Suencuek 38
1 Hnin at vaengah tah Judahte a manucarhoek taeng lamkah suntla tih Adullami hlang, a mingte Hirah taengah pah.
At that time, Judah left his older and younger brothers and went down from the hilly area and stayed with a man whose name was Hiram, who lived in Adullam [town].
2 Te vaengah Judah loh Kanaan hoel nu, a mingah Shua a hmuh hatah pahoi a loh tih a ih puei.
There he (met/became acquainted with) a woman who was the daughter of a man from Canaan named Shua. He married her. He had sex [EUP] with her,
3 Te dongah pumrhih tih capa a cun vaengah a ming te Er a sak.
and she became pregnant and later gave birth to a son, whom he named Er.
4 Te phoeiah koep pumrhih tih ca a cun hatah a ming te Onan a sak.
Later she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son whom she named Onan.
5 Te phoeiah a rhaep bal tih capa a cun hatah a ming te Shelah a sak. Tedae Shelah a cun vaengah Kezib ah om.
Many years later, when Judah and his family went to live in Kezib [town], Judah’s wife gave birth to another son, whom she named Shelah.
6 Te phoeiah Judah loh a caming Er ham yuu a loh pah tih anih ming tahTamar ni.
When Judah’s oldest son Er [grew up], Judah got a wife for him, a woman named Tamar.
7 Tedae Judah kah a caming Er tah BOEIPA kah mikhmuh ah boethaelaa om dongah anihte BOEIPAloha duek sak.
But Er did something that Yahweh considered to be very wicked, so Yahweh caused him to die.
8 Te dongah Judah loh Onan la, “Na maya yuu taengah kun lamtah anih te yucanah. Te phoeiah na maya ham a tii a ngan thoh pah,” a ti nah.
Then Judah said to Onan, “Your older brother died without having any sons. So marry his widow and have sex [EUP] with her. That is what our customs require that you should do.”
9 Tedae a tii a ngan te amah ham om hae mahpawh tila Onanloha ming dongah, a maya yurho taengah a ih vaengah khaw diklai ah vik a san tih a maya ham tiingan khueh pah pawh.
But Onan knew if he did that, any children who would be born would not be considered to be his. So every time he had sex [EUP] with his brother’s widow, he spilled his semen on the ground, so that she would not get pregnant and produce children for his older brother.
10 Anih kah a saii te BOEIPA mikhmuh ah a lolh bal dongah anih khaw BOEIPAloha duek sak.
Yahweh considered that what he did was wicked, so he caused him to die also.
11 Te vaengah Shelah khaw a maya rhoi bangla duek ve a ti. Te dongah Judah loh a langa Tamar la, “Ka capa Shelah a pantai hil tah na pa im ah nuhmai la khosa mai,” a ti nah. Te dongah Tamar khaw cet tih a napa im ah kho a sak.
Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Return to your father’s house, but do not marry anyone else. When my youngest son Shelah grows up, [he can marry you].” But Judah [really did not want Shelah to marry her, because] he was afraid that then Shelah would die too, just as his older brothers had died. So Tamar [obeyed Judah and] went back to live in her father’s house again.
12 Tedae kum a yet phoeiah tah Judah yuu Shua nute duek. Te dongah Judah khaw hal tih a tu mul aka vo neh a hui Adullami Hirah taengah Timnah la cet.
Several years later, Judah’s wife, who was the daughter of Shua, died. When the time of mourning for her was finished, Judah decided to go up to Timnah, to the place where his (men were shearing his sheep/sheep were being sheared) His friend Hiram, from Adullam, went with him.
13 Te dongah, “Tu mul vok ham Timnah la na marhang cet hang ke,” a tina tih Tamar taengla a puen pah.
Someone said to Tamar, “Your father-in-law is going to [the fields near the city of] Timnah to help the men who are shearing his sheep.”
14 Te vaengah Shelah khaw ham coeng dae anih yuu la n'khueh moenih tila Tamar loh a hmuh dongah amah dongkah nuhmai himbai te a dul. Te phoeiah hnii a yil, muei a thuh tih Timnah long kah Enaim thohka ah ngol.
[She realized that now Shelah was grown up, but Judah had not given her to him to be his wife. So] she took off her widow’s clothes, and covered her head with a veil, so that people would not (recognize her/know who she was). Then she sat down at the entrance to Enaim [town], which is on the road to Timnah.
15 Tedae anihte Judahloha hmuh vaengah a hmai a dah dongah pumyoi ni tila a poek.
When Judah came along and saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, because she had covered her head [like prostitutes often did] (OR, [and sat where prostitutes often sat)].
16 Anihte amah langa la a ming pawt dongah long taengla anih taengah pah tih, “Halo, nang taengah ka ip ni ne,” a tinah hatah, “Kai taengahna kun te kai ham balaena khueh eh?,” a ti nah.
Judah did not realize that she was his daughter-in-law. So he said to her, “Hey, let me have sex [EUP] with you!” She replied, “What will you give me for allowing you to have sex [EUP] with me?”
17 Te vaengah Judah loh, “Kamah loh boiva khuikah maae ca kan pat bit ni,” a ti nah. Tedae Tamar loh, “Nan pat hlanah hnohol han khueh dae,” a ti nah.
He replied, “I will send you a young goat from my flock of goats.” She asked, “Will you give me something now for me to keep until you send the goat?”
18 Te dongah, “Hnohol te balae nang taengah kan paek eh?,” a ti nah. Te vaengah, “Na kutbuen mai khaw, hamnak khaw, na kut kah conghol mai te khaw,” a ti nah. Te dongah anih te a paek tih a kun thil dongah Judah loh Tamar a vawn sak.
He replied, “What do you want me to give to you?” She replied, “Give me the ring that has your name on it that is tied by a cord around your neck, and give me the walking stick that you are holding in your hand.” So he gave them to her. Then he had sex [EUP] with her, and she became pregnant.
19 Te phoeiah thoo tih, cet tih a pum dongkah hnii te a dul phoeiah nuhmai himbai tloep a bai.
After she left, she took off the veil and put her widow’s clothes on again.
20 Te dongah huta kut kah hnohol te tlan ham Judah loh a hui Adullami hoel kut ah maae ca te a pat van hatah rhawp hmu pawh.
Judah gave a young goat to his friend from Adullam, for him to take back to the woman, as he had promised. But his friend could not find the woman.
21 Te dongah te hmuen kah hlangrhoek te a dawt “Enaim long taengkah hlanghalh te melae?,” a tinah vaengah herhoek ah hlanghalh om pawh,” a ti nauh.
So he asked the men who lived there, “Where is the prostitute who was sitting by the road at Enaim?” They replied, “There has never been a prostitute here!”
22 Te dongah Judah taengla koep bal tih, “Anih te ka hmuh moenih. Te phoeiah he hmuen kah hlang rhoek long khaw, 'Herhoek ah hlanghalh a om moenih,’ a ti uh,” a ti nah.
So he went back to Judah and said, “I did not find her. [Furthermore], the men who live in that town said, ‘There has never been a prostitute here.’”
23 Te dongah Judah loh, “Amah neh amah te khoem uh saeh, nueihbu la n'om uh ve. Maae ca n'thak he khaw anihte na hmuh voel pawttih he,” a ti nah.
Judah said, “She can keep the things that I gave to her. If we continued to search for her, people would ridicule us. I tried to send this young goat to her, but you could not find her to give it to her.”
24 Tedae hla thum tluk a lo vaengah Judah taengah,” Nang langa Tamarte cukhalh tih pumyoihnah neh vawn lah ko te,” a tinah tih a puen pa uh hatah Judah loh, “Anihte khuen uh lamtah hoeh,” a ti nah.
About three months later, someone told Judah, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has become a prostitute and now she is pregnant!” Judah said, “Drag her outside of the city and kill her by burning her!”
25 Anih te a mawt uh van hatah, “He rhoek he u hlang kah nim. Kai khaw tekah hlang hut la ka vawn dongah hekah kutnoek, hamnak neh conghol, ukah nim tila hmat lah saeh,” a ti nah tih a marhang taengla Tamarloha pat.
But as they were taking her outside of the city, she gave the ring and walking stick to someone, and told him to take them to Judah, and say to him, “The man who owns these things is the one who caused me to become pregnant.” She also said to tell him, “Look at this ring, and the cord that is attached to it, and this walking stick. Whose are they?”
26 Tedae Judahloha hmat vaengah, “Ka capa Shelah te anih ka paek pawt dongah te kai lakah anih tang coeng,” a ti. Te dongah anih ming ham koep khoep voel pawh.
When the man did that, Judah recognized the ring and the stick. He said, “She is more righteous than I am. I did not tell my son Shelah to marry her, as I promised that I would.” And Judah did not have sex [EUP] with her again.
27 Tedae ca-om tue vaengah tah a bung khuiah caphae rhoi la tarha om.
When it was time for her to give birth, [she was surprised that] there were twin boys in her womb.
28 Te dongah camoe a om vaengah kut pakhat te han thawt dongah ca-omloha tuuk tih, a kut dongah a lingdik a cin pah tih, “Lamhma la om coeng he,” a ti.
As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand. So the midwife fastened a scarlet thread around his wrist, saying, “This one came out first.”
29 Tedae a kut vik a yueh tih a mana lat ha thoeng dongah, “Namahloha puut Metlamlae nam va,” a tinah dongah a mingte Perez a sak.
But he pulled his hand back inside the womb, and his brother came out first. So she said, “So this is how you break your way out first!” So she named him Perez, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘breaking out].’
30 Te phoeiah a kut dongah a lingdik aka om a maya te ha pawk tih a mingte Zerah a sak.
Then his younger brother, the one who had the scarlet thread around his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘redness of dawn].’
