בראשית 38
| ויהי בעת ההוא וירד יהודה מאת אחיו ויט עד איש עדלמי ושמו חירה | 1 |
It came about at that time that Judah left his brothers and stayed with a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
| וירא שם יהודה בת איש כנעני ושמו שוע ויקחה ויבא אליה | 2 |
He met there a daughter of a Canaanite man whose name was Shua. He married her and slept with her.
| ותהר ותלד בן ויקרא את שמו ער | 3 |
She became pregnant and had a son. He was named Er.
| ותהר עוד ותלד בן ותקרא את שמו אונן | 4 |
She became pregnant again and had a son. She called his name Onan.
| ותסף עוד ותלד בן ותקרא את שמו שלה והיה בכזיב בלדתה אתו | 5 |
She again had a son and called his name Shelah. It was at Kezib where she gave birth to him.
| ויקח יהודה אשה לער בכורו ושמה תמר | 6 |
Judah found a wife for Er, his firstborn. Her name was Tamar.
| ויהי ער בכור יהודה--רע בעיני יהוה וימתהו יהוה | 7 |
Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him.
| ויאמר יהודה לאונן בא אל אשת אחיך ויבם אתה והקם זרע לאחיך | 8 |
Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother's wife. Do the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up a child for your brother.”
| וידע אונן כי לא לו יהיה הזרע והיה אם בא אל אשת אחיו ושחת ארצה לבלתי נתן זרע לאחיו | 9 |
Onan knew that the child would not be his. Whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled the semen on the ground so he would not have a child for his brother.
| וירע בעיני יהוה אשר עשה וימת גם אתו | 10 |
What he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him also.
| ויאמר יהודה לתמר כלתו שבי אלמנה בית אביך עד יגדל שלה בני--כי אמר פן ימות גם הוא כאחיו ותלך תמר ותשב בית אביה | 11 |
Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father's house until Shelah, my son, grows up.” For he feared, “He might also die, just like his brothers.” Tamar left and lived in her father's house.
| וירבו הימים ותמת בת שוע אשת יהודה וינחם יהודה ויעל על גזזי צאנו הוא וחירה רעהו העדלמי--תמנתה | 12 |
After a long time, Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
| ויגד לתמר לאמר הנה חמיך עלה תמנתה לגז צאנו | 13 |
Tamar was told, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
| ותסר בגדי אלמנותה מעליה ותכס בצעיף ותתעלף ותשב בפתח עינים אשר על דרך תמנתה כי ראתה כי גדל שלה והוא לא נתנה לו לאשה | 14 |
She took off the clothing of her widowhood and covered herself with her veil and wrapped herself. She sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah had grown up but she had not been given to him as a wife.
| ויראה יהודה ויחשבה לזונה כי כסתה פניה | 15 |
When Judah saw her he thought that she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.
| ויט אליה אל הדרך ויאמר הבה נא אבוא אליך כי לא ידע כי כלתו הוא ותאמר מה תתן לי כי תבוא אלי | 16 |
He went to her by the road and said, “Come, please let me sleep with you”—for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law—and she said, “What will you give me so you can sleep with me?”
| ויאמר אנכי אשלח גדי עזים מן הצאן ותאמר אם תתן ערבון עד שלחך | 17 |
He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?”
| ויאמר מה הערבון אשר אתן לך ותאמר חתמך ופתילך ומטך אשר בידך ויתן לה ויבא אליה ותהר לו | 18 |
He said, “What pledge can I give you?” She replied, “Your seal and cord, and the staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
| ותקם ותלך ותסר צעיפה מעליה ותלבש בגדי אלמנותה | 19 |
She got up and went away. She took off her veil and put on the clothing of her widowhood.
| וישלח יהודה את גדי העזים ביד רעהו העדלמי לקחת הערבון מיד האשה ולא מצאה | 20 |
Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order that he might receive the pledge back from the woman's hand, but he did not find her.
| וישאל את אנשי מקמה לאמר איה הקדשה הוא בעינים על הדרך ויאמרו לא היתה בזה קדשה | 21 |
Then the Adullamite asked the men of the place, “Where is the cultic prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has not been a cultic prostitute here.”
| וישב אל יהודה ויאמר לא מצאתיה וגם אנשי המקום אמרו לא היתה בזה קדשה | 22 |
He returned to Judah and said, “I did not find her. Also, the men of the place said, 'There has not been a cultic prostitute here.'”
| ויאמר יהודה תקח לה פן נהיה לבוז הנה שלחתי הגדי הזה ואתה לא מצאתה | 23 |
Judah said, “Let her keep the things, that we not be put to shame. Indeed, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.”
| ויהי כמשלש חדשים ויגד ליהודה לאמר זנתה תמר כלתך וגם הנה הרה לזנונים ויאמר יהודה הוציאוה ותשרף | 24 |
It came about after about three months that it was told to Judah, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has committed prostitution, and indeed, she is pregnant by it.” Judah said, “Bring her here and let her be burned.”
| הוא מוצאת והיא שלחה אל חמיה לאמר לאיש אשר אלה לו אנכי הרה ותאמר הכר נא--למי החתמת והפתילים והמטה האלה | 25 |
When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law a message, “By the man who owns these I am pregnant.” She said, “Determine please whose these are, the seal and cords and staff.”
| ויכר יהודה ויאמר צדקה ממני כי על כן לא נתתיה לשלה בני ולא יסף עוד לדעתה | 26 |
Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I am, since I did not give her as a wife to Shelah, my son.” He did not sleep with her again.
| ויהי בעת לדתה והנה תאומים בבטנה | 27 |
It came about at the time for her to give birth that, behold, twins were in her womb.
| ויהי בלדתה ויתן יד ותקח המילדת ותקשר על ידו שני לאמר זה יצא ראשנה | 28 |
It came about as she was giving birth one put out a hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand and said, “This one came out first.”
| ויהי כמשיב ידו והנה יצא אחיו ותאמר מה פרצת עליך פרץ ויקרא שמו פרץ | 29 |
But then he drew back his hand, and, behold, his brother came out first. The midwife said, “How you have broken out!” So he was named Perez.
| ואחר יצא אחיו אשר על ידו השני ויקרא שמו זרח | 30 |
Then his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread upon his hand, and he was named Zerah.
