A   After this it chaunced that Absalom the sonne of Dauid had a fayre syster, named Thamar, whom Amnon the sonne of Dauid loued. And he was so sore vexed, that he fell sycke for the loue of hys syster Thamar: for she was a virgyn, and he thought it harde for hym to haue hys purpose of her. But Amnon had a frende, called Ionadab, þe; sonne of Simeah Dauids brother: and &rhand; Ionadab was a very wyse m&abar;. And he sayde vnto him: how cometh it, that thou beyng the kinges sonne, art thus consumed euery daye? Wylt thou not tell me? Amnon answered hym: I loue

Amnon Thamar my brother Absaloms syster. Ionadab sayde vnto him: laye þe; downe on thy bedde, ∧ make thy selfe sicke. And when thy father is come to se the, saye vnto hym: Oh let my syster Thamar come, and geue me meate, ∧ dresse it in my syght, that I maye se it and eate it of her hande.

B   And so Amnon laye downe, ∧ made hym selfe sycke. And wh&ebar; the kynge was come to se him, Amn&obar; sayde vnto him: Oh let Thamar my syster come, ∧ make me a couple of frytters in my sygth, that I maye eate of her hande. Then Dauid sent home to Thamar, say&ebar;g: go now to thy brother Amn&obar; house, and dresse him meate. So Thamar wente to her brother Amn&obar;s house, and he was layed downe. And she toke floure, and made paste, and dressed frytters in his syght, ∧ dyd bake them, and toke a platter, ∧ powred them out before him, but he wolde not eate. And Amnon sayde: Haue out all men from me. And they went all out from hym. And Amnon sayde vnto Thamar: brynge the meate into the chambre, that I maye eate of thyne h&abar;d. And Thamar toke the frytters, whych she had made, ∧ brought them into the chambre to Amnon her brother. And wh&abar; she had set th&ebar; before him, to eate, he toke her, and sayd vnto her: come lye &wt; me my syster. And she answered him: C   nay my brother, do not force me, for there hath no such thinge bene done in Israel: do not thou this abhominacion. For whither shall I be able to go &wt; my shame? And thou shalt be as one of the foles in Israel. O speake vnto the kynge, and he shall not denye me vnto the.

Howbeit he wolde not herken vnto her voyce but toke her, ∧ ^note forced her, and laye &wt; her. And th&ebar; Amnon hated her excedynglye: so that þe; hate wher wyth he hated her, was greater then þe; loue, &wt; which he before loued her. And Amnon sayde vnto her: vp, ∧ get þe; h&ebar;ce. She answered h&ibar;: Thou hast no cause. This euell þt; þu; puttest me awaye is greater then þe; other that þu; dyddest vnto me. Neuerthelesse he wolde not heare her, but called his boye that serued him, ∧ sayd: put a waye this woman fr&obar; me, ∧ bolt þe; dore after her. And she had a kirtell of diuerse coloures vp&obar; her: for &wt; soche were þe; kynges daughters (that were virgines) appareled. D   Th&ebar; his serua&ubar;t brought her oute, &abar;d locked þe; dore after her. And Thamar toke ∧ put asshes on her heed, ∧ rent her gaye kyrtell þt; was on her, ∧ layed her hande on her heed, ∧ so w&ebar;t: ∧ as she w&ebar;t, cryed. And Absalom her brother sayde vnto her: hath Amnon thy brother bene with the? Now yet be still my syster: he is thy brother. Let not this thynge greue thine hert And so Thamar remayned desolate in her brother Absaloms house. But whan kynge Dauid heard of all these th&ibar;ges, he was very wroth. (And he wolde not vexe the sprete of Amnon hys sonne: for he loued hym, because he was hys fyrstborne.) And Absalom sayde vnto hys brother Amnon nether good ner badd. Howbeit Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced hys syster Thamar.

E   And it happened after two yere, that Absal&obar; had ^note shepe shearers in þe; playne of Hazor besyde the trybe of Ephraim, ∧ bad all þe; kynges sonnes, and cam to the kyng, ∧ sayd: beholde, thy seruaunt hath shepe sherers, let the kynge &wt; his seruauntes come to thy seruaunte. The king answered Absalom: naye my sonne. We will not go all, ner be chargeable vnto the. And Absalom laye sore vpon hym: howbeit he wolde not go, but blessed hym. Then sayd Absalom: Yf thou wylt not come, then let my brother Amnon go &wt; vs. And the kynge answered hym: what nedeth it, that he go wyth the? But Absalom made soche inst&abar;ce that he let Amnon, ∧ all þe; kynges chyldren go with hym.

Nowe had Absalom c&obar;ma&ubar;ded his yo&ubar;ge men, sayenge: marke when Amnons hert is mery wyth wyne ∧ when I byd you smyte Amnon, then kyll hym: and feare not, haue not I bydden you? be bolde therfore, ∧ playe the men. F   And the younge men of Absal&obar; dyd vnto Amnon euen as Absalom had c&obar;ma&ubar;ded. And all the kynges sonnes arose, ∧ euery man gat hym vp, vpon hys Mule, ∧ fled. And it fortuned, that whyle they were yet in the waye, tydynges cam to Dauid say&ebar;g: Absal&obar; hath slayne all the kynges sonnes, ∧ there is none left alyue. Then Dauid arose, ∧ ^note tare his garmentes, and laye along on þe; erth: ∧ all his seruauntes stode by with theyr clothes rent. And Ionadab the sonne of Simeah Dauids brother, answered, and sayde: let not my Lorde suppose þt; they haue slayne all the younge men the kynges sonnes, saue Amnon only is deed. For that hath bene determined in Absaloms mynde, sence he forced hys syster Thamar. Nowe therfore, let not my Lorde the kynge take the thynge so greuouslye, to thincke that all þe; kinges sonnes are deed, saue Amnon only is deed.

G   But Absalom fled. And the younge man that kept the watche, lyfte vp hys eyes, and loked: And beholde, ther cam moche people by a waye, a longe by the hynder parte on an hylles syde. And Ionadab sayde vnto the kynge: beholde, the kynges sonnes come: As thy seruaunt sayde, so it is. And as sone as he had lefte speakynge: beholde, the kynges sonnes came, and lyfte vp theyr voyces, and wepte. The kynge also and all hys seruauntes wepte excedyngly. But Absalom escaped, and w&ebar;t to Thalmai the sonne of Amihur kynge of Gesur. And Dauid mourned for hys sonne euery daye. And so Absalom escaped and went to Gesur, and was there

Dauid thre yeares. And kynge Dauid desyred to go forth vnto Absalom: For where as Amnon was deed, he was comforted ouer hym.

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