Kamtawngnae 38
1 Hatnae tueng dawkvah, Judah teh a hmaunawngha koehoi a cei teh, Adullam tami Hirah koevah ao.
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 Judah ni haw vah, Kanaan tami Shua canu hah a hmu. Ahni hah a paluen teh a ikhai.
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 Camo a vawn teh ca tongpa a khe. Judah ni a min lah Er a phung.
and she became pregnant and later gave birth to a son, whom he named Er.
4 Camo bout a vawn teh ca tongpa bout a khe. A manu ni a min lah Onan telah a phung.
Later she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son whom she named Onan.
5 Ca tongpa alouke bout a khe teh, a min lah Shelah telah a phung. Hote ca tongpa a khe lahun navah, Judah teh Kezib vah ao.
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 Judah ni a camin Er hah a yu a paluen pouh teh, a min teh Tamar doeh.
When Judah’s oldest son Er [grew up], Judah got a wife for him, a woman named Tamar.
7 Hateiteh, Judah e camin teh BAWIPA e mithmu vah tamikathout lah ao dawkvah, BAWIPA ni ahni teh a thei.
But Er did something that Yahweh considered to be very wicked, so Yahweh caused him to die.
8 Judah ni Onan koevah, na hmau e yu hah ipkhai nateh, na hmau e cati hah pout hoeh nahanlah sak pouh, telah ati.
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 Onan ni a canaw hah mae ca lah awm mahoeh tie a panue dawkvah, a hmau e a yu a ikhai navah, a ca khe hoeh nahanlah alawilah atui yout a tâco sak.
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 A sak e hno ni BAWIPA a lunghawi sak hoeh dawkvah, Onan hai a thei.
Yahweh considered that what he did was wicked, so he caused him to die also.
11 Judah ni a langa Tamar koevah, ka capa Shelah heh a cue hoehroukrak na pa im dawk lahmai lah awm ei, telah hoehpawiteh, ahni hai a hmaunaw patetlah a due payon han doeh telah ati. Tamar ni a cei teh a na pa im vah ao.
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 Atueng moi a ro hnukkhu, Judah e yu Shua canu teh a due. Judah teh a lungpahawi hnukkhu, Timnah kho dawk e tumuen kangawnaw koe vah, amae a hui Adullam tami Hirah hoi reirei a ceitakhang roi.
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 A langa Tarmar koevah, na pa teh tu muen ngaw hanelah Timnah vah cei hane a kâcai telah a dei pouh awh.
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 Ahni ni a lahmainae hni hah a rading teh, a minhmai a ramuknae hoi a kâramuk, a tak a kâyo teh Timnah kho longkha koelah a tahung. Bangkongtetpawiteh, Shelah teh a cue eiteh, a na pa ni a yu lah paluen pouh ngai hoeh.
[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 Judah ni a hmu toteh, a minhmai a kâramuk dawkvah, kâyawt e lah a pouk.
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 Hottelah hoi lam teng e napui a onae hah a pâtam teh, tho haw pahren lahoi rei ip roi sei telah ati. Bangkongtetpawiteh, a langa tie panuek hoeh. Napui ni na ipkhai pawiteh bangmaw na poe han telah ati.
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 Ahni ni saringhu thung e hmaeca na patawn han telah ati, Hottelah hoi napui ni hot hah na patawn hoehnahlan vah na pâhung hane kawi na poe han na ou, telah ati.
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 Ahni ni bangmaw ka hung han telah telah ati. Napui ni na min na thutnae, arui hoi na sin e na sonron telah ati. Hottelah hoi a poe teh a ikhai, ahni teh camo a vawn.
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 A thaw teh a minhmai ramuknae a hawng teh a lahmainae khohna hah bout a kho.
After she left, she took off the veil and put her widow’s clothes on again.
20 Judah teh napui koe hung e hno hah a ratang hanelah a hui Adullam koe vah hmaeca hah a patawn. Hateiteh, ahni ni napui hah hmawt hoeh.
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 Hottelah hoi haw e hmuen koe kaawm e taminaw koe lam teng e Enaim tak ka kâyawt e napui hah nâmaw ao telah a pacei, ahnimouh ni hie hmuen koe tak ka kâyawt e awm hoeh telah ati awh.
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 Judah koe a ban teh, ahni teh ka hmawt thai hoeh. Haw e Taminaw ni hie hmuen dawk tak ka kâyawt e awm boihoeh telah ati awh, telah ati.
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 Judah ni lat awh yawkaw naseh, hottelah hoehpawiteh, yeiraipo payon vaih, khenhaw! hmaeca heh na patawn ei, ama na hmawt ka lawn hoeh, telah ati.
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 Thapa yung pâthum hnukkhu vah ahnimouh ni Judah koe na langa Tamar teh kâyo hloilah cata a phu telah a dei pouh awh. Judah ni alawilah tâcawtkhai awh nateh hmaisawi e lah awm naseh telah ati.
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 A tâcokhai awh lahun navah, Tamar ni hete hno katawnkung koe hoi nahoehmaw camo ka vawn telah a na pa koe Tami a patoun. Napui ni vah pahren lahoi hete min thutnae hoi arui hoi sonronnaw heh, apie ne, kahawicalah khenhaw! telah ati.
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 Judah ni vah, hnopainaw teh amae lah ao tie a panue teh, ahni teh kai hlak atanghnawn toe. Bangkongtetpawiteh ka capa Shelah hane a yu lah ka lat pouh kalawn hoeh toe telah ati. Hahoi Judah ni ahni teh bout ipkhai hoeh toe.
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 Hahoi a vawn a pataw lahun navah, camo im dawk camo samphei roi e ao.
When it was time for her to give birth, [she was surprised that] there were twin boys in her womb.
28 Camo a khe navah, capa buet touh ni a kut a tâco sak. Camo ka khesakkung ni hetheh a hmaloe ka khe e telah a kut dawk a kuet teh hlangpawi a yeng pouh awh.
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 A kut hah bout a kâhno torei teh, pouk laipalah a nawngha hah a khe. Camo ka khe sak e naw ni, bangkongmaw khe na hanelah namahoima na sak, telah ati awh. Hatdawkvah, a min lah Perez telah a phung awh.
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 Hathnukkhu a hmau e a kut dawk hlangpawi yeng e a khe teh a min lah Zerah telah a phung.
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].’
