³ Now Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, the brother of David, and Jonadab was a very crafty individual. ⁴ He asked him, “Why are you, the son of the king, so sullen morning after morning? Will you not tell me?”

Amnon told him, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of Absalom my brother.”

⁵ Jonadab instructed him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please allow Tamar, my sister, to come and prepare some food for me. She should make the food here, so that when I see it, I may eat it from her hand.’ ”