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.
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 Ɛhɔ na Yuda kohyiaa Kanaanni beae bi a ɔyɛ ɔbarima bi a wɔfrɛ no Sua no babea. Yuda waree Sua babea no.
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 Sua babea no nyinsɛn woo ɔbabarima, na wɔtoo no din Er.
and she became pregnant and later gave birth to a son, whom he named Er.
4 Sua babea no san nyinsɛn woo ɔbabarima bio. Wɔtoo abofra no din Onan.
Later she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son whom she named Onan.
5 Sua babea no nyinsɛn ne mprɛnsa so wɔ Kesib, woo ɔbabarima bio. Saa abarimaa no nso wɔtoo no din Sela.
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 Bere a Yuda abakan Er nyin no, wɔwaree ababaa bi a wɔfrɛ no Tamar maa no.
When Judah’s oldest son Er [grew up], Judah got a wife for him, a woman named Tamar.
7 Esiane sɛ na Yuda abakan Er yɛ omumɔyɛfo wɔ Awurade anim no nti, Awurade kum no.
But Er did something that Yahweh considered to be very wicked, so Yahweh caused him to die.
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.”
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 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.
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 Esiane sɛ nea ɔyɛe no ansɔ Awurade ani, sɛ ɔmpɛ sɛ ɔwo ba ma ne nua owufo no nti, okum ɔno nso.
Yahweh considered that what he did was wicked, so he caused him to die also.
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 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 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.
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 Obi bɛbɔɔ Tamar amanneɛ se, “Wʼase Yuda rebɛsen akɔ Timna akotwitwa ne nguan ho nwi.”
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 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.
[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 Bere a Yuda huu Tamar no, na osusuw sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbea guamanfo bi, efisɛ na wakata nʼanim.
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 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?”
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 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?”
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 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.
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 Tamar fii hɔ akyi no, okoyii ne nkataanim no guu hɔ, san faa ne kunatam no furae.
After she left, she took off the veil and put her widow’s clothes on again.
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 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 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.”
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 Enti ɔsan kɔɔ Yuda hɔ, kɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Manhu no. Na kurom hɔfo nso kae se, ‘Hyiadan mu ɔbea oguamanfo biara nni ha.’”
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 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.”
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 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.”
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 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.”
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 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.
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 Tamar awo duu so no, ɔwoo nta.
When it was time for her to give birth, [she was surprised that] there were twin boys in her womb.
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.”
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 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 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 Akyiri no, ɔwoo ne nuabarima a na asaawa kɔkɔɔ bɔ ne nsakɔn no. Wɔtoo ɔno nso din Serah.
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].’
