Mwanzo 38
1 Ikawa wakati ule Yuda akawaacha ndugu zake na kukaa na Mwadulami fulani, jina lake Hira.
About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.
2 Pale akakutana na binti Mkanaani jina lake Shua. Akamwoa na kulala naye.
There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.
3 Akawa mjamzito na kuzaa mwana. Akaitwa Eri.
So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er.
4 Akawa mjamzito tena na kuzaa mwana tena. Akamwita jina lake Onani.
Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.
5 Akazaa mwana mwingine akamwita jina lake Shela. Alikuwa huko Kezibu alipomzaa.
Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.
6 Yuda akaona mke kwa ajili ya Eri, mzaliwa wake wa kwanza. Jina lake Tamari.
Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
7 Eri, mzaliwa wa kwanza wa Yuda, alikuwa mwovu mbele za Yahwe. Yahwe akamwua.
But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.
8 Yuda akamwambia Onani, “Lala na mke wa nduguyo. Fanya wajibu wa shemeji kwake, na umwinulie nduguyo mwana.”
Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”
9 Onani alijua kwamba mtoto asingekuwa wake. Pindi alipolala na mke wa kaka yake, alimwaga mbegu juu ya ardhi ili kwamba asimpatie nduguye mtoto.
But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.
10 Alilolifanya lilikuwa ovu mbele za Yahwe. Yahwe akamwua pia.
What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.
11 Kisha Yuda akamwambia Tamari, mkwewe, “Ukakae mjane katika nyumb aya baba yako hadi Shela, mwanangu, atakapokuwa.” Kwani aliogopa, “Asije akafa pia, kama nduguze.” Tamari akaondoka na kuishi katika nyumba ya babaye.
Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.
12 Baada ya muda mrefu, binti Shua, mkewe Yuda, alikufa. Yuda akafarijika na kwenda kwa wakatao kondoo wake manyoya huko Timna, yeye na rafiki yake, Hira Mwadulami.
After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah.
13 Tamari akaambiwa, “Tazama, mkweo anakwenda Timna kukata kondoo wake manyoya.”
When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
14 Akavua mavazi yake ya ujane na akajifunika kwa ushungi. Akakaa katika lango la Enaimu, lililoko kando ya njia iendayo Timna. Kwa maana aliona kwamba Shela amekua lakini akupewe kuwa mke wake.
she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.
15 Yuda alipomwona alidhani ni kahaba kwa maana alikuwa amefunika uso wake.
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.
16 Akamwendea kando ya njia na kusema, “Njoo, tafadhari uniruhusu kulala nawe” - kwani hakujua kwamba alikuwa ni mkwewe - naye akasema, “Utanipa nini ili ulale nami?
Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired.
17 Akasema, “Nitakuletea mwana mbuzu wa kundi.” Akasema, “Je utanipa rehani hata utakapo leta?”
“I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered. But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”
18 Akasema, “Nikupe rehani gani?” Naye akasema, “Mhuri wako na mshipi, na fimbo iliyo mkononi mwako.” Akampa na kulala naye. Akawa mjamzito.
“What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
19 Akaamka na kuondoka. Akavua ushungi wake na kuvaa vazi la ujane wake.
Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.
20 Yuda akatuma mwana mbuzi kutoka kundini kwa mkono wa rafiki yake Mwadulami ili aichukue rehani kutoka katika mkono wa mwanamke, lakini hakumwona.
Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.
21 Kisha Mwadulami akauliza watu wa sehemu hiyo,”Yupo wapi kahaba aliyekuwa Enaimu kando ya njia?” Wakasema, hapajawai tokea kahaba hapa.”
He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered.
22 Akarudi kwa Yuda na kusema, “Sikumwona. Pia watu wa eneo hilo wamesema, 'Hajawai kuwapo kahaba hapa.”
So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’”
23 Yuda akasema, “Mwache akae na vitu, tusije tukaaibika. Hakika, nimemletea mwanambuzi, lakini hukumwona.”
“Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”
24 Ikawa baada ya miezi mitatu Yuda akaambiwa, “Tamari mkweo amefanya ukahaba, na kwa hakika, yeye ni mjamzito.” Yuda akasema, “Mleteni hapa ili achomwe.”
About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”
25 Alipoletwa nje, alipeleka ujumbe kwa mkwewe, “Mimi ni mjamzito kwa mtu mwenye vitu hivi.” Akasema, “Tambua tafadhari, mhuri huu na mshipi na fimbo ni vya nani.”
As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”
26 Yuda akavitambua na kusema, “Yeye ni mwenye haki kuliko mimi, kwani sikumpa Shela, mwanangu awe mme wake.” Hakulala naye tena.
Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.
27 Muda wake wa kujifungua ukafika, tazama, mapacha walikuwa tumboni mwake.
When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb.
28 Ikawa alipokuwa akijifungua mmoja akatoa mkono nje, na mkunga akachukua kitambaa cha rangi ya zambarau na kukifunga katika mkono wake na kusema, “Huyu ametoka wa kwanza.”
And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced.
29 Ikawa aliporudisha mkono wake, tazama, ndugu yake akatoka kwanza. Mkunga akasema, “Umetokaje” Na akaitwa Peresi.
But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez.
30 Kisha ndugu yake akatoka, akiwa na utepe wa zambarau juu ya mkono wake, naye akaitwa Zera.
Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.
