1 Mose 38
1 Saa bere no mu ara na Yuda tu fii ne nuabarimanom no nkyɛn ne Adulamni barima bi a wɔfrɛ no Hira kɔtenae.
Around this time, Judah left his brothers and set up his tents at Adullam, near to a local man named Hirah.
2 Ɛhɔ na Yuda kohyiaa Kanaanni beae bi a ɔyɛ ɔbarima bi a wɔfrɛ no Sua no babea. Yuda waree Sua babea no.
There Judah happened to see the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua and married her. He slept with her,
3 Sua babea no nyinsɛn woo ɔbabarima, na wɔtoo no din Er.
and she became pregnant and had a son he named Er.
4 Sua babea no san nyinsɛn woo ɔbabarima bio. Wɔtoo abofra no din Onan.
She became pregnant again and had a son she named Onan.
5 Sua babea no nyinsɛn ne mprɛnsa so wɔ Kesib, woo ɔbabarima bio. Saa abarimaa no nso wɔtoo no din Sela.
Then she had another son she named Shelah who was born in Kezib.
6 Bere a Yuda abakan Er nyin no, wɔwaree ababaa bi a wɔfrɛ no Tamar maa no.
Much later, Judah arranged for Er, his firstborn son, to marry a woman named Tamar.
7 Esiane sɛ na Yuda abakan Er yɛ omumɔyɛfo wɔ Awurade anim no nti, Awurade kum no.
But Er did what was evil in the Lord's sight, so the Lord put him to death.
8 Er wu akyi no, Yuda ka kyerɛɛ Er akyiba Onan se, “Ɛsɛ sɛ woware okunafo Tamar, sɛnea yɛn amanne te no, na sɛ wo ne no wo a, mma no ayɛ wo nua no diadefo.”
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 Esiane sɛ na Onan mpɛ sɛ ɔbɛwo akyɛ a mmofra no renyɛ nʼankasa mma nti, sɛ ɔne okunafo Tamar kɔda a, ɔmma ne ho nsu no ngu ɔbea no mu. Mmom, ɔma no gu fam sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, ɔrenwo ɔba a ɛbɛyɛ ne nua owufo no de.
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 Esiane sɛ nea ɔyɛe no ansɔ Awurade ani, sɛ ɔmpɛ sɛ ɔwo ba ma ne nua owufo no nti, okum ɔno nso.
But what he did was evil in the Lord's sight, so he also put Onan to death.
11 Na Yuda ka kyerɛɛ nʼase okunafo Tamar se, “Tu na kɔtena wʼagya fi sɛ okunafo kosi sɛ me babarima Sala benyin.” Na osuro sɛ, Sela nso bewu, sɛnea ne nuanom mpanyimfo Er ne Onan wuwui no. Enti Tamar tu kɔtenaa nʼagya fi hɔ.
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 Mmere bi akyi no, Yuda yere a ɔyɛ Sua babea no nso wui. Bere a woyii Yuda fii kuna mu no, ɔkɔɔ ne nguanhotwitwafo nkyɛn wɔ Timna. Ɔrekɔ no, ɔne nʼadamfo Adulamni Hira na ɛkɔe.
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 Obi bɛbɔɔ Tamar amanneɛ se, “Wʼase Yuda rebɛsen akɔ Timna akotwitwa ne nguan ho nwi.”
Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
14 Enti Tamar yii ne kuna ntade no guu hɔ. Ɔfaa nkataanim kataa nʼanim, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a obiara nhu sɛ ɛyɛ ɔno Tamar, na ɔkɔtenaa Enaim kurotia wɔ Timna kwan so. Efisɛ ohuu sɛ Sela anyin de, nanso na Yuda mmaa ne babarima no kwan mma ɔmmɛwaree no ɛ.
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 Bere a Yuda huu Tamar no, na osusuw sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbea guamanfo bi, efisɛ na wakata nʼanim.
Judah saw her and thought she must be a prostitute because she had veiled her face.
16 Yuda kɔɔ Tamar nkyɛn wɔ kwankyɛn hɔ a, na onnim sɛ ɔyɛ nʼase. Yuda ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Ma yɛnkɔ mprempren ara na me ne wo nkɔda.” Tamar bisaa no se, “Sɛ me ne wo kɔda a, wobɛma me dɛn?”
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 Yuda buae se, “Mɛma wɔde ɔpapo afi me nguankuw no mu abrɛ wo.” Tamar bisaa no bio se, “Ansa na wode ɔpapo no bɛba no, dɛn na wode bedi wo ho akagyinamu?”
“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 Yuda nso bisaa no se, “Dɛn ade na wopɛ sɛ mede di me ho akagyinamu?” Tamar buae se, “Nea wode bedi wo ho akagyinamu ne wo nsa so kaa ne ne hama ne saa pema a wukura yi.” Enti Yuda de saa nneɛma yi nyinaa maa Tamar ne no kɔda ma onyinsɛnee.
“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 Tamar fii hɔ akyi no, okoyii ne nkataanim no guu hɔ, san faa ne kunatam no furae.
She left, went home, took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothes.
20 Yuda de ɔpapo no maa nʼadamfo Adulamni no sɛ, ɔmfa nkɔma ɔbea no, na onnye nneɛma a ɔde dii ne ho akagyinamu no mmrɛ no, nanso wanhu no.
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 Obisaa kurom hɔfo no se, “Ɛhe na hyiadan mu ɔbea guamanfo a na ɔte Enaim kwankyɛn frɛfrɛ mmarima no wɔ?” Wobuaa no se, “Yenni hyiadan mu ɔbea guamanfo biara wɔ ha.”
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 Enti ɔsan kɔɔ Yuda hɔ, kɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Manhu no. Na kurom hɔfo nso kae se, ‘Hyiadan mu ɔbea oguamanfo biara nni ha.’”
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 Yuda nso kae se, “Ma no mfa nneɛma no, na anyɛ saa a wɔbɛserew yɛn. Wo ara wudi ho adanse sɛ memaa wode ɔpapo no kɔe, nanso woanhu no.”
“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 Ɛbɛyɛ asram abiɛsa akyi no, Yuda tee sɛ nʼase Tamar abɔ aguaman, anyinsɛn. Ɔtee saa asɛm no, ɔkae se, “Monkɔkyere no mmra, na yɛnhyew no nkum no.”
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 Wɔkɔkyeree Tamar de no reba abekum no no, ɔsoma ma wɔkɔka kyerɛɛ nʼase Yuda se, “Onipa a ne nneɛma ni no na ɔne me nyinsɛnee. Monhwɛ sɛ mubehu onipa ko a saa nsa so kaa ne ne hama ne pema yi yɛ ne de no ana.”
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 Yuda gye too mu se, saa nneɛma no yɛ ne dea. Ɔtoaa so se, “Ɔbea yi yɛ ɔtreneeni sen me, efisɛ mamfa no amma me babarima Sela anware.” Efi saa bere no, Yuda ankɔ Tamar ho bio.
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 Tamar awo duu so no, ɔwoo nta.
When the time came for Tamar to give birth, she was found to be carrying twins.
28 Bere a ɔrewo no, nta no mu baako de ne nsa dii kan bae. Enti ɔbea a ɔregye no awo no de asaawa kɔkɔɔ bɔɔ abofra no bakɔn, kae se, “Oyi na wɔwoo no kan.”
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 Saa abofra no twee ne nsa san kɔɔ mu. Ɔsan twee ne nsa kɔɔ mu no, wɔwoo ne nua a ɔka ne ho no mmom. Na ɔwogyefo no kae se, “Abususɛm bɛn ni!” Wɔtoo no din Peres.
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 Akyiri no, ɔwoo ne nuabarima a na asaawa kɔkɔɔ bɔ ne nsakɔn no. Wɔtoo ɔno nso din Serah.
Then his brother with the scarlet thread on his wrist was born. He was named Zerah.
