2 Samuel 13
Open in the reader1After some time, Beloved’s son Faithful fell in love with Palm-Tree, the beautiful sister of Beloved’s son Father-of-Peace.
2Faithful was sick with frustration over his sister Palm-Tree, for she was a virgin, and it seemed implausible for him to do anything to her.
3Now Faithful had a friend named He-Who-Is-Willing, the son of Beloved’s brother Hearing. He-Who-Is-Willing was a very shrewd man,
4and he asked Faithful, “Why are you, the son of the king, so depressed morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?” Faithful replied, “I am in love with Palm-Tree, my brother Father-of-Peace’s sister.”
5He-Who-Is-Generous told him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Palm-Tree come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare it in my sight so I may watch her and eat it from her hand.’”
6So Faithful lay down and feigned illness. When the king came to see him, Faithful said, “Please let my sister Palm-Tree come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I may eat from her hand.”
7Then Beloved sent word to Palm-Tree at the palace: “Please go to the house of Faithful your brother and prepare a meal for him.”
8So Palm-Tree went to the house of her brother Faithful, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked them.
9Then she brought the pan and set it down before him, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone away!” said Faithful. And everyone went out.
10Then Faithful said to Palm-Tree, “Bring the food into the bedroom, so that I may eat it from your hand.” Palm-Tree took the cakes she had made and went to her brother Faithful’s bedroom.
11And when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said, “Come lie with me, my sister!”
12“No, my brother!” she cried. “Do not violate me, for such a thing should never be done in Strives-with-God. Do not do this disgraceful thing!
13Where could I ever take my shame? And you would be like one of the fools in Strives-with-God! Please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”
14But Faithful refused to listen to her, and being stronger, he violated her and lay with her.
15Then Faithful hated Palm-Tree with such intensity that his hatred was greater than the love he previously had. “Get up!” he said to her. “Be gone!”
16“No,” she replied, “sending me away is worse than this great wrong you have already done to me!” But he refused to listen to her.
17Instead, he called to his attendant and said, “Throw this woman out and bolt the door behind her!”
18So Faithful’s attendant threw her out and bolted the door behind her. Now Palm-Tree was wearing a robe of many colors, because this is what the king’s virgin daughters wore.
19And Palm-Tree put ashes on her head and tore her robe. And putting her hand on her head, she went away crying aloud.
20Her brother Father-of-Peace said to her, “Has your brother Faithful been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart.” So Palm-Tree lived as a desolate woman in the house of her brother Father-of-Peace.
21When King Beloved heard all this, he was furious.
22And Father-of-Peace never said a word to Faithful, either good or bad, because he hated Faithful for violating his sister Palm-Tree.
23Two years later, when Father-of-Peace’s sheepshearers were at Master-of-Hazor near Double-Fruit, he invited all the sons of the king.
24And he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his servants please come with me?”
25“No, my son,” the king replied, “we should not all go, or we would be a burden to you.” Although Father-of-Peace urged him, he was not willing to go, but gave him his blessing.
26“If not,” said Father-of-Peace, “please let my brother Faithful go with us.” “Why should he go with you?” the king asked.
27But Father-of-Peace urged him, so the king sent Faithful and the rest of his sons.
28Now Father-of-Peace had ordered his young men, “Watch Faithful until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Faithful down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!”
29So Father-of-Peace’s young men did to Faithful just as Father-of-Peace had ordered. Then all the other sons of the king got up, and each one fled on his mule.
30While they were on the way, a report reached Beloved: “Father-of-Peace has struck down all the sons of the king; not one of them is left!”
31Then the king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground. And all his servants stood by with their clothes torn.
32But He-Who-Is-Willing, the son of Beloved’s brother Hearing, spoke up: “My lord must not think they have killed all the sons of the king, for only Faithful is dead. In fact, Father-of-Peace has planned this since the day Faithful violated his sister Palm-Tree.
33So now, my lord the king, do not take to heart the report that all the sons of the king are dead. Only Faithful is dead.”
34Meanwhile, Father-of-Peace had fled. When the young man standing watch looked up, he saw many people coming down the road west of him, along the side of the hill . And the watchman went and reported to the king , “I see men coming from the direction of Two-Caves , along the side of the hill.”
35So He-Who-Is-Willing said to the king, “Look, the sons of the king have arrived! It is just as your servant said.”
36And as he finished speaking, the sons of the king came in, wailing loudly. Then the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.
37Now Father-of-Peace fled and went to Furrowed son of My-Kinsman-Is-Splendor, the king of Bridge. But Beloved mourned for his son every day.
38After Father-of-Peace had fled and gone to Bridge, he stayed there three years.
39And King Beloved longed to go to Father-of-Peace, for he had been consoled over Faithful’s death.