Genesis 38

1 Yn the same tyme Judas yede doun fro his britheren, and turnede to a man of Odolla, Hiram bi name;

It happened at that time that Judah moved away from his brothers and stayed with an Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2 and he siy ther a douytir of a man of Canaan, Sue bi name. And whanne he hadde takun hir to wijf,

There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite whose name was Shua. And he married her and slept with her.

3 he entride to hir, and sche conseyuede, and childide a sone, and clepide his name Her.

She conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Er.

4 And eft whanne a child was conseyued, sche nemyde the child borun Onam.

She conceived again and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.

5 And sche childide the thridde sone, whom sche clepide Cela, and whanne he was borun, sche ceesside to bere child more.

Then she gave birth to another son, and named him Shelah. And he was at Kezib when she gave birth to him.

6 Forsothe Judas yaf a wijf, `Thamar bi name, to his firste gendrid sone Her.

And Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

7 And Her, the firste gendrid sone of Judas, was weiward in the siyt of the Lord, and therfor he was slayn of the Lord.

Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so God killed him.

8 Therfor Judas seide to Onam, his sone, Entre thou to the wijf of thi brothir, and be thou felouschipid to hir, that thou reise seed to thi brothir.

Then Judah said to Onan, "Sleep with your brother's wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother."

9 And he wiste that sones schulden not be borun to him, `and he entride to the wijf of his brother, and schedde seed in to the erthe, lest the fre children schulden be borun bi the name of the brother;

But Onan knew that the offspring wouldn't be his. So it happened when he slept with his brother's wife that he released his semen on the ground, so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.

10 and therfor the Lord smoot hym, for he dide abhomynable thing.

And what he did was evil in the sight of God, so he killed him also.

11 Wherfor Judas seide to Thamar, `wijf of his sone, Be thou widewe in the hous of thi fadir, til Sela my sone wexe, for he dredde lest also he schulde die as hise britheren. And sche yede, and dwellide in the hous of hir fadir.

Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah is grown up." For he thought, "I do not want him to die too, like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.

12 Forsothe whanne many yeeris weren passid, the douyter of Sue, `the wijf of Juda, diede, and whanne coumfort was takun aftir morenyng, he stiede to the schereris of hise scheep, he and Iras of Odolla, that was kepere of the floc, stieden in to Thampnas.

After some time, Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. And Judah finished mourning, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13 And it was teld to Thamar, that `the fadir of hir hosebonde stiede to Thampnas, to schere scheep.

And Tamar was told, saying, "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."

14 And sche dide awei the clothis of widewehod, and sche took a roket, and whanne the clothinge was chaungid, sche sat in the weilot that ledith to Tampna; for Sela hadde woxe, and sche hadde not take hym to hosebonde.

She took off her widow's clothes and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.

15 And whanne Judas hadde seyn hir, he supposide hir to be an hoore, for sche hadde hilid hir face, lest sche were knowun.

When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.

16 And Judas entride to hir, and seide, Suffre me that Y ligge with thee; for he wiste not that sche was the wijf of his sone. And whanne sche answeride, What schalt thou yyue to me, that thou ligge bi me?

He went over to her by the road and said, "Please come, let me sleep with you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me for sleeping with you?"

17 he seide, Y schal sende to thee a kide of the flockis. And eft whanne sche seide, Y schal suffre that that thou wolt, if thou schalt yyue to me a wed, til thou sendist that that thou bihetist.

He said, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." She said, "Will you give me something as a guarantee until you send it?"

18 Judas seide, What wolt thou that be youun to thee for a wed? She answeride, Thi ryng, and thi bie of the arm, and the staaf which thou holdist in the hond. Therfor the womman conseyuide at o liggyng bi, and sche roos, and yede;

He said, "What kind of guarantee should I give you?" She replied, "Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand." So he gave them to her, and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19 and whanne the clooth was `put awei which sche hadde take, sche was clothid in the clothis of widewhod.

And she got up and left, and took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothing.

20 Forsothe Judas sente a kide bi his scheepherde of Odolla, that he schulde resseyue the wed which he hadde youe to the womman; and whanne he hadde not founde hir,

Judah sent the young goat by his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the guarantee back from the woman's hand, but he did not find her.

21 he axide men of that place, Where is the womman that sat in the weie lot? And whanne alle men answeriden, An hoore was not in this place; he turnede ayen to Judas,

Then he asked the men of the place, saying, "Where is the prostitute that was at Enaim by the road?" They said, "There has been no prostitute here."

22 and seide to hym, Y foond not hir, but also men of that place seiden to me, that an hoore sat neuere there.

He returned to Judah, and said, "I haven't found her; and also the men of the place said, 'There has been no prostitute here.'"

23 Judas seide, Haue sche to hir silf, certis sche may not repreue vs of a leesyng; Y sente the kyde which Y bihiyte, and thou foundist not hir.

Judah said, "Let her keep the things, lest we be publicly shamed. Look, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her."

24 Lo! sotheli aftir thre monethis thei telden to Judas, and seiden, Thamar, `wijf of thi sone, hath do fornycacioun, and hir womb semeth to wexe greet. Judas seide, Brynge ye hir forth, that sche be brent.

Now it happened about three months later that Judah was told, saying, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has turned to prostitution, and now, look, she is pregnant by prostitution." Judah said, "Bring her out, and let her be burned."

25 And whanne sche was led to peyne, sche sente to `the fadir of hir hosebonde, and seide, Y haue conseyued of the man, whose these thingis ben; knowe thou whose is the ryng, and bie of the arm, and staf?

When she was brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man who owns these I am pregnant." She also said, "Please discern whose these are—the signet, and the cord, and the staff."

26 And whanne the yiftis weren knowun, he seide, Sche is more iust than Y, for Y yaf not hir to Sela, my sone; netheles Judas knewe hir no more fleischli.

Then Judah recognized them, and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." He did not sleep with her again.

27 Sotheli whanne the childberyng neiyede, twei chyldren apperiden in the wombe, and in that birthe of children, oon brouyte forth the hond, in which the mydwijf boond a reed threed,

It happened when it was time for her to give birth, that look, there were twins in her womb.

28 and seide, This schal go out `the formere.

As she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."

29 Sotheli while he withdrowe the hond, the tother yede out, and the womman seide, Whi was the skyn in which the child lay in the wombe departid for thee? And for this cause sche clepide his name Fares.

It happened, as he drew back his hand, that look, his brother came out, and she said, "How did you break through?" So he was named Perez.

30 Afterward his brothir yede out, in whos hond was the reed threed, whom sche clepide Zaram.

Afterward his brother came out, that had the scarlet thread on his hand, so he was named Zerah.