ³ Four great beasts,^(g) each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

⁴ "The first was like a lion,^(h) and it had the wings of an eagle.⁽ⁱ⁾ I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

⁵ "And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!'^(j)

⁶ "After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard.^(k) And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

⁷ "After that, in my vision^(l) at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron^(m) teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled⁽ⁿ⁾ underfoot whatever was left.^(o) It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.^(p)

⁸ "While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little^(q) one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being^(r) and a mouth that spoke boastfully.^(s)

⁹ "As I looked,

¹¹ "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking.^(ab) I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.^{(ac) 12} (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

¹³ "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,^[a](ad) coming^(ae) with the clouds of heaven.^(af) He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority,^(ag) glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.^(ah) His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom^(ai) is one that will never be destroyed.^(aj)

The Interpretation of the Dream

¹⁵ "I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.^{(ak) 16} I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.

"So he told me and gave me the interpretation^(al) of these things: ¹⁷ ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. ¹⁸ But the holy people^(am) of the Most High will receive the kingdom^(an) and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.'^(ao)

¹⁹ "Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. ²⁰ I also wanted to know about the ten horns^(ap) on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.^{(aq) 21} As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them,^{(ar) 22} until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.^(as)

²³ "He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.^{(at) 24} The ten horns^(au) are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. ²⁵ He will speak against the Most High^(av) and oppress his holy people^(aw) and try to change the set times^(ax) and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.^[b](ay)

²⁶ "‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed^(az) forever. ²⁷ Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms^(ba) under heaven will be handed over to the holy people^(bb) of the Most High.^(bc) His kingdom will be an everlasting^(bd) kingdom, and all rulers will worship^(be) and obey him.'

²⁸ "This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled^(bf) by my thoughts,^(bg) and my face turned pale,^(bh) but I kept the matter to myself."

Mark 5:1-20