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 fulfil 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 avoid 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 realising 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 laughing-stock. 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 let her be 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 recognise whose seal and cord and staff these are.’
26Judah recognised 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.
Yuda Ne Tamar
1Saa bere no mu ara na Yuda tu fii ne nuabarimanom no nkyɛn ne Adulamni barima bi a wɔfrɛ no Hira kɔtenae. 2Ɛhɔ na Yuda kohyiaa Kanaanni beae bi a ɔyɛ ɔbarima bi a wɔfrɛ no Sua no babea. Yuda waree Sua babea no. 3Sua babea no nyinsɛn woo ɔbabarima, na wɔtoo no din Er. 4Sua babea no san nyinsɛn woo ɔbabarima bio. Wɔtoo abofra no din Onan. 5Sua babea no nyinsɛn ne mprɛnsa so wɔ Kesib, woo ɔbabarima bio. Saa abarimaa no nso wɔtoo no din Sela.
6Bere a Yuda abakan Er nyin no, wɔwaree ababaa bi a wɔfrɛ no Tamar maa no. 7Esiane sɛ na Yuda abakan Er yɛ omumɔyɛfo wɔ Awurade anim no nti, Awurade kum no.
8Er 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.” 9Esiane 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. 10Esiane sɛ nea ɔyɛe no ansɔ Awurade ani, sɛ ɔmpɛ sɛ ɔwo ba ma ne nua owufo no nti, okum ɔno nso.
11Na 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.
12Mmere 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.
13Obi bɛbɔɔ Tamar amanneɛ se, “Wʼase Yuda rebɛsen akɔ Timna akotwitwa ne nguan ho nwi.” 14Enti 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.
15Bere a Yuda huu Tamar no, na osusuw sɛ ɔyɛ ɔbea guamanfo bi, efisɛ na wakata nʼanim. 16Yuda 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?”
17Yuda 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?”
18Yuda 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. 19Tamar fii hɔ akyi no, okoyii ne nkataanim no guu hɔ, san faa ne kunatam no furae.
20Yuda 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. 21Obisaa 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.”
22Enti ɔsan kɔɔ Yuda hɔ, kɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Manhu no. Na kurom hɔfo nso kae se, ‘Hyiadan mu ɔbea oguamanfo38.22 Na saa nguamanfo yi rekɔyɛ sɛ saa bere no aguaman anyame no. biara nni ha.’ ”
23Yuda 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.”
24Ɛbɛyɛ 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.”
25Wɔkɔkyeree 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.”
26Yuda 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.
27Tamar awo duu so no, ɔwoo nta. 28Bere 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.” 29Saa 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. 30Akyiri no, ɔwoo ne nuabarima a na asaawa kɔkɔɔ bɔ ne nsakɔn no. Wɔtoo ɔno nso din Serah.
