Genesis 38 – NIV & ASCB

New International Version

Genesis 38:1-30

Judah and Tamar

1At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. 2There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her; 3she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. 4She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. 5She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.

6Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.

8Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” 9But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.

11Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s household until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.

12After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.

13When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,” 14she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.

15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”

“And 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 as a pledge until you send it?” she asked.

18He said, “What pledge should I give you?”

“Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes again.

20Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”

“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.

22So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’ ”

23Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”

24About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”

Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”

25As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”

26Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.

27When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 28As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, “This one came out first.” 29But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.38:29 Perez means breaking out. 30Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah.38:30 Zerah can mean scarlet or brightness.

Asante Twi Contemporary Bible

1 Mose 38:1-30

Yuda Ne Tamar

1Ɛbaa sɛ saa ɛberɛ no ara mu, Yuda tu firii ne nuammarimanom no nkyɛn ne Adulamni ɔbarima bi a wɔfrɛ no Hira kɔtenaeɛ. 2Ɛhɔ na Yuda kɔhyiaa Kanaanni ɔbaa bi a ɔyɛ ɔbarima bi a wɔfrɛ no Sua no babaa. Yuda waree Sua babaa no. 3Sua babaa no nyinsɛneeɛ, woo ɔbabarima, na wɔtoo no edin Er. 4Sua babaa no sane nyinsɛneeɛ woo ɔbabarima bio. Wɔtoo abɔfra no edin Onan. 5Sua babaa no nyinsɛneeɛ ne mprɛnsa so wɔ Kesib, woo ɔbabarima bio. Saa abarimaa no nso, wɔtoo no edin Sela.

6Ɛberɛ a Yuda abakan Er nyiniiɛ no, wɔwaree ababaawa bi a wɔfrɛ no Tamar maa no. 7Esiane sɛ na Yuda abakan Er yɛ omumuyɛfoɔ wɔ Awurade anim no enti, Awurade kumm no.

8Er 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.” 9Esiane 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. 10Esiane sɛ deɛ ɔyɛeɛ no nsɔ Awurade ani, sɛ ɔmpɛ sɛ ɔwo ba ma ne nua owufoɔ no enti, ɔno nso, ɔkumm no.

11Afei, 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.

12Ɛwɔ 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.

13Obi bɛbɔɔ Tamar amaneɛ sɛ, “Wʼase Yuda rebɛtwam akɔ Timna akɔtwitwa ne nnwan ho nwi.” 14Enti, 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.

15Ɛberɛ a Yuda hunuu Tamar no, na ɔdwene sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbaa dwamanfoɔ bi, ɛfiri sɛ, na wakata nʼanim. 16Yuda 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?”

17Yuda 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?”

18Yuda 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. 19Tamar firii hɔ akyiri no, ɔkɔyii ne nkatanimu no guu hɔ, sane faa ne kunatam firaeɛ.

20Yuda 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 21bisaa 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.”

22Enti, ɔsane kɔɔ Yuda hɔ, kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Manhunu no. Ɛnna kurom hɔfoɔ nso kaa sɛ, ‘Hyiadan mu ɔbaa odwamanfoɔ38.22 Na saa adwamanfoɔ yi rekɔyɛ sɛ saa berɛ no yafununya anyame no. biara nni ha.’ ”

23Yuda 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.”

24Ɛbɛyɛ 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.”

25Wɔkɔkyeree 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.”

26Yuda 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.

27Tamar awoɔ duruu so no, ɔwoo nta. 28Ɛberɛ 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.” 29Saa 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. 30Akyire no, ɔwoo ne nuabarima a na asaawa kɔkɔɔ bɔ nʼabakɔn no. Wɔtoo ɔno nso edin Serah.