Judah and Tamar
1At that time, Judah left his brothers. He went down to stay with a man named Hirah from the town of Adullam. 2There Judah met the daughter of a man from Canaan. His name was Shua. Judah married her and slept with her. 3She became pregnant and had a son. They named him Er. 4She became pregnant again and had another son. She named him Onan. 5She had still another son. She named him Shelah. He was born at Kezib.
6Judah got a wife for his oldest son Er. Her name was Tamar. 7But Judah’s oldest son Er was evil in the Lord’s eyes. So the Lord put him to death.
8Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. After all, you are her brother-in-law. So carry out your duty to her. Provide children for your brother.” 9But Onan knew that the children wouldn’t belong to him. So every time he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground. He did it so he wouldn’t provide children for his brother. 10What he did was evil in the Lord’s eyes. So the Lord put him to death also.
11Then Judah spoke to his daughter-in-law Tamar. He said, “Live as a widow in your father’s home. Wait there until my son Shelah grows up.” Judah was thinking, “Shelah might die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s home.
12After a long time Judah’s wife died. She was the daughter of Shua. When Judah got over his sadness, he went up to Timnah. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him. Men were clipping the wool from Judah’s sheep at Timnah.
13Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to clip the wool from his sheep.” 14So she took off her widow’s clothes. She covered her face with a veil so people wouldn’t know who she was. Then she sat down at the entrance to Enaim. Enaim is on the road to Timnah. Tamar knew that Shelah had grown up. But she hadn’t been given to him as his wife.
15Judah saw her. He thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face with a veil. 16He didn’t realize that she was his daughter-in-law. He went over to her by the side of the road. He said, “Come. Let me sleep with you.”
“What will you give me to sleep with you?” she asked.
17“I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” he said.
“Will you give me something that belongs to you?” she asked. “I’ll keep it until you send the goat.”
18He said, “What should I give you?”
“Give me your official seal and the string that it hangs from,” she answered. “And give me your walking stick.” So he gave them to her. Then he slept with her. And she became pregnant by him. 19After she left, she took off her veil. She put on her widow’s clothes again.
20Judah sent his friend Hirah with the young goat he had promised. He wanted to get back what he had given to the woman. But his friend Hirah couldn’t find her. 21He asked the men who lived at Enaim, “Where’s the temple prostitute? She used to sit beside the road here.”
“There hasn’t been any temple prostitute here,” they said.
22So Hirah went back to Judah. He said, “I couldn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there didn’t know anything about her. They said, ‘There hasn’t been any temple prostitute here.’ ”
23Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has. I don’t want people making fun of us. After all, I did send her this young goat. We can’t help it if you couldn’t find her.”
24About three months later people brought word to Judah. They said, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of being a prostitute. Now she’s pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out! Have her burned to death!”
25As Tamar was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. She said, “I am pregnant by the man who owns these.” She continued, “Do you recognize this seal and string and walking stick? Do you know who they belong to?”
26Judah recognized them. He said, “She’s a better person than I am. I should have given her to my son Shelah, but I didn’t.” Judah never slept with Tamar again.
27The time came for Tamar to have her baby. There were twin boys inside her. 28As the babies were being born, one of them stuck out his hand. So the woman helping Tamar took a bright red thread. The woman tied it on the baby’s wrist. She said, “This one came out first.” 29But he pulled his hand back, and his brother came out first instead. She said, “Just look at how you have forced your way out!” So he was called Perez. 30Then his brother, who had the red thread on his wrist, came out. So he was named Zerah.
Si Juda at si Tamar
1Nang panahon ding iyon, humiwalay si Juda sa mga kapatid niya at doon nanirahan kasama ni Hira na taga-Adulam. 2Doon nakilala ni Juda ang anak ni Shua na taga-Canaan at napangasawa niya ito. 3Dumating ang panahon, nagbuntis ito at nanganak ng lalaki at pinangalanan ni Juda ang sanggol na Er. 4Muli siyang nagbuntis at nanganak ng lalaki at pinangalanan niyang Onan. 5Nagbuntis pa siya at nanganak ng lalaki at pinangalanan niyang Shela. Isinilang si Shela sa Kezib.
6Si Tamar ang napili ni Juda para maging asawa ng kanyang panganay na si Er. 7Pero si Er ay naging masama sa paningin ng Panginoon, kaya pinatay siya ng Panginoon.
8Kaya sinabi ni Juda kay Onan, “Sipingan mo ang hipag mo dahil tungkulin mo iyan bilang kapatid ng asawa niyang namatay, para sa pamamagitan mo ay magkaroon din ng mga anak ang iyong kapatid.” 9Pero alam ni Onan na hindi ituturing na kanya ang magiging anak nila, kaya tuwing magsisiping sila ni Tamar, itinatapon niya sa labas ang kanyang binhi para hindi siya magkaanak para sa kanyang kapatid. 10Masama ang ginawa ni Onan sa paningin ng Panginoon, kaya pinatay din niya ito.
11Sinabi agad ni Juda kay Tamar na kanyang manugang, “Umuwi ka muna sa iyong ama, at huwag kang mag-asawa hanggang magbinata na si Shela.” Sinabi iyon ni Juda dahil natatakot siya na baka mamatay din si Shela katulad ng mga kapatid niya. Kaya umuwi muna si Tamar sa kanyang ama.
12Dumating ang panahon, namatay ang asawa ni Juda. Pagkatapos ng kanyang pagdadalamhati, pumunta siya sa mga manggugupit ng balahibo ng kanyang mga tupa roon sa Timnah. Kasama niyang pumunta roon ang kaibigan niyang si Hira na taga-Adulam.
13May nagsabi kay Tamar na ang biyenan niya ay pupunta sa Timnah para pagupitan doon ang mga tupa nito. 14Nang marinig iyon ni Tamar, pinalitan niya ang kanyang damit na pambalo, at tinakpan ng belo ang kanyang mukha. Naupo siya sa may pintuan ng bayan ng Enaim, sa tabi ng daan na papunta sa Timnah. Plano niyang dayain si Juda dahil hindi pa rin ibinibigay sa kanya si Shela para maging asawa niya kahit binata na ito.
15-16Pagkakita ni Juda kay Tamar, hindi niya nakilala na manugang niya ito dahil may talukbong ang mukha nito. Akala niyaʼy isa itong babaeng bayaran. Kaya lumapit siya sa kanya sa tabi ng daan at sinabi, “Halika, magsiping tayo.”
Sumagot si Tamar, “Ano ang ibabayad mo sa akin kapag sumiping ako sa iyo?”
17Sinabi ni Juda, “Bibigyan kita ng kambing mula sa aking mga hayop.”
Sumagot si Tamar, “Papayag ako kung may ibibigay ka sa akin para makatiyak ako na babayaran mo ako hanggang maipadala mo na ang kambing.”
18-19Nagtanong si Juda, “Anong garantiya ang gusto mo?”
Sumagot si Tamar, “Ibigay mo sa akin ang ginagamit mong pantatak, panali at pati ang iyong tungkod.” Kaya ibinigay iyon ni Juda at sumiping siya kay Tamar. Pagkatapos, umuwi si Tamar, at tinanggal niya ang talukbong sa kanyang mukha at muling isinuot ang damit na pambalo. Dumating ang panahon at nagbuntis siya.
20Hindi nagtagal, ipinahatid ni Juda ang kambing sa kaibigan niyang si Hira na taga-Adulam para kunin ang mga bagay na ibinigay niya kay Tamar bilang garantiya, pero hindi niya makita si Tamar. 21Nagtanong si Hira sa mga lalaking taga-Enaim kung nasaan na ang babaeng bayaran, na nakaupo sa tabi ng daan.
Ngunit sumagot ang mga tao, “Wala naman kaming nakitang ganoong babae rito.”
22Kaya bumalik si Hira kay Juda at sinabi, “Hindi ko siya makita. At sinabi ng mga tao na wala naman daw ganoong babae roon.”
23Sinabi ni Juda, “Hayaan na lang natin na itago niya ang mga ibinigay kong gamit sa kanya, dahil baka pagtawanan pa tayo ng mga tao na naghahanap tayo sa wala. Ganoon pa man, pinahatiran ko naman siya ng mga kambing pero hindi mo naman siya makita roon.”
24Pagkalipas ng tatlong buwan, nabalitaan ni Juda na ang manugang niyang si Tamar ay nagbebenta ng dangal at nabuntis ito.
Kaya sinabi ni Juda, “Dalhin ninyo siya sa labas ng lungsod at sunugin.”
25Pero nang ilalabas na si Tamar, ipinasabi niya kay Juda, “Narito ang pantatak, panali at pati ang tungkod. Ang may-ari nito ang ama ng sanggol na nasa sinapupunan ko. Kilalanin nʼyo kung kanino ito.”
26Nakilala ni Juda na kanya ang mga gamit na iyon kaya sinabi niya, “Wala siyang kasalanan. Ako ang nagkasala dahil hindi ko pinayagang mapangasawa niya ang anak kong si Shela.” Hindi na muling sumiping si Juda kay Tamar.
27Nang malapit nang manganak si Tamar, nalaman niyang ang sanggol na nasa sinapupunan niya ay kambal. 28At nang nanganganak na siya, lumabas ang kamay ng isang sanggol. Tinalian ito ng manghihilot ng taling pula para malaman na ito ang unang isinilang. 29Pero ipinasok ng sanggol ang kamay nito at ang kakambal niya ang unang lumabas. Sinabi ng manghihilot, “Nakipag-unahan kang lumabas.” Kaya pinangalanan ang sanggol na Perez.38:29 Perez: Ang ibig sabihin, Nakipag-unahang lumabas. 30Pagkatapos, lumabas din ang kakambal na may taling pula sa kamay. At pinangalanan siyang Zera.38:30 Zera: Maaaring ang ibig sabihin, pula.
