Genesis 38
1 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].
那時猶大離開自己的兄弟，下到一個名叫希辣的阿杜藍人那裏住下了。
2 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,
猶大在那裏看見了一個名叫叔亞的客納罕人的女兒，就娶了她，親近了她。
3 and she became pregnant and later gave birth to a son, whom he named Er.
她遂懷孕，生了一個兒子，給他起名叫厄爾。
4 Later she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son whom she named Onan.
她又懷孕，生了一個兒子，給他起名叫敖難。
5 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.
以後她又生了一個兒子，給他起名叫舍拉；生他的時候，猶大正在革齊布。
6 When Judah’s oldest son Er [grew up], Judah got a wife for him, a woman named Tamar.
猶大給自己的長子厄爾娶了妻子，名叫塔瑪爾。
7 But Er did something that Yahweh considered to be very wicked, so Yahweh caused him to die.
猶大的長子厄爾行了上主所厭惡的事，上主就叫他死了。
8 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.”
於是猶大對敖難說：「你去與你哥哥的妻子親近，與她盡你為弟弟的義務，給你哥哥立後。」
9 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.
敖難明知後裔不歸自己，所以當他與哥哥的妻子結合時，便將精液遺洩於地，免得給自己的哥哥立後。
10 Yahweh considered that what he did was wicked, so he caused him to die also.
他作這事，為上主所厭惡，上主就叫他死了。
11 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.
猶大於是對兒子塔瑪爾說：「你回到你父親家中去守寡，直到我兒子舍拉長大成人。」因為他心裏想：「恐怕他也如同他哥哥一樣死去。」塔瑪爾就回去，住在自己父親的家裏。
12 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.
過了幾年，猶大的妻子叔亞的女兒死了。喪期過後，猶大便同自己的朋友阿杜藍人希辣，上提默納黑去剪羊毛。
13 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.”
有人告訴塔瑪爾說：「你公公現正上提默納黑去剪羊毛。」
14 [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.
塔瑪爾遂脫去守寡的衣服，蒙上首帕，遮掩自己，坐在通往提默納黑大道去厄納殷的路口上；－－原來她見舍拉已經長大，還沒有娶她為妻。－－
15 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)].
猶大一看見她，以為她是個妓女，因為她遮蓋了自己的臉。
16 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?”
猶大便由路上轉到她面前，向她說：「來! 讓我與你親近! 」他並不知她就是自己的兒媳。她答說：「你給我什麼，好與我親近﹖」
17 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?”
猶大答說：「由羊群中取一隻小公山羊送給你。」塔瑪爾說：「你未送來以前，你應給個抵押。」
18 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.
猶大問說：「我該給你什麼作抵押﹖」她答說：「你的印章，你的繫印帶和你的棍杖。」猶大便交給了她，與她親近了；她於是由他懷了孕。
19 After she left, she took off the veil and put her widow’s clothes on again.
事後，她起來回家，除掉首帕，再穿上她守寡的衣服。
20 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.
猶大託自己的朋友阿杜藍人送了一隻小公山羊去，好由那女人手中取回抵押；他卻找不到她，
21 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!”
便問當地人說：「那在厄納殷路旁的廟妓在那裏﹖」人答說：「這裏從來沒有廟妓。」
22 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.’”
他回來對猶大說：「我找不著她，並且當地的人都說：這裏從來沒有廟妓。」
23 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.”
猶大遂說：「讓她留著罷! 免得我們被人嗤笑。我將小公山羊送了去，可是你沒有找著她。」
24 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!”
大約過了三個月，有人告訴猶大說：「你的兒媳塔瑪爾與人通姦，而且因通姦有了身孕。猶大說：「把她拉出來燒死! 」
25 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?”
當她被拉出來時，她派人到她公公那裏說：「這些東西是誰的，我就是由誰懷了孕。」並且說：「請你仔細看看這些東西：印章、印帶和棍杖是誰的﹖」
26 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.
猶大仔細一看，就說：「她比我更有理，因為我尚沒有將她嫁給我的兒子舍拉。」他從此以後，再沒有認識她。
27 When it was time for her to give birth, [she was surprised that] there were twin boys in her womb.
到了她要生產的時候，腹中竟是一對雙胎。
28 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.”
她正生產時，一個胎兒伸出一手來，收生婆就拿了一根朱紅線繫在他手上說：「這個是先出生的。」
29 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].’
但是他一收回手去，他的兄弟就出生了；收生婆說：「你為自己開了個怎樣的裂口! 」遂給他起名叫培勒茲。
30 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].’
以後，那手上繫有朱紅線的兄弟也出生了，遂給他起名叫則辣黑。
