Genesis 38
1 Eodem tempore descendens Iudas a fratribus suis, divertit ad Virum Odollamitem, nomine Hiram.
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].
2 Viditque ibi filiam hominis Chananaei, vocabulo Sue: et accepta uxore, ingressus est ad eam.
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,
3 Quae concepit, et peperit filium, et vocavit nomen eius Her.
and she became pregnant and later gave birth to a son, whom he named Er.
4 Rursumque concepto foetu, natum filium vocavit Onan.
Later she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son whom she named Onan.
5 Tertium quoque peperit: quem appellavit Sela. quo nato, parere ultra cessavit.
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.
6 Dedit autem Iudas uxorem primogenito suo Her, nomine Thamar.
When Judah’s oldest son Er [grew up], Judah got a wife for him, a woman named Tamar.
7 Fuit quoque Her primogenitus Iudae, nequam in conspectu Domini: et ab eo occisus est.
But Er did something that Yahweh considered to be very wicked, so Yahweh caused him to die.
8 Dixit ergo Iudas ad Onan filium suum: Ingredere uxorem fratris tui, et sociare illi, ut suscites semen fratri tuo.
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.”
9 Ille sciens non sibi nasci filios, introiens ad uxorem fratris sui, semen fundebat in terram, ne liberi fratris nomine nascerentur.
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.
10 Et idcirco percussit eum Dominus, eo quod rem detestabilem faceret.
Yahweh considered that what he did was wicked, so he caused him to die also.
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 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.
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.
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.
13 Nunciatumque est Thamar quod socer illius ascenderet in Thamnas ad tondendas oves.
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.”
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.
[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.
15 Quam cum vidisset Iudas, suspicatus est esse meretricem: operuerat enim vultum suum, ne agnosceretur.
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)].
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?
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?”
17 dixit: Mittam tibi hoedum de gregibus. Rursumque illa dicente: Patiar quod vis, si dederis mihi arrhabonem, donec mittas quod polliceris.
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?”
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,
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.
19 et surgens abiit: depositoque habitu, quem sumpserat, induta est viduitatis vestibus.
After she left, she took off the veil and put her widow’s clothes on again.
20 Misit autem Iudas hoedum per pastorem suum Odollamitem, ut reciperet pignus quod dederat mulieri: qui cum non invenisset eam,
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.
21 interrogavit homines loci illius: Ubi est mulier quae sedebat in bivio? Respondentibus cunctis: Non fuit in loco ista meretrix.
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!”
22 Reversus est ad Iudam, et dixit ei: Non inveni eam: sed et homines loci illius dixerunt mihi, numquam sedisse ibi scortum.
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.’”
23 Ait Iudas: Habeat sibi, certe mendacii arguere nos non potest, ego misi hoedum quem promiseram: et tu non invenisti eam.
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.”
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.
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!”
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.
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?”
26 Qui, agnitis muneribus, ait: Iustior me est: quia non tradidi eam Sela filio meo. Attamen ultra non cognovit eam.
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.
27 Instante autem partu, apparuerunt gemini in utero: atque in ipsa effusione infantium unus protulit manum, in qua obstetrix ligavit coccinum, dicens:
When it was time for her to give birth, [she was surprised that] there were twin boys in her womb.
28 Iste egredietur prior.
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.”
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 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].’
30 Postea egressus est frater eius, in cuius manu erat coccinum: quem appellavit Zara.
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].’
