II Samuel - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 325

12-30 THE PERIOD OF SAMUEL.——II. SAM. 13—···18 forces and went to Rabnh, and attacked and captured it, and took the crown from 0H the head of its king. Its value was a talent of gold and the beautiful stone on the top was David’s. And they brought out from the town A very great quantity of booty. He also- brought out the people and settled them in Megrah, and at the iron—works, and to manu- facture iron, and distributed them through his dominions. and did the same to all the cities of the Beni·· Amon. After which David returned with all the forces to jerusalem. (Bc. 1¤32.) Qrigzzs mth Qixszxsimu 13 in the family nf Qnhih. These events followed. Absalom,

the son of David, had a, beautiful cousin whose name was Thamar, and Amnou the son of David loved her; and Amnon grieved until he made himself ill because of Thamar his cousin, for she was a maiden. But it was dimcult in the opinion of Amnon to acquire her in any way. Amnon, however, had a friend,

named ]'ouadab, the son of Shemiah, the brother of David. This ]’onadab was a very crafty man, so he asked Why, now, are you like this? A king’s son dowrxhearted morning after morning! Why not tell me? ’ It is

about Thamar, the cousin of Absa· lom, whom I love! Lie

on your bed, and sham sicknes; when your father will come to see you. Then say to him, ‘ Will you send Thamar, my cousin, and let her make cakes before my eyes, so that I may see it, and I will eat from Amnon consequently lay down, as

if sick, and the king came to see

1 Ch. 12, v. 31. The hideous cruelties repre-

sented by the Septuagint, Vulgate, and our old translators, to have been practised upon his captives by David, have perverted this passage into one totally contrary in meaning to the Hebrew text, w ich is as Ireuder it. The Latin translators, full of the national brutality of their couutrgmen, the Romans, seemed to imagine that t e more atrociously cruel they represented a man to be, the more ilorious an admirable he would appear. %`his was the ideal of the heathen Romans, but not of the Sacred Scriptures, and it is a shame to modern scholars to have been enslaved to it so l0ng.·—E F. I wish you to send Thamar my cousin, and let her prepare food and do the cooking before my sight, so that I may see it, and I will eat after her David therefore sent to Thamar at

Come to the house of Amuou, your cousin, and make Thamar, therefore, went to the

house of Amuon, her cousin, and he was lying down. Then she took the 9 dough and lmeaded it, and made pancakes and baked the cakes, and took the fry—-pan and the dough to him, but he refund to eat. Let every one go out from me! They all went out from him., Then Amnon said to Thamar,

‘ Bring me the cakes to the chamber, and I will eat them from your hand. So 'Phamar took the pancakes

which she had made, and brought them to Amnou, her cousin, in the chamber, and she offered him the food, but he seized her and said, ‘Come to me! lie with me! my No, my

cousin, I will not, for such a thing should not be done in Israel! Do not commit such a crime as that! And would you expose me to scorn? And expose yourself as one of the blackguards in Israel? But you, speak, I pray, to the king, for he would not refuse me to you ! But he would not listen to her, and

being stronger than her, he over— powered and violated her. Then Amncn hated her with a very great hatred ;—~for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the lust with which he had lusted for her, Get up! Be off! ’ D0 not

add to this great wrong, that you have done to me, by driving me out! He would not, however, listen to

her, but called to an attendant who Drive this woman out at once from me into the street, and lock the door Now she wore a long—sleeved robe,

such as the daughters of the king wore, with a maiden’s cloak, yet his valet sent her out into the street, and locked the door after her. 325 I0 II IZ i6 18