Unconditional (Queer?) Love

(16) All love that depends on something, when that thing ends, the love ends. All love that does not depend on anything will never end. What is an example of love that depended on a something? This was the love of Amnon and Tamar. And what is an example of love that did not depend on anything? This was the love of David and Jonathan.

(1) This happened sometime afterward: Avshalom son of David had a beautiful sister named Tamar, and Amnon son of David fell in love with her. (2) Amnon was so distraught because of his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her.

(3) Amnon had a friend named Yonadav, the son of David’s brother Shimah; Yonadav was a very clever man. (4) He asked him, “Why are you so dejected, O prince, morning after morning? Tell me!” Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Avshalom!” (5) Yonadav said to him, “Lie down in your bed and pretend you are sick. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in front of me, so that I may look on, and let her serve it to me.’”

(6) So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. The king came to see him, and Amnon said to the king, “Let my sister Tamar come and prepare a couple of cakes in front of me, and let her bring them to me.” (7) David sent a message to Tamar in the palace, “Please go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” (8) Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was in bed. She took dough and kneaded it into cakes in front of him, and cooked the cakes. (9) She took the pan and set out the cakes, but Amnon refused to eat and ordered everyone to withdraw. After everyone had withdrawn, (10) Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food inside and feed me.” Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them to her brother inside. (11) But when she served them to him, he caught hold of her and said to her, “Come lie with me, sister.” (12) But she said to him, “Don’t, brother. Don’t force me. Such things are not done in Israel! Don’t do such a vile thing! (13) Where will I carry my shame? And you, you will be like any of the degenerates in Israel! Please, speak to the king; he will not refuse me to you.” (14) But he would not listen to her; he overpowered her and lay with her by force.

(15) Then Amnon felt a very great hatred for her; indeed, his hatred for her was greater than the love he had felt for her. And Amnon said to her, “Get out!” (16) She pleaded with him, “Please don’t commit this wrong; to send me away would be even worse than the first wrong you committed against me.” But he would not listen to her. (17) He summoned his young attendant and said, “Get this thing out of my presence, and bar the door behind her.”

(1) When [David] had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan’s soul became bound up with the soul of David; Jonathan loved David as himself. (2) Saul took him into his service that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.— (3) Jonathan and David made a pact, because [Jonathan] loved him as himself. (4) Jonathan took off the cloak and tunic he was wearing and gave them to David, together with his sword, bow, and belt. (5) David went out to battle, and he was successful in every mission on which Saul sent him, and Saul put him in command of all the soldiers; this pleased all the troops and Saul’s courtiers as well.

(1) Saul urged his son Jonathan and all his courtiers to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan desired David greatly, (2) and Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is bent on killing you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; get to a secret place and remain in hiding. (3) I will go out and stand next to my father in the field where you will be, and I will speak to my father about you. If I learn anything, I will tell you.”

(17) Jonathan, out of his love for David, adjured him again, for he loved him as himself. (18) Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow will be the new moon; and you will be missed when your seat remains vacant. (19) So the day after tomorrow, go down all the way to the place where you hid the other time, and stay close to the Ezel stone. (20) I will shoot three arrows to one side of it, as though I were shooting at a mark, (21) and I will order the boy to go and find the arrows. If I call to the boy, ‘Hey! the arrows are on this side of you,’ be reassured and come, for you are safe and there is no danger—as the Eternal lives! (22) But if, instead, I call to the lad, ‘Hey! the arrows are beyond you,’ then leave, for the Eternal has sent you away. (23) As for the promise we made to each other, may the Eternal be [witness] between you and me forever.”

(24) David hid in the field. The new moon came, and the king sat down to partake of the meal. (25) When the king took his usual place on the seat by the wall, Jonathan rose and Avner sat down at Saul’s side; but David’s place remained vacant. (26) That day, however, Saul said nothing. “It’s accidental,” he thought. “He must be unclean and not yet cleansed.” (27) But on the day after the new moon, the second day, David’s place was vacant again. So Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal yesterday or today?” (28) Jonathan answered Saul, “David asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. (29) He said, ‘Please let me go, for we are going to have a family feast in our town and my brother has summoned me to it. Do me a favor, let me slip away to see my kinsmen.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”

(30) Saul flew into a rage against Jonathan. “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman!” he shouted. “I know that you side with the son of Jesse—to your shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness! (31) For as long as the son of Jesse lives on earth, neither you nor your kingship will be secure. Now then, have him brought to me, for he is marked for death.” (32) But Jonathan spoke up and said to his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” (33) At that, Saul threw his spear at him to strike him down; and Jonathan realized that his father was determined to do away with David.

(34) Jonathan rose from the table in a rage. He ate no food on the second day of the new moon, because he was grieved about David, and because his father had humiliated him.

(35) In the morning, Jonathan went out into the open for the meeting with David, accompanied by a young boy. (36) He said to the boy, “Run ahead and find the arrows that I shoot.” And as the boy ran, he shot the arrows past him. (37) When the boy came to the place where the arrows shot by Jonathan had fallen, Jonathan called out to the boy, “Hey, the arrows are beyond you!” (38) And Jonathan called after the boy, “Quick, hurry up. Don’t stop!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered the arrows and came back to his master.— (39) The boy suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.— (40) Jonathan handed the gear to his boy and told him, “Take these back to the town.” (41) When the boy got there, David emerged from his concealment at the Negev. He flung himself face down on the ground and bowed low three times. They kissed each other and wept together; David even more so. (42) Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace! For we two have sworn to each other in the name of the Eternal: ‘May the Eternal be [witness] between you and me, and between your offspring and mine, forever!’” (1) David then went his way, and Jonathan returned to the town.

(25) How have the mighty fallen

In the thick of battle—

Jonathan, slain on your heights!

(26) I grieve for you,

My brother Jonathan,

You were most dear to me.

Your love was wonderful to me

More than the love of women.