Genesis 38
1 eo tempore descendens Iudas a fratribus suis divertit ad virum odollamitem nomine Hiram
At that time, Judah [Praised] went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
2 viditque ibi filiam hominis chananei vocabulo Suae et uxore accepta ingressus est ad eam
Judah [Praised] saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite [Descendant of Humbled] whose name was Shua. He took her, and went in to her.
3 quae concepit et peperit filium vocavitque nomen eius Her
She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.
4 rursum concepto fetu natum filium nominavit Onam
She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.
5 tertium quoque peperit quem appellavit Sela quo nato parere ultra cessavit
She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bore him.
6 dedit autem Iudas uxorem primogenito suo Her nomine Thamar
Judah [Praised] took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar [Palm tree].
7 fuitque Her primogenitus Iudae nequam in conspectu Domini et ab eo occisus est
Er, Judah [Praised]’s firstborn, was wicked in Adonai’s sight. Adonai killed him.
8 dixit ergo Iudas ad Onam filium suum ingredere ad uxorem fratris tui et sociare illi ut suscites semen fratri tuo
Judah [Praised] said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”
9 ille sciens non sibi nasci filios introiens ad uxorem fratris sui semen fundebat in terram ne liberi fratris nomine nascerentur
Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his; and when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother.
10 et idcirco percussit eum Dominus quod rem detestabilem faceret
The thing which he did was evil in Adonai’s sight, and he killed him 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 [Praised] said to Tamar [Palm tree], his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up;” for he said, “Lest he also die, like his brothers.” Tamar [Palm tree] went and lived in her father’s house.
12 evolutis autem multis diebus mortua est filia Suae uxor Iudae qui post luctum consolatione suscepta ascendebat ad tonsores ovium suarum ipse et Hiras opilio gregis Odollamita in Thamnas
After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah [Praised], died. Judah [Praised] was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.
13 nuntiatumque est Thamar quod socer illius ascenderet in Thamnas ad tondendas oves
Tamar [Palm tree] was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
14 quae depositis viduitatis vestibus adsumpsit theristrum et mutato habitu sedit in bivio itineris quod ducit Thamnam eo quod crevisset Sela et non eum accepisset maritum
She took off of her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given to him as a wife.
15 quam cum vidisset Iudas suspicatus est esse meretricem operuerat enim vultum suum ne cognosceretur
When Judah [Praised] saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
16 ingrediensque ad eam ait dimitte me ut coeam tecum nesciebat enim quod nurus sua esset qua respondente quid mihi dabis ut fruaris concubitu meo
He turned to her by the way, and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he didn’t know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”
17 dixit mittam tibi hedum de gregibus rursum illa dicente patiar quod vis si dederis mihi arrabonem donec mittas quod polliceris
He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?”
18 ait Iudas quid vis tibi pro arrabone dari respondit anulum tuum et armillam et baculum quem manu tenes ad unum igitur coitum concepit mulier
He said, “What pledge will I give you?” She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.
19 et surgens abiit depositoque habitu quem adsumpserat induta est viduitatis vestibus
She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 misit autem Iudas hedum per pastorem suum Odollamitem ut reciperet pignus quod dederat mulieri qui cum non invenisset eam
Judah [Praised] sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he didn’t find her.
21 interrogavit homines loci illius ubi est mulier quae sedebat in bivio respondentibus cunctis non fuit in loco isto meretrix
Then he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has been no prostitute here.”
22 reversus est ad Iudam et dixit ei non inveni eam sed et homines loci illius dixerunt mihi numquam ibi sedisse scortum
He returned to Judah [Praised], and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’”
23 ait Iudas habeat sibi certe mendacii nos arguere non poterit ego misi hedum quem promiseram et tu non invenisti eam
Judah [Praised] said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”
24 ecce autem post tres menses nuntiaverunt Iudae dicentes fornicata est Thamar nurus tua et videtur uterus illius intumescere dixit Iudas producite eam ut conburatur
About three months later, Judah [Praised] was told, “Tamar [Palm tree], your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah [Praised] said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”
25 quae cum educeretur ad poenam misit ad socerum suum dicens de viro cuius haec sunt concepi cognosce cuius sit anulus et armilla et baculus
When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man, whose these are, I am with child.” She also said, “Please discern whose are these— the signet, and the cords, and the staff.”
26 qui agnitis muneribus ait iustior me est quia non tradidi eam Sela filio meo attamen ultra non cognovit illam
Judah [Praised] acknowledged them, and said, “She is more upright than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.
27 instante autem partu apparuerunt gemini in utero atque in ipsa effusione infantum unus protulit manum in qua obsetrix ligavit coccinum dicens
In the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb.
28 iste egreditur prior
When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This 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
As he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out, and she said, “Why have you made a breach for yourself?” Therefore his name was called Perez.
30 postea egressus est frater in cuius manu erat coccinum quem appellavit Zara
Afterward his brother came out, that had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.
