UGenesisi 38

1 Ngalesosikhathi uJuda watshiya abafowabo wahamba wayahlala lendoda yase-Adulami eyayithiwa nguHira.

Now at that time, Judah went away from his brothers and became the friend of a man of Adullam named Hirah.

2 Khonale uJuda wabonana lendodakazi yendoda engumKhenani eyayithiwa nguShuwa. Wayithatha wembatha layo;

And there he saw the daughter of a certain man of Canaan named Shua, and took her as his wife.

3 yathatha isisu yazala indodana yathiwa ngu-Eri.

And she gave birth to a son, and he gave him the name Er.

4 Wazithwala njalo wazala indodana wayithi ngu-Onani.

And again she gave birth to a son, and he gave him the name Onan.

5 Wazala njalo enye indodana wayithi nguShela. Le wayizalela eKhezibhi.

Then she had another son, to whom she gave the name Shelah; she was at Chezib when the birth took place.

6 UJuda wazuzela u-Eri izibulo lakhe umfazi, ibizo lakhe linguThamari.

And Judah took a wife for his first son Er, and her name was Tamar.

7 Kodwa u-Eri izibulo likaJuda, wayengcolile emehlweni kaThixo; uThixo wasembulala.

Now Er, Judah's first son, did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so that he put him to death.

8 UJuda wasesithi ku-Onani, “Lala lomkamfowenu ugcwalise umlandu wakho njengomfowabo uzalele umfowenu abantwana.”

Then Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brother's wife and do what it is right for a husband's brother to do; make her your wife and get offspring for your brother.

9 Kodwa u-Onani wakwazi ukuthi inzalo leyo yayingezukuba ngeyakhe; ngakho kwakusithi sonke isikhathi angalala lomkamfowabo achithele inhlanyelo phansi emhlabathini ukuze angaze azalela umfowabo abantwana.

But Onan, seeing that the offspring would not be his, went in to his brother's wife, but let his seed go on to the earth, so that he might not get offspring for his brother.

10 Lokho ayekwenza kwakukubi emehlweni kaThixo; ngakho uThixo wambulala.

And what he did was evil in the eyes of the Lord, so that he put him to death, like his brother.

11 UJuda wasesithi kumalukazana wakhe uThamari, “Hamba uyehlala njengomfelokazi emzini kayihlo indodana yami uShela ize ikhule.” Ngoba wanakana wathi, “Laye angafa njengabanewabo.” Ngakho uThamari wahamba wayahlala emzini kayise.

Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, Go back to your father's house and keep yourself as a widow till my son Shelah becomes a man: for he had in his mind the thought that death might come to him as it had come to his brothers. So Tamar went back to her father's house.

12 Ngemva kwesikhathi eside umkaJuda, indodakazi kaShuwa wafa. Kwathi uJuda eseduduzekile waya eThimina, emadodeni ayegunda izimvu zakhe, ehamba lomngane wakhe uHira umʼAdulami.

And after a time, Bath-shua, Judah's wife, came to her end; and after Judah was comforted for her loss, he went to Timnah, where they were cutting the wool of his sheep, and his friend Hirah of Adullam went with him.

13 Kwathi uThamari esetsheliwe kwathiwa, “Uyihlozala uyeza eThimina ukuzagunda izimvu zakhe,”

And when Tamar had news that her father-in-law was going up to Timnah to the wool-cutting,

14 wakhulula izigqoko zakhe zokuzila wazimboza ngesimbombozo ukuzifihla, wasehlala phansi eduzane lesango lase-Enayimi, elisendleleni yaseThimina. Ngoba wabona ukuthi loba uShela wayesekhulile, yena wayelokhu engakamphiwa ukuthi abe ngumkakhe.

She took off her widow's clothing, and covering herself with her veil, she took her seat near Enaim on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was now a man, but she had not been made his wife.

15 UJuda wathi embona wacabanga ukuthi yisifebe, ngoba wayezivale ubuso.

When Judah saw her he took her to be a loose woman of the town, because her face was covered.

16 Kwathi ngoba engamboni ukuthi ngumalokazana wakhe waya kuye eceleni komgwaqo wathi, “Woza manje, ngifuna ukulala lawe.” Yena wabuza wathi, “Uzangiphani ngingalala lawe?”

And turning to her by the roadside, he said to her, Let me come in to you; for he had no idea that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What will you give me as my price?

17 Wathi, “Ngizakuthumezela izinyane lembuzi emhlambini wami.” UThamari wabuza wathi, “Uzangipha na ulutho lube yisibambiso ungakalithumezi?”

And he said, I will give you a young goat from the flock. And she said, What will you give me as a sign till you send it?

18 Wathi, “Ngikuphe sibambiso bani?” Waphendula wathi, “Isilengiso sophawu lwakho lentambo yaso, kanye lodondolo lwakho oluphetheyo.” Ngakho wamupha lezozinto waselala laye, wahle wazithwala.

And he said, What would you have? And she said, Your ring and its cord and the stick in your hand. So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she became with child by him.

19 Esesuka lapho uThamari wakhupha isimbombozo sakhe wagqoka izigqoko zakhe zokuzila njalo.

Then she got up and went away and took off her veil and put on her widow's clothing.

20 Kusenjalo uJuda wathumezela izinyane lembuzi ngomngane wakhe umʼAdulami ukuze abuyiselwe isibambiso sakhe esasikowesifazane lowo, kodwa wamswela.

Then Judah sent his friend Hirah with the young goat, to get back the things which he had given as a sign to the woman: but she was not there.

21 Wabuza amadoda ayehlala lapho wathi, “Singaphi isifebe ebesilapha eceleni komgwaqo e-Enayimi na?” Athi, “Kakuzange kube lesifebe lapha.”

And he put questions to the men of the place, saying, Where is the loose woman who was in Enaim by the wayside? And they said, There was no such woman there.

22 Ngakho wasebuyela kuJuda wayakuthi, “Kangimfumananga. Futhi amadoda lawo ahlala khona athi kakuzange kube lesifebe esasihlala lapho.”

So he went back to Judah, and said, I have not seen her, and the men of the place say that there is no such woman there.

23 UJuda wasesithi, “Myekele ahle akugcine khonokho alakho funa sicine sesiyinhlekisa. Phezu kwalokho mina bengimthumezele izinyane lembuzi, kodwa kawusamfumananga.”

And Judah said, Let her keep the things, so that we may not be shamed; I sent the young goat, but you did not see the woman.

24 Ngemva kwezinyanga ezintathu uJuda watshelwa ukuthi umalukazana wakhe uThamari wayesefebile wasethatha isisu. UJuda wathi, “Mkhupheni, atshiswe aze afe.”

Now about three months after this, word came to Judah that Tamar, his daughter-in-law, had been acting like a loose woman and was with child. And Judah said, Take her out and let her be burned.

25 Kwathi lapho ekhutshwa wathumela ilizwi kuyisezala wathi, “Ngoniwa yindoda engumnikazi walezizinto.” Wengeza ngokuthi, “Akubone ukuthi singaba ngesikabani isilengiso sophawu lesi lentambo kanye lodondolo lolu.”

And while she was being taken out, she sent word to her father-in-law, saying, The man whose property these things are, is the father of my child: say then, whose are this ring and this cord and this stick?

26 UJuda wazazi izinto lezo wathi, “Ulungile kulami, ngoba kangisamphanga endodaneni yami uShela.” Kasaphindanga wembatha laye njalo.

Then Judah said openly that they were his, and said, She is more upright than I am, for I did not give her to Shelah my son. And he had no more connection with her.

27 Kwathi isikhathi sakhe sokubeletha sesifikile, wayelamaphahla angabafana esiswini.

And when the time came for her to give birth, it was clear that there were two children in her body.

28 Wathi khonapho ebeletha omunye wawo wakhupha isandla; umbelethisi wathatha intambo ebomvu wayibophela esihlakaleni sesandla salo wathi, “Leli yilo eliphume kuqala.”

And while she was in the act of giving birth, one of them put out his hand; and the woman who was with her put a red thread round his hand, saying, This one came out first.

29 Kodwa labuyisela isandla, umfowabo waphuma kuqala, wasesithi, “Le yiyo indlela ofohle ngayo!” Laseliphiwa ibizo elithi nguPherezi.

But then he took his hand back again, and his brother came first to birth: and the woman said, What an opening you have made for yourself! So he was named Perez.

30 Ngakho umfowabo, owayelentambo esihlakaleni, waphuma wethiwa ibizo wathiwa nguZera.

And then his brother came out, with the red thread round his hand, and he was named Zerah.