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.
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.
