Genesis 38

1 Eodem tempore descendens Iudas a fratribus suis, divertit ad Virum Odollamitem, nomine Hiram.

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

2 Viditque ibi filiam hominis Chananæi, vocabulo Sue: et accepta uxore, ingressus est ad eam.

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

3 Quæ concepit, et peperit filium, et vocavit nomen eius Her.

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

4 Rursumque concepto fœtu, natum filium vocavit Onan.

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

5 Tertium quoque peperit: quem appellavit Sela. quo nato, parere ultra cessavit.

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

6 Dedit autem Iudas uxorem primogenito suo Her, nomine Thamar.

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

7 Fuit quoque Her primogenitus Iudæ, nequam in conspectu Domini: et ab eo occisus est.

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

8 Dixit ergo Iudas ad Onan filium suum: Ingredere uxorem fratris tui, et sociare illi, ut suscites semen fratri tuo.

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 Ille sciens non sibi nasci filios, introiens ad uxorem fratris sui, semen fundebat in terram, ne liberi fratris nomine nascerentur.

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 Et idcirco percussit eum Dominus, quod rem detestabilem faceret.

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

11 Quam ob rem dixit Iudas Thamar nurui suæ: Esto vidua in domo patris tui, donec crescat Sela filius meus: timebat enim ne et ipse moreretur, sicut fratres eius. Quæ abiit, et habitavit in domo patris sui.

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 Evolutis autem multis diebus, mortua est filia Sue uxor Iudæ: qui post luctum consolatione suscepta, ascendebat ad tonsores ovium suarum, ipse et Hiras opilio gregis Odollamites, in Thamnas.

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 Nunciatumque est Thamar quod socer illius ascenderet in Thamnas ad tondendas oves.

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

14 Quæ, depositis viduitatis vestibus, assumpsit theristrum: et mutato habitu, sedit in bivio itineris, quod ducit Thamnam: eo quod crevisset Sela, et non eum accepisset maritum.

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 Quam cum vidisset Iudas, suspicatus est esse meretricem: operuerat enim vultum suum, ne agnosceretur.

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

16 Ingrediensque ad eam, ait: Dimitte me ut coeam tecum: nesciebat enim quod nurus sua esset. Qua respondente: Quid dabis mihi ut fruaris concubitu meo?

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 dixit: Mittam tibi hœdam de gregibus. Rursumque illa dicente: Patiar quod vis, si dederis mihi arrhabonem, donec mittas quod polliceris.

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 Ait Iudas: Quid tibi vis pro arrhabone dari? Respondit: Annulum tuum, et armillam, et baculum quem manu tenes. Ad unum igitur coitum mulier concepit,

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 et surgens abiit: depositoque habitu, quem sumpserat, induta est viduitatis vestibus.

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

20 Misit autem Iudas hœdum per pastorem suum Odollamitem, ut reciperet pignus quod dederat mulieri: qui cum non invenisset eam,

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 interrogavit homines loci illius: Ubi est mulier quæ sedebat in bivio? Respondentibus cunctis: Non fuit in loco ista meretrix.

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 Reversus est ad Iudam, et dixit ei: Non inveni eam: sed et homines loci illius dixerunt mihi, numquam sedisse ibi scortum.

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 Ait Iudas: Habeat sibi, certe mendacii arguere nos non potest, ego misi hœdum quem promiseram: et tu non invenisti eam.

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 Ecce autem post tres menses nunciaverunt Iudæ, dicentes: Fornicata est Thamar nurus tua, et videtur uterus illius intumescere. Dixitque Iudas: Producite eam ut comburatur.

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 Quæ cum duceretur ad pœnam, misit ad socerum suum, dicens: De viro, cuius hæc sunt, concepi: cognosce cuius sit annulus, et armilla, et baculus.

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 Qui, agnitis muneribus, ait: Iustior me est: quia non tradidi eam Sela filio meo. Attamen ultra non cognovit eam.

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 Instante autem partu, apparuerunt gemini in utero: atque in ipsa effusione infantium unus protulit manum, in qua obstetrix ligavit coccinum, dicens:

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

28 Iste egredietur prior.

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 Illo vero retrahente manum, egressus est alter: dixitque mulier: Quare divisa est propter te maceria? et ob hanc causam vocavit nomen eius Phares.

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 Postea egressus est frater eius, in cuius manu erat coccinum: quem appellavit Zara.

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