Proverbs 19:13

⁹It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than to share a house with a contentious woman.

¹⁵A continual dropping on a rainy day and a contentious wife are alike:

²⁴It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than to share a house with a contentious woman.

^1[+] The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

¹After this, Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. ²Amnon was so troubled that he became sick because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her. ³But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man. ⁴He said to him, “Why, son of the king, are you so sad from day to day? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”

⁵Jonadab said to him, “Lay down on your bed and pretend to be sick. When your father comes to see you, tell him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’”

⁶So Amnon lay down and faked being sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”

⁷Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.” ⁸So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. ⁹She took the pan and poured them out before him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said, “Have all men leave me.” Then every man went out from him. ¹⁰Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the room, that I may eat from your hand.” Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the room to Amnon her brother. ¹¹When she had brought them near to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister!”

¹²She answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me! For no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Don’t you do this folly! ¹³As for me, where would I carry my shame? And as for you, you will be as one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.”

¹⁴However, he would not listen to her voice; but being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her. ¹⁵Then Amnon hated her with exceedingly great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Arise, be gone!”

¹⁶She said to him, “Not so, because this great wrong in sending me away is worse than the other that you did to me!” But he would not listen to her.

¹⁷Then he called his servant who ministered to him, and said, “Now put this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her.”

¹⁸She had a garment of various colors on her, for the king’s daughters who were virgins dressed in such robes. Then his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her.

¹⁹It is better to dwell in a desert land, than with a contentious and fretful woman.

²⁰A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹He who becomes the father of a fool grieves. The father of a fool has no joy.

¹⁹The waters wear the stones. The torrents of it wash away the dust of the earth. So you destroy the hope of man.

²⁵A foolish son brings grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.