Jenesis 38
1 Nʼoge ahụ, Juda hapụrụ ụmụnne ya gaa binyere otu nwoke onye Adulam a na-akpọ Hira.
Around this time, Judah left his brothers and set up his tents at Adullam, near to a local man named Hirah.
2 Nʼebe ahụ, Juda hụrụ otu nwaagbọghọ, nwa otu nwoke onye Kenan, aha ya bụ Shua. Ọ lụrụ ya ma bakwuru ya.
There Judah happened to see the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua and married her. He slept with her,
3 Ọ tụụrụ ime mụọ nwa nwoke, onye Juda gụrụ aha Ịa
and she became pregnant and had a son he named Er.
4 Nwunye ya dịkwara ime ọzọ mụta nwa nwoke nke ya bụ nwunye ya gụrụ Onan.
She became pregnant again and had a son she named Onan.
5 Ọ mụkwara nwa nwoke ọzọ, onye ọ kpọrọ Shela. Ọ bụ na Kezib ka ọ mụrụ ya.
Then she had another son she named Shelah who was born in Kezib.
6 Juda lụtaara Ịa, ọkpara ya, nwunye onye aha ya bụ Tama.
Much later, Judah arranged for Er, his firstborn son, to marry a woman named Tamar.
7 Ma nʼihi na Ịa, ọkpara Juda, dị njọ nʼanya Onyenwe anyị. Onyenwe anyị gburu ya.
But Er did what was evil in the Lord's sight, so the Lord put him to death.
8 Mgbe ahụ, Juda sịrị Onan, “Bakwuru nwunye nwanne gị ka ịkuchie ya, ka i si otu a wulite mkpụrụ maka nwanne gị.”
Judah told Onan, “Go and sleep with your brother's wife to fulfill the requirements of a brother-in-law to have children on behalf of your brother.”
9 Onan ma na mkpụrụ a agaghị abụ nke ya. Nʼihi ya, mgbe ọbụla ọ bakwuru nwunye nwanne ya, ọ na-anyụsa mkpụrụ nwa ya nʼala, ime ka ọ ghara inye nwanne ya nwoke nwa.
Onan realized that any children he had wouldn't be his own, so whenever he slept with his brother's wife he made sure she wouldn't become pregnant by withdrawing and spilling his semen on the ground. In this way he prevented any children being born on behalf of his brother.
10 Ma ihe a o mere jọrọ njọ nʼanya Onyenwe anyị. Nʼihi ya Onyenwe anyị gbukwara ya.
But what he did was evil in the Lord's sight, so he also put Onan to death.
11 Juda sịrị nwunye nwa ya, bụ Tama, “Laa nʼụlọ nna gị nọrọ dịka nwanyị di ya nwụrụ tutu Shela nwa m nwoke etoo.” Ma echiche ya bụ, “ka ọ ghara ịnwụ dịka ụmụnne ya.” Tama lara gaa biri nʼụlọ nna ya.
Then Judah told his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Go to your father's house and live there as a widow until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “Maybe he'll die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went and stayed in her father's house.
12 Mgbe ọtụtụ oge gasịrị, nwunye Juda nwa Shua nwụrụ. Mgbe oge nkasiobi ya gasịrị, Juda jere Timna, ya na enyi ya Hira, onye Adulam, ilekọta ndị na-akpụchapụ igwe ewu na atụrụ ya ajị.
A long time later Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah had finished the time of mourning, he went to visit his sheepshearers at Timnah with his friend Hirah from Adullam.
13 A gwara Tama sị ya, “Nna di gị na-aga Timna ịkpacha atụrụ ya ajị.”
Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
14 O yipụrụ uwe mkpe ya, were akwa mkpuchi kpuchie onwe ya gaa nọdụ ala nʼọnụ ụzọ ama Enayim, nke dị nʼụzọ e si aga Timna. O mere otu a nʼihi na ọ matara na Shela etoola, ma enyeghị ya ka ọ bụrụ nwunye ya.
So she took off her widow's clothes and covered herself with a veil, disguising herself. She sat down beside the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. She had realized that even though Shelah had now grown up, nothing had been done about her marrying him.
15 Mgbe Juda hụrụ ya, o chere na ọ bụ otu nwanyị akwụna, ebe ọ bụ na o kpuchiri ihu ya.
Judah saw her and thought she must be a prostitute because she had veiled her face.
16 Ma ebe ọ mataghị na ọ bụ nwunye nwa ya, o jekwuru ya ebe ọ nọdụrụ ala nʼakụkụ ụzọ sị ya, “Bịa, kwere ka mụ na gị dinaa.” Tama jụrụ, “Gịnị ka ị ga-enye m ma ọ bụrụ na m kwere ka mụ na gị dinaa?”
He went over to her at the side of the road and said, “I want to sleep with you.” He didn't know she was his daughter-in-law. “What will you give me if I let you sleep with me?” she asked.
17 Ọ zara, “Aga m ezitere gị otu nwa ewu site nʼigwe ewu na atụrụ m.” Ọ jụrụ, “Ị ga-enye m ihe akaebe ruo mgbe ị ga-ezite ya?”
“I'll send you a young goat from my flock,” he replied. “What guarantee will you give me to make sure you'll send it?” she asked.
18 Ọ sịrị, “Kedụ ihe akaebe m ga-enye gị?” Ọ zara, “Mgbaaka akara gị na eriri ya, na mkpanaka dị gị nʼaka.” O nyere ya ihe ndị a. Ọ bakwuru ya nke mere na ọ tụụrụ ime.
“What guarantee do I have to give you?” he asked. “Your signet seal and its cord, and your walking stick that you're holding,” she replied. He handed them over to her. He slept with her and she became pregnant.
19 Mgbe o si nʼebe ahụ pụọ, o yipụrụ akwa ahụ o ji kpuchie ihu ya, yirikwa uwe mkpe ya.
She left, went home, took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothes.
20 Mgbe Juda zigara enyi ya onye Adulam ka ọ gaa wegara ya nwa ewu ahụ, ma nataghachi ihe ibe ahụ, ọ hụghị ya.
Judah sent his friend Hirah from Adullam with a young goat to get back his belongings he'd left as a guarantee from the woman, but he couldn't find her.
21 Ọ jụrụ ndị ikom bi nʼebe ahụ sị, “Olee nwanyị akwụna ụlọ arụsị ahụ na-anọdụ nʼọnụ ụzọ ama Enayim?” Ha sịrị, “O nweghị nwanyị akwụna ụlọ arụsị nọrọla nʼebe a.”
Hirah asked the men there, “Where's the cult prostitute that sits by the entrance road to Enaim?” “There's no cult prostitute here,” they answered.
22 Ya mere, ọ laghachiri gaa gwa Juda, “Ahụghị m ya. Ọzọkwa, ndị ikom ndị bi nʼebe ahụ sịrị, ‘O nweghị nwanyị akwụna ụlọ arụsị nọrọla nʼebe a.’”
Hirah went back to Judah and told him, “I couldn't find her, and the men there said, ‘There's no cult prostitute here.’”
23 Juda zara, “Ka o jide ihe niile o ji, ma ọ bụghị otu a anyị ga-aghọ ihe ọchị. Lee, ezigarala m ya nwa ewu a, ma gị onwe gị achọtaghị ya.”
“Let her keep what I gave her,” Judah replied. “We'll look ridiculous to people if we go on searching. In any case I did try to send her the young goat as promised but you couldn't find her.”
24 Mgbe ọnwa atọ gasịrị, ozi ruru Juda ntị sị, “Tama nwunye nwa gị gbara akwụna, bịa site nʼịgba akwụna dịrị ime.” Juda sịrị, “Kpọpụtanụ ya ka akpọọ ya ọkụ.”
Then about three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has had sex like a prostitute and now as a result she's pregnant!” “Bring her out and burn her to death!” Judah ordered.
25 Ma mgbe ha kpọ ya na-apụta, o zigara nna di ya ozi, sị, “Ọ bụ nwoke nwee ihe ndị a tụwara m ime. Ọ sịkwara, Leruo anya ma ị ga-amata onye nwe ihe ndị a: mgbaaka akara a na eriri ya, na mkpanaka a.”
As she was brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law, saying, “I'm pregnant by the man who owns these things.” Then she added, “Please look carefully at this signet seal and its cord and walking stick. Who do they belong to?”
26 Juda ghọtara ha, sị, “Ọ bụ onye ezi omume karịa m, ebe ọ bụ na m jụrụ ịkpọrọ ya kpọnye nwa m nwoke Shela ka ọ bụrụ nwunye ya.” O dinakwaghị ya ọzọ.
Judah recognized them right away and said, “She has honored the law more than I have, because I didn't give her in marriage to my son Shelah.” He didn't sleep with Tamar again.
27 Mgbe oge ọmụmụ nwa ya ruru, ejima ka ahụrụ nʼakpanwa ya.
When the time came for Tamar to give birth, she was found to be carrying twins.
28 Mgbe ọ na-amụ ha, otu nʼime ha sepụtara aka ya. Nwanyị na-aghọ nwa weere eriri na-acha uhie uhie kee ya na nkwoji aka kwuo sị, “Ọ bụ nke a bụ ụzọ pụta.”
One baby put out his hand, and the midwife tied a scarlet thread around on his wrist and said, “This one came out first.”
29 Ma nwa ahụ mesịrị sekpuo aka ya, nwanne ya nke ọzọ eburu ya ụzọ pụta. Nwanyị ahụ sịrị, “Ọ bụ otu a ka ị si tikapụta?” A kpọrọ ya Perez.
But then he pulled back his hand and his brother was born, she said, “How did you burst out?” So he was named Perez.
30 Emesịa, nwanne ya, nke bu eriri uhie uhie ahụ na nkwoji aka pụtakwara. A kpọrọ ya Zera.
Then his brother with the scarlet thread on his wrist was born. He was named Zerah.
