Genesis 38
1 Eodem tempore descendens Iudas a fratribus suis, divertit ad Virum Odollamitem, nomine Hiram.
Around this time, Judah left his brothers and set up his tents at Adullam, near to a local man named Hirah.
2 Viditque ibi filiam hominis Chananaei, vocabulo Sue: et accepta uxore, ingressus est ad eam.
There Judah happened to see the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua and married her. He slept with her,
3 Quae concepit, et peperit filium, et vocavit nomen eius Her.
and she became pregnant and had a son he named Er.
4 Rursumque concepto foetu, natum filium vocavit Onan.
She became pregnant again and had a son she named Onan.
5 Tertium quoque peperit: quem appellavit Sela. quo nato, parere ultra cessavit.
Then she had another son she named Shelah who was born in Kezib.
6 Dedit autem Iudas uxorem primogenito suo Her, nomine Thamar.
Much later, Judah arranged for Er, his firstborn son, to marry a woman named Tamar.
7 Fuit quoque Her primogenitus Iudae, nequam in conspectu Domini: et ab eo occisus est.
But Er did what was evil in the Lord's sight, so the Lord put him to death.
8 Dixit ergo Iudas ad Onan filium suum: Ingredere uxorem fratris tui, et sociare illi, ut suscites semen fratri tuo.
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 Ille sciens non sibi nasci filios, introiens ad uxorem fratris sui, semen fundebat in terram, ne liberi fratris nomine nascerentur.
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 Et idcirco percussit eum Dominus, eo quod rem detestabilem faceret.
But what he did was evil in the Lord's sight, so he also put Onan to death.
11 Quam ob rem dixit Iudas Thamar nurui suae: Esto vidua in domo patris tui, donec crescat Sela filius meus: timebat enim ne et ipse moreretur, sicut fratres eius. Quae abiit, et habitavit in domo patris sui.
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 Evolutis autem multis diebus, mortua est Sue uxor Iudae: qui post luctum consolatione suscepta, ascendebat ad tonsores ovium suarum, ipse et Hiras opilio gregis Odollamites, in Thamnas.
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 Nunciatumque est Thamar quod socer illius ascenderet in Thamnas ad tondendas oves.
Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
14 Quae, depositis viduitatis vestibus, assumpsit theristrum: et mutato habitu, sedit in bivio itineris, quod ducit Thamnam: eo quod crevisset Sela, et non eum accepisset maritum.
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 Quam cum vidisset Iudas, suspicatus est esse meretricem: operuerat enim vultum suum, ne agnosceretur.
Judah saw her and thought she must be a prostitute because she had veiled her face.
16 Ingrediensque ad eam, ait: Dimitte me ut coeam tecum: nesciebat enim quod nurus sua esset. Qua respondente: Quid dabis mihi ut fruaris concubitu meo?
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 dixit: Mittam tibi hoedum de gregibus. Rursumque illa dicente: Patiar quod vis, si dederis mihi arrhabonem, donec mittas quod polliceris.
“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 Ait Iudas: Quid tibi vis pro arrhabone dari? Respondit: Annulum tuum, et armillam, et baculum quem manu tenes. Ad unum igitur coitum mulier concepit,
“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 et surgens abiit: depositoque habitu, quem sumpserat, induta est viduitatis vestibus.
She left, went home, took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothes.
20 Misit autem Iudas hoedum per pastorem suum Odollamitem, ut reciperet pignus quod dederat mulieri: qui cum non invenisset eam,
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 interrogavit homines loci illius: Ubi est mulier quae sedebat in bivio? Respondentibus cunctis: Non fuit in loco ista meretrix.
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 Reversus est ad Iudam, et dixit ei: Non inveni eam: sed et homines loci illius dixerunt mihi, numquam sedisse ibi scortum.
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 Ait Iudas: Habeat sibi, certe mendacii arguere nos non potest, ego misi hoedum quem promiseram: et tu non invenisti eam.
“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 Ecce autem post tres menses nunciaverunt Iudae, dicentes: Fornicata est Thamar nurus tua, et videtur uterus illius intumescere. Dixitque Iudas: Producite eam ut comburatur.
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 Quae cum duceretur ad poenam, misit ad socerum suum, dicens: De viro, cuius haec sunt, concepi: cognosce cuius sit annulus, et armilla, et baculus.
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 Qui, agnitis muneribus, ait: Iustior me est: quia non tradidi eam Sela filio meo. Attamen ultra non cognovit eam.
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 Instante autem partu, apparuerunt gemini in utero: atque in ipsa effusione infantium unus protulit manum, in qua obstetrix ligavit coccinum, dicens:
When the time came for Tamar to give birth, she was found to be carrying twins.
28 Iste egredietur prior.
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 Illo vero retrahente manum, egressus est alter: dixitque mulier: Quare divisa est propter te maceria? et ob hanc causam vocavit nomen eius Phares.
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 Postea egressus est frater eius, in cuius manu erat coccinum: quem appellavit Zara.
Then his brother with the scarlet thread on his wrist was born. He was named Zerah.
