16. Tamar said to him, “No! Sending me away would be worse than what you’ve already done!”But he refused to listen to her.
17. He called his young servant back in and said, “Get this woman out of here and away from me! Lock the door after her.”
18. So his servant led her out of the room and bolted the door after her.Tamar was wearing a special robe with long sleeves, because the king’s virgin daughters wore this kind of robe.
19. To show how upset she was, Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her special robe and put her hand on her head. Then she went away, crying loudly.
20. Absalom, Tamar’s brother, said to her, “Has Amnon, your brother, forced you to have sexual relations with him? For now, sister, be quiet. He is your half-brother. Don’t let this upset you so much!” So Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house and was sad and lonely.
21. When King David heard the news, he was very angry.
22. Absalom did not say a word, good or bad, to Amnon. But he hated Amnon for disgracing his sister Tamar.
23. Two years later Absalom had some men come to Baal Hazor, near Ephraim, to cut the wool from his sheep. Absalom invited all the king’s sons to come also.
24. Absalom went to the king and said, “I have men coming to cut the wool. Please come with your officers and join me.”