1. David's son Absalom had a beautiful unmarried sister named Tamar. Amnon, another of David's sons, fell in love with her.
2. He was so much in love with her that he became ill, because it seemed impossible for him to have her; as a virgin, she was kept from meeting men.
3. But he had a friend, a very shrewd man named Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shammah.
4. Jonadab said to Amnon, “You are the king's son, yet day after day I see you looking sad. What's the matter?”“I'm in love with Tamar, the sister of my half-brother Absalom,” he answered.
5. Jonadab said to him, “Pretend that you are ill and go to bed. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please ask my sister Tamar to come and feed me. I want her to prepare the food here where I can see her, and then serve it to me herself.’ ”
6. So Amnon pretended that he was ill and went to bed.King David went to see him, and Amnon said to him, “Please let Tamar come and make a few cakes here where I can see her, and then serve them to me herself.”
7. So David sent word to Tamar in the palace: “Go to Amnon's house and prepare some food for him.”
8. She went there and found him in bed. She took some dough, prepared it, and made some cakes there where he could see her. Then she baked the cakes