1 Mose 38
1 Ɛbaa sɛ saa ɛberɛ no ara mu, Yuda tu firii ne nuammarimanom no nkyɛn ne Adulamni ɔbarima bi a wɔfrɛ no Hira kɔtenaeɛ.
About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.
2 Ɛhɔ na Yuda kɔhyiaa Kanaanni ɔbaa bi a ɔyɛ ɔbarima bi a wɔfrɛ no Sua no babaa. Yuda waree Sua babaa no.
There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.
3 Sua babaa no nyinsɛneeɛ, woo ɔbabarima, na wɔtoo no edin Er.
So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er.
4 Sua babaa no sane nyinsɛneeɛ woo ɔbabarima bio. Wɔtoo abɔfra no edin Onan.
Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.
5 Sua babaa no nyinsɛneeɛ ne mprɛnsa so wɔ Kesib, woo ɔbabarima bio. Saa abarimaa no nso, wɔtoo no edin Sela.
Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.
6 Ɛberɛ a Yuda abakan Er nyiniiɛ no, wɔwaree ababaawa bi a wɔfrɛ no Tamar maa no.
Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
7 Esiane sɛ na Yuda abakan Er yɛ omumuyɛfoɔ wɔ Awurade anim no enti, Awurade kumm no.
But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.
8 Er wuo akyiri no, Yuda ka kyerɛɛ Er akyiri ba Onan sɛ, “Ɛsɛ sɛ woware okunafoɔ Tamar, sɛdeɛ yɛn amanneɛ te no, na sɛ wo ne no wo a, mma no ayɛ wo nua no adedifoɔ.”
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 Esiane sɛ na Onan mpɛ sɛ ɔbɛwo akyɛ a mmɔfra no renyɛ nʼankasa mma enti, sɛ ɔne okunafoɔ Tamar kɔda a, ɔmma nʼahobaa no ngu ɔbaa no mu. Mmom, ɔma no gu fam sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, ɔrenwo ɔba a ɛbɛyɛ ne nua owufoɔ no deɛ.
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 Esiane sɛ deɛ ɔyɛeɛ no nsɔ Awurade ani, sɛ ɔmpɛ sɛ ɔwo ba ma ne nua owufoɔ no enti, ɔno nso, ɔkumm no.
What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.
11 Afei, Yuda ka kyerɛɛ nʼase okunafoɔ Tamar sɛ, “Tu na kɔtena wʼagya fie sɛ okunafoɔ kɔsi sɛ me babarima Sala bɛnyini.” Na ɔsuro sɛ, Sela nso bɛwu, sɛdeɛ ne nuanom mpanimfoɔ Er ne Onan wuwuiɛ no. Enti, Tamar tu kɔtenaa nʼagya fie hɔ.
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 Ɛwɔ hɔ ara na Yuda yere a ɔyɛ Sua babaa no nso wuiɛ. Ɛberɛ a wɔyii Yuda firii kuna mu no, ɔkɔɔ ne nnwanhotwitwafoɔ nkyɛn wɔ Timna. Ɔrekɔ no, ɔne nʼadamfo Adulamni Hira na ɛkɔeɛ.
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 Obi bɛbɔɔ Tamar amaneɛ sɛ, “Wʼase Yuda rebɛtwam akɔ Timna akɔtwitwa ne nnwan ho nwi.”
When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
14 Enti, Tamar yii ne kuna ntadeɛ no guu hɔ. Ɔfaa nkatanimu kataa nʼanim, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a obiara nhunu sɛ ɛyɛ ɔno Tamar. Afei, ɔkɔtenaa Enaim kurotia wɔ Timna ɛkwan so. Ɛfiri sɛ, ɔhunuu sɛ Sela anyini deɛ, nanso na Yuda mmaa ne babarima no kwan mmaa ɔmmɛwaree no.
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 Ɛberɛ a Yuda hunuu Tamar no, na ɔdwene sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbaa dwamanfoɔ bi, ɛfiri sɛ, na wakata nʼanim.
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.
16 Yuda kɔɔ Tamar nkyɛn wɔ ɛkwankyɛn hɔ a, na ɔnnim sɛ ɔyɛ nʼase. Yuda ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Ma yɛnkɔ seesei ara na me ne wo nkɔda.” Tamar bisaa no sɛ, “Sɛ me ne wo kɔda a, wobɛma me ɛdeɛn?”
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 Yuda buaa sɛ, “Mɛma wɔde ɔpapo afiri me nnwankuo no mu abrɛ wo.” Tamar bisaa no bio sɛ, “Ansa na wode ɔpapo no bɛba no, ɛdeɛn na wode bɛdi wo ho agyinamu?”
“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 Yuda nso bisaa no sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn adeɛ na wopɛ sɛ mede di me ho agyinamu?” Tamar buaa sɛ, “Deɛ fa di wo ho agyinamu ne wo nsa so kawa ne nʼahoma ne saa poma a ɛkura wo yi.” Enti, Yuda de saa nneɛma yi nyinaa maa Tamar ne no kɔdaeɛ, ma ɔnyinsɛneeɛ.
“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 Tamar firii hɔ akyiri no, ɔkɔyii ne nkatanimu no guu hɔ, sane faa ne kunatam firaeɛ.
Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.
20 Yuda de ɔpapo no maa nʼadamfo Adulamni no sɛ, ɔmfa nkɔma ɔbaa no, na ɔnnye nneɛma a ɔde dii ne ho agyinamu no mmrɛ no no, wanhu no. Enti, Adulamni no
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 bisaa kurom hɔfoɔ no sɛ, “Ɛhe na hyiadan mu ɔbaa odwamanfoɔ a na ɔte Enaim kwankyɛn frɛfrɛ mmarima no wɔ?” Wɔbuaa no sɛ, “Yɛnni hyiadan mu ɔbaa odwamanfoɔ biara wɔ ha.”
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 Enti, ɔsane kɔɔ Yuda hɔ, kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Manhunu no. Ɛnna kurom hɔfoɔ nso kaa sɛ, ‘Hyiadan mu ɔbaa odwamanfoɔ biara nni ha.’”
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 nso kaa sɛ, “Ma no mfa nneɛma no, na anyɛ saa a wɔbɛsere yɛn. Wo ara wodi ho adanseɛ sɛ memaa wode ɔpapo no kɔeɛ, nanso woanhunu no.”
“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 Ɛbɛyɛ abosome mmiɛnsa akyiri no, Yuda tee sɛ nʼase Tamar abɔ adwaman, anyinsɛn. Ɔtee saa asɛm no, ɔkaa sɛ, “Monkɔkye no mmra, na yɛnhye no, nku no.”
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 Wɔkɔkyeree Tamar de no reba abɛkum no no, ɔsoma ma wɔkɔka kyerɛɛ nʼase Yuda sɛ, “Onipa a ne nneɛma nie no na ɔne me nyinsɛneeɛ. Monhwɛ sɛ mobɛhunu onipa ko a saa nsa so kawa ne nʼahoma ne poma yi yɛ ne dea no anaa.”
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 gye too mu sɛ, saa nneɛma no yɛ ne dea. Ɔtoaa so sɛ, “Ɔbaa yi yɛ ɔteneneeni sen me, ɛfiri sɛ, mamfa no amma me babarima Sela anware.” Ɛfiri saa ɛberɛ no, Yuda ankɔ Tamar ho bio.
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 Tamar awoɔ duruu so no, ɔwoo nta.
When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb.
28 Ɛberɛ a ɔrewo no, nta no mu baako de ne nsa dii ɛkan baeɛ. Enti, ɔbaa a ɔregye no awoɔ no de asaawa kɔkɔɔ bɔɔ abɔfra no abakɔn, kaa sɛ, “Yei na wɔwoo no kane.”
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 Saa abɔfra no twee ne nsa sane kɔɔ mu. Ɔsane twee ne nsa kɔɔ mu no, wɔwoo ne nua a ɔka ne ho no mmom. Na ɔwogyefoɔ no kaa sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn abususɛm ni!” Wɔtoo no edin Peres.
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 Akyire no, ɔwoo ne nuabarima a na asaawa kɔkɔɔ bɔ nʼabakɔn no. Wɔtoo ɔno nso edin Serah.
Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.
