Genèse 38

1 II arriva, en ce temps là, que Juda s’éloigna de ses frères et s’achemina vers un habitant d’Adoullam, nommé Hira.

And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2 Là, Juda vit la fille d’un Cananéen, appelé Choua; il l’épousa et s’approcha d’elle.

And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her.

3 Elle conçut et enfanta un fils, à qui il donna le nom d’Ér.

And she conceived, and bore a son; and he called his name Er.

4 Elle conçut encore et eut un fils et elle lui donna le nom d’Onàn.

And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she called his name Onan.

5 De nouveau elle enfanta un fils et elle le nomma Chéla. II était à Kezib lorsqu’elle l’enfanta.

And she yet again bore a son, and called his name Shelah; and he was at Chezib, when she bore him.

6 Juda choisit une épouse à Ér, son premier né; elle se nommait Thamar.

And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, and her name was Tamar.

7 Ér, le premier né de Juda, ayant déplu au Seigneur, le Seigneur le fit mourir.

And Er, Judah's first-born, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

8 Alors Juda dit à Onàn: "Épouse la femme de ton frère en vertu du lévirat, afin de constituer une postérité à ton frère."

And Judah said unto Onan: 'Go in unto thy brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother.'

9 Onân comprit que cette postérité ne serait pas la sienne; et alors, chaque fois qu’il approchait de la femme de son frère, il corrompait sa voie, afin de ne pas donner de postérité à son frère.

And Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and it came to pass when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother.

10 Sa conduite déplut au Seigneur, qui le fit mourir de même.

And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of the LORD; and He slew him also.

11 Et Juda dit à Thamar, sa belle fille: "Demeure veuve dans la maison de ton père, jusqu’à ce que mon fils Chéla soit plus grand," car il craignait qu’il ne meure, lui aussi, comme ses frères. Et Thamar s’en alla demeurer dans la maison de son père.

Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law: 'Remain a widow in thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown up'; for he said: 'Lest he also die, like his brethren.' And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

12 Longtemps après mourut la fille de Choua, femme de Juda. Quand Juda se fut consolé, il alla surveiller la tonte de ses brebis, avec Hira son ami l’Adoullamite, à Timna.

And in process of time Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13 On informa Thamar en ces termes: "Ton beau père monte en ce moment à Timna pour tondre ses brebis."

And it was told Tamar, saying: 'Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep.'

14 Elle quitta ses vêtements de veuve, prit un voile et s’en couvrit; et elle s’assit au carrefour des Deux Sources, qui est sur le chemin de Timna. Car elle voyait que Chéla avait grandi et qu’elle ne lui avait pas été donnée pour épouse.

And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the entrance of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife.

15 Juda, l’ayant aperçue, la prit pour une prostituée; car elle avait voilé son visage.

When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face.

16 II se dirigea de son côté et lui dit: "Laisse moi te posséder." Car il ignorait que ce fût sa belle fille. Elle répondit: "Que me donneras-tu pour me posséder?"

And he turned unto her by the way, and said: 'Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee'; for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said: 'What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?'

17 II répliqua: "Je t’enverrai un chevreau de mon troupeau." Et elle dit: "Bien, si tu me donnes un gage en attendant cet envoi."

And he said: 'I will send thee a kid of the goats from the flock.' And she said: 'Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?'

18 II reprit: "Quel gage te donnerai-je?" Elle répondit: "Ton sceau, ton cordon et le bâton que tu as à la main." II les lui donna, il approcha d’elle et elle conçut de son fait.

And he said: 'What pledge shall I give thee?' And she said: 'Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand.' And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

19 Elle se leva et partit; elle quitta son voile et reprit les vêtements de son veuvage.

And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20 Juda envoya le chevreau par l’entremise de son ami l’Adoullamite, pour retirer le gage des mains de cette femme; il ne la trouva point.

And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand; but he found her not.

21 II questionna les gens de l’endroit, disant: "Où est la prostituée qui se tient aux Deux Sources, sur le chemin?" Ils répondirent: "II n’y a point de prostituée ici."

Then he asked the men of her place, saying: 'Where is the harlot, that was at Enaim by the wayside?' And they said: 'There hath been no harlot here.'

22 II retourna auprès de Juda et dit: "Je ne l’ai pas trouvée; et même les habitants de l’endroit ont dit qu’il n’y avait point là de prostituée."

And he returned to Judah, and said: 'I have not found her; and also the men of the place said: There hath been no harlot here.'

23 Et Juda dit: "Qu’elle garde ce qu’elle a et que nous n’ayons pas à rougir; car enfin, j’ai envoyé ce chevreau et tu n’as pu la trouver."

And Judah said: 'Let her take it, lest we be put to shame; behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.'

24 Or, environ trois mois après, on informa Juda, en disant: "Thamar, ta bru, s’est prostituée et elle porte dans son sein le fruit de la débauche." Juda répondit: "Emmenez la et qu’elle soit brûlée!"

And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying: 'Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and moreover, behold, she is with child by harlotry.' And Judah said: 'Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.'

25 Comme on l’emmenait, elle envoya dire à son beau père: "Je suis enceinte du fait de l’homme à qui ces choses appartiennent." Et elle dit: "Examine, je te prie, à qui appartiennent ce sceau, ces cordons et ce bâton."

When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: 'By the man, whose these are, am I with child'; and she said: 'Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and the cords, and the staff.'

26 Juda les reconnut et dit: "Elle est plus juste que moi, car il est vrai que je ne l’ai point donnée à Chéla mon fils." Cependant il cessa, dès lors, de la connaître.

And Judah acknowledged them, and said: 'She is more righteous than I; forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son.' And he knew her again no more.

27 Or il se trouva, lors de son enfantement, qu’elle portait des jumeaux dans son sein.

And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

28 Au moment de sa délivrance, l’un d’eux avança la main; la sage femme la saisit et y attacha un fil d’écarlate, pour indiquer que celui ci était né le premier.

And it came to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying: 'This came out first.'

29 Comme il retirait sa main, voici que son frère vint au monde. Elle dit: "Avec quelle violence tu te fais jour!" Et on lui donna le nom de Péreç.

And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold his brother came out; and she said: 'Wherefore hast thou made a breach for thyself?' Therefore his name was called Perez.

30 Ensuite naquit son frère, dont la main portait le fil d’écarlate. On lui donna le nom de Zérah.

And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand; and his name was called Zerah.