Genesis 38
1 About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.
Ngalesosikhathi uJuda watshiya abafowabo wahamba wayahlala lendoda yase-Adulami eyayithiwa nguHira.
2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.
Khonale uJuda wabonana lendodakazi yendoda engumKhenani eyayithiwa nguShuwa. Wayithatha wembatha layo;
3 So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er.
yathatha isisu yazala indodana yathiwa ngu-Eri.
4 Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.
Wazithwala njalo wazala indodana wayithi ngu-Onani.
5 Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.
Wazala njalo enye indodana wayithi nguShela. Le wayizalela eKhezibhi.
6 Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
UJuda wazuzela u-Eri izibulo lakhe umfazi, ibizo lakhe linguThamari.
7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.
Kodwa u-Eri izibulo likaJuda, wayengcolile emehlweni kaThixo; uThixo wasembulala.
8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”
UJuda wasesithi ku-Onani, “Lala lomkamfowenu ugcwalise umlandu wakho njengomfowabo uzalele umfowenu abantwana.”
9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.
Kodwa u-Onani wakwazi ukuthi inzalo leyo yayingezukuba ngeyakhe; ngakho kwakusithi sonke isikhathi angalala lomkamfowabo achithele inhlanyelo phansi emhlabathini ukuze angaze azalela umfowabo abantwana.
10 What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.
Lokho ayekwenza kwakukubi emehlweni kaThixo; ngakho uThixo wambulala.
11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.
UJuda wasesithi kumalukazana wakhe uThamari, “Hamba uyehlala njengomfelokazi emzini kayihlo indodana yami uShela ize ikhule.” Ngoba wanakana wathi, “Laye angafa njengabanewabo.” Ngakho uThamari wahamba wayahlala emzini kayise.
12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah.
Ngemva kwesikhathi eside umkaJuda, indodakazi kaShuwa wafa. Kwathi uJuda eseduduzekile waya eThimina, emadodeni ayegunda izimvu zakhe, ehamba lomngane wakhe uHira umʼAdulami.
13 When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
Kwathi uThamari esetsheliwe kwathiwa, “Uyihlozala uyeza eThimina ukuzagunda izimvu zakhe,”
14 she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.
wakhulula izigqoko zakhe zokuzila wazimboza ngesimbombozo ukuzifihla, wasehlala phansi eduzane lesango lase-Enayimi, elisendleleni yaseThimina. Ngoba wabona ukuthi loba uShela wayesekhulile, yena wayelokhu engakamphiwa ukuthi abe ngumkakhe.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.
UJuda wathi embona wacabanga ukuthi yisifebe, ngoba wayezivale ubuso.
16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired.
Kwathi ngoba engamboni ukuthi ngumalokazana wakhe waya kuye eceleni komgwaqo wathi, “Woza manje, ngifuna ukulala lawe.” Yena wabuza wathi, “Uzangiphani ngingalala lawe?”
17 “I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered. But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”
Wathi, “Ngizakuthumezela izinyane lembuzi emhlambini wami.” UThamari wabuza wathi, “Uzangipha na ulutho lube yisibambiso ungakalithumezi?”
18 “What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
Wathi, “Ngikuphe sibambiso bani?” Waphendula wathi, “Isilengiso sophawu lwakho lentambo yaso, kanye lodondolo lwakho oluphetheyo.” Ngakho wamupha lezozinto waselala laye, wahle wazithwala.
19 Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.
Esesuka lapho uThamari wakhupha isimbombozo sakhe wagqoka izigqoko zakhe zokuzila njalo.
20 Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.
Kusenjalo uJuda wathumezela izinyane lembuzi ngomngane wakhe umʼAdulami ukuze abuyiselwe isibambiso sakhe esasikowesifazane lowo, kodwa wamswela.
21 He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered.
Wabuza amadoda ayehlala lapho wathi, “Singaphi isifebe ebesilapha eceleni komgwaqo e-Enayimi na?” Athi, “Kakuzange kube lesifebe lapha.”
22 So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’”
Ngakho wasebuyela kuJuda wayakuthi, “Kangimfumananga. Futhi amadoda lawo ahlala khona athi kakuzange kube lesifebe esasihlala lapho.”
23 “Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”
UJuda wasesithi, “Myekele ahle akugcine khonokho alakho funa sicine sesiyinhlekisa. Phezu kwalokho mina bengimthumezele izinyane lembuzi, kodwa kawusamfumananga.”
24 About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”
Ngemva kwezinyanga ezintathu uJuda watshelwa ukuthi umalukazana wakhe uThamari wayesefebile wasethatha isisu. UJuda wathi, “Mkhupheni, atshiswe aze afe.”
25 As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”
Kwathi lapho ekhutshwa wathumela ilizwi kuyisezala wathi, “Ngoniwa yindoda engumnikazi walezizinto.” Wengeza ngokuthi, “Akubone ukuthi singaba ngesikabani isilengiso sophawu lesi lentambo kanye lodondolo lolu.”
26 Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.
UJuda wazazi izinto lezo wathi, “Ulungile kulami, ngoba kangisamphanga endodaneni yami uShela.” Kasaphindanga wembatha laye njalo.
27 When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb.
Kwathi isikhathi sakhe sokubeletha sesifikile, wayelamaphahla angabafana esiswini.
28 And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced.
Wathi khonapho ebeletha omunye wawo wakhupha isandla; umbelethisi wathatha intambo ebomvu wayibophela esihlakaleni sesandla salo wathi, “Leli yilo eliphume kuqala.”
29 But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez.
Kodwa labuyisela isandla, umfowabo waphuma kuqala, wasesithi, “Le yiyo indlela ofohle ngayo!” Laseliphiwa ibizo elithi nguPherezi.
30 Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.
Ngakho umfowabo, owayelentambo esihlakaleni, waphuma wethiwa ibizo wathiwa nguZera.
