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.
Yuda Na Tamari
138:1 Yos 12:15; 2Nya 11:7Wakati ule, Yuda akawaacha ndugu zake, akaenda kuishi na Hira Mwadulami. 238:2 1Nya 2:3Huko Yuda akakutana na binti wa Kikanaani aitwaye Shua, akamwoa na akakutana naye kimwili, 338:3 Mwa 38:6; Hes 26:19akapata mimba, akamzaa mwana, ambaye alimwita Eri. 4Akapata mimba tena, akamzaa mwana na kumwita Onani. 538:5 Hes 26:20Akamzaa mwana mwingine tena, akamwita Shela. Huyu alimzalia mahali paitwapo Kezibu.
6Yuda akampatia Eri, mzaliwa wake wa kwanza, mke aitwaye Tamari. 738:7 Mwa 46:12Lakini Eri, mzaliwa wa kwanza wa Yuda, alikuwa mwovu machoni pa Bwana, kwa hiyo Bwana akamuua.
838:8 1Nya 2:3Kisha Yuda akamwambia Onani, “Kutana kimwili na mke wa ndugu yako, na utimize wajibu wako kwake kama mke wa ndugu yako, ili umpatie ndugu yako uzao.” 9Lakini Onani alijua kwamba uzao haungekuwa wake, kwa hiyo kila alipokutana kimwili na mke wa ndugu yake, alimwaga chini mbegu za kiume ili asimpatie ndugu yake uzao. 10Alichofanya kilikuwa kiovu machoni pa Bwana, hivyo, pia Bwana akamuua Onani.
1138:11 Rut 1:13Kisha Yuda akamwambia Tamari mkwewe, “Ishi kama mjane nyumbani mwa baba yako mpaka mwanangu Shela atakapokua.” Kwa maana alifikiri, “Angeweza kufa pia kama ndugu zake.” Kwa hiyo Tamari alikwenda kuishi nyumbani kwa baba yake.
12Baada ya muda mrefu mke wa Yuda binti wa Shua akafariki. Baada ya msiba, Yuda alikwenda Timna, kwa watu waliokuwa wakikata kondoo wake manyoya, naye alifuatana na rafiki yake Hira Mwadulami.
13Tamari alipoambiwa, “Baba mkwe wako yuko njiani kwenda Timna kukata kondoo wake manyoya,” 1438:14 Mwa 24:65alivua mavazi yake ya ujane, akajifunika kwa shela ili asifahamike, akaketi kwenye mlango wa Enaimu, ambao upo njiani kuelekea Timna. Akafanya hivyo kwa sababu aliona kwamba, ingawa Shela amekua, lakini alikuwa hajakabidhiwa kwake kuwa mkewe.
1538:15 Amu 11:1Yuda alipomwona alifikiri ni kahaba, kwa sababu alikuwa amefunika uso wake. 16Pasipo kutambua kwamba alikuwa mkwe wake, akamwendea kando ya njia na kumwambia, “Njoo sasa, nikutane na wewe kimwili.”
Yule mkwewe akamuuliza, “Utanipa nini nikikutana nawe kimwili?”
1738:17 Mwa 38:20Akamwambia, “Nitakutumia mwana-mbuzi kutoka kundi langu.”
Akamuuliza, “Utanipa kitu chochote kama amana mpaka utakapompeleka?”
1838:18 1Fal 21:8; Isa 49:16Akamuuliza, “Nikupe amana gani?”
Akamjibu, “Pete yako na kamba yake pamoja na fimbo iliyo mkononi mwako.” Kwa hiyo akampa vitu hivyo kisha akakutana naye kimwili, naye akapata mimba yake. 1938:19 Mwa 38:14Tamari akaondoka, akavua shela yake akavaa tena nguo zake za ujane.
20Wakati ule ule, Yuda akamtuma rafiki yake Mwadulami apeleke yule mwana-mbuzi ili arudishiwe amana yake kutoka kwa yule mwanamke, lakini yule rafiki yake hakumkuta yule mwanamke. 2138:21 Law 19:29; 2Fal 23:7Akawauliza watu wanaoishi mahali pale, “Yuko wapi yule kahaba wa mahali pa kuabudia miungu aliyekuwa kando ya barabara hapa Enaimu?”
Wakamjibu, “Hajawahi kuwepo mwanamke yeyote kahaba wa mahali pa kuabudia miungu hapa.”
22Kwa hiyo akamrudia Yuda na kumwambia, “Sikumpata. Zaidi ya hayo, watu wanaoishi mahali pale walisema ‘Hapakuwahi kuwepo mwanamke yeyote kahaba wa mahali pa kuabudia miungu hapa.’ ”
2338:23 Ay 12:3; Yer 20:7Kisha Yuda akasema, “Mwache avichukue vitu hivyo, ama sivyo tutakuwa kichekesho. Hata hivyo, nilimpelekea mwana-mbuzi, lakini hukumkuta.”
2438:24 Yos 7:25; 1Sam 31:12Baada ya miezi mitatu Yuda akaambiwa, “Tamari mkweo ana hatia ya kuwa kahaba, na matokeo yake ana mimba.”
Yuda akasema, “Mtoeni nje na achomwe moto hadi afe!”
25Alipokuwa akitolewa nje, akatuma ujumbe kwa baba mkwe wake kusema, “Nina mimba ya mtu mwenye vitu hivi.” Akaongeza kusema, “Angalia kama utatambua kwamba pete hii na kamba yake pamoja na fimbo hii ni vya nani.”
2638:26 1Sam 24:17; Mwa 38:11Yuda akavitambua na kusema, “Yeye ana haki kuliko mimi, kwa kuwa sikumkabidhi kwa mwanangu Shela ili awe mkewe.” Tangu hapo hakukutana naye kimwili tena.
27Wakati ulipofika wa kujifungua, kukawa na wana mapacha tumboni mwake. 28Alipokuwa akijifungua, mmoja akatoa mkono wake nje, kwa hiyo mkunga akachukua uzi mwekundu na kuufunga mkononi mwa yule mtoto, akasema, “Huyu ametoka kwanza.” 2938:29 Hes 26:20-21; Mt 1:3Lakini alipourudisha mkono wake ndugu yake akaanza kutoka, naye akasema, “Hivi ndivyo ulivyotoka kwa nguvu!” Akaitwa Peresi. 30Kisha ndugu yake, aliyekuwa na uzi mwekundu mkononi, akatoka, naye akaitwa Zera.
