Judah and Tamar
1 About that time Judah left his brothers in the hill country and went to live near his friend Hirah in the town of Adullam. 2 While there he met the daughter of Shua, a Canaanite man. Judah married her, 3 and they had three sons. He named the first one Er; 4 she named the next one Onan. 5 The third one was born when Judah was in Chezib, and she named him Shelah.
6 Later, Judah chose Tamar as a wife for Er, his oldest son. 7 But Er was very evil, and the Lord took his life. 8 So Judah told Onan, “It's your duty to marry Tamar and have a child for your brother.”
9 Onan knew the child would not be his, and when he had sex with Tamar, he made sure that she would not get pregnant. 10 The Lord wasn't pleased with Onan and took his life too.
11 Judah did not want the same thing to happen to his son Shelah, and he told Tamar, “Go home to your father and live there as a widow until my son Shelah is grown.” So Tamar went to live with her father.
12 Some years later Judah's wife died, and he mourned for her. He then went with his friend Hirah to the town of Timnah, where his sheep were being sheared. 13 Tamar found out that her father-in-law Judah was going to Timnah to shear his sheep. 14 She also realized that Shelah was now a grown man, but she had not been allowed to marry him. So she decided to dress in something other than her widow's clothes and to cover her face with a veil. After this, she sat outside the town of Enaim on the road to Timnah.
15 When Judah came along, he did not recognize her because of the veil. He thought she was a prostitute 16 and asked her to sleep with him. She asked, “What will you give me if I do?”
17 “One of my young goats,” he answered.
“What will you give me to keep until you send the goat?” she asked.
18 “What do you want?” he asked in return.
“The ring on that cord around your neck,” was her reply. “I also want the special walking stick you have with you.” He gave them to her, they slept together, and she became pregnant.
19 After returning home, Tamar took off the veil and dressed in her widow's clothes again.
20 Judah asked his friend Hirah take a goat to the woman, so he could get back the ring and walking stick, but she wasn't there. 21 Hirah asked the people of Enaim, “Where is the prostitute who sat along the road outside your town?”
“There's never been one here,” they answered.
22 Hirah went back and told Judah, “I couldn't find the woman, and the people of Enaim said no prostitute had ever been there.”
23 “If you couldn't find her, we'll just let her keep the things I gave her,” Judah answered. “And we'd better forget about the goat, or else we'll look like fools.”
24 About three months later someone told Judah, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has behaved like a prostitute, and now she's pregnant!”
“Drag her out of town and burn her to death!” Judah shouted.
25 As Tamar was being dragged off, she sent someone to tell her father-in-law, “The man who gave me this ring, this cord, and this walking stick is the one who got me pregnant.”
26 “Those are mine!” Judah admitted. “She's a better person than I am, because I broke my promise to let her marry my son Shelah.” After this, Judah never slept with her again.
27-28 Tamar later gave birth to twins. But before either of them was born, one of them stuck a hand out of her womb. The woman who was helping tied a red thread around the baby's hand and explained, “This one came out first.”
29 At once his hand went back in, and the other child was born first. The woman then said, “What an opening you've made for yourself!” So they named the baby Perez. 30 When the brother with the red thread was born, they named him Zerah.
Jūda un Tamāra
1 Tajā laikā Jūda aizgāja no saviem brāļiem un iegriezās pie kāda adullāmieša, vārdā Hīra. 2 Tur Jūda ieraudzīja kāda kanaānieša, viņa vārds bija Šūa, meitu, un viņš to ņēma un gāja pie viņas. 3 Viņa kļuva grūta un dzemdēja dēlu, un viņš nosauca to vārdā Gērs. 4 Un viņa atkal kļuva grūta un dzemdēja dēlu, un viņa nosauca to vārdā Onāns. 5 Un viņa atkal dzemdēja dēlu, un viņa nosauca to vārdā Šēla. Viņa bija Kezībā, kad to dzemdēja. 6 Un Jūda ņēma sievu Gēram, savam pirmdzimtajam, viņas vārds bija Tamāra. 7 Bet Jūdas pirmdzimto Gēru Kungs atzina ļaunu esam, un viņš to nonāvēja. 8 Un Jūda teica Onānam: “Ej pie sava brāļa sievas un dari, kā viņas vīrabrālim nākas, radi pēcnācējus savam brālim!” 9 Bet Onāns zināja, ka ne jau viņam būs tas pēcnācējs, un tā – kad viņš gāja pie sava brāļa sievas, viņš izšļāca zemē, lai nedotu savam brālim pēcnācēju. 10 Kungam nepatika tas, ko viņš darīja, un viņš nonāvēja arī to. 11 Tad Jūda teica savai vedeklai Tamārai: “Atgriezies sava tēva namā kā atraitne, kamēr paaugas mans dēls Šēla!” – jo viņš domāja: “Ka arī tas nenomirst, tāpat kā viņa brāļi!” Un Tamāra gāja un mita sava tēva namā.
12 Gāja dienas, un Jūdas sieva, Šūas meita, nomira, un, kad Jūda rimās sērot, viņš gāja cirpt savas avis. Kopā ar savu draugu adullāmieti Hīru viņi devās uz Timnu. 13 Un Tamārai kāds pastāstīja: “Redzi, tavs vīratēvs iet uz Timnu cirpt savas avis!” 14 Tad viņa novilka atraitnes drānas un uzklāja sev sejas apsegu, apklājās un sēdēja Ēnaimas vārtos, kas ceļā uz Timnu, jo viņa redzēja, ka Šēla ir uzaudzis, bet par sievu tam viņa atdota nebija. 15 Un Jūda viņu ieraudzīja un nodomāja, ka tā ir mauka, jo viņa bija aizklājusi savu seju. 16 Viņš pie tās iegriezās, garām iedams, un teica: “Nāc šurp, lai es eju pie tevis!” – jo viņš nezināja, ka tā ir viņa vedekla! Bet viņa teica: “Ko tu man dosi, ja gribi nākt pie manis?” 17 Viņš teica: “Es tev no sava ganāmpulka atsūtīšu kazlēnu!” Bet viņa teica: “Tad dod man ķīlu, kamēr tu to atsūti!” 18 Un viņš teica: “Kas tad man tev jādod ķīlā?” Viņa teica: “Tavs zīmoggredzens, tavs mērs un tavs spieķis, kas tev rokā!” Viņš tos iedeva, gāja pie viņas, un viņa kļuva no viņa grūta. 19 Tad viņa cēlās un gāja, noņēma sejas apsegu un apģērba atraitnes drānas.
20 Bet Jūda ar savu draugu adullāmieti sūtīja kazlēnu, lai dabūtu atpakaļ savu ķīlu no tās sievas, bet tas viņu neatrada. 21 Un viņš prasīja tās vietas vīriem: “Kur ir tā priekameita, kas Ēnaimā pie ceļa?” Bet viņi teica: “Nav bijis tur priekameitas!” 22 Un viņš gāja atpakaļ pie Jūdas un teica: “Es viņu neatradu, un arī tās vietas vīri teica: nav bijis tur ielasmeitas!” 23 Un Jūda teica: “Lai ņem sev, ka tik netiekam kaunā! Redzi – es taču sūtīju šo kazlēnu, bet tu viņu neatradi!” 24 Un pēc kādiem trim mēnešiem Jūdam tika pastāstīts: “Tava vedekla Tamāra ir maukojusi, redzi – maukodama tapusi grūta!” Un Jūda teica: “Atvediet viņu šurp, lai viņu sadedzina!” 25 Viņu atveda, un viņa lika, lai viņas vīratēvam saka: “Es esmu grūta no tā vīra, kam pieder šīs lietas!” Viņa teica: “Palūko jel – kam pieder šis zīmoggredzens, šis mērs un šis spieķis!” 26 Jūda tos pazina un teica: “Viņa ir taisnīgāka par mani, jo es viņu neesmu devis savam dēlam Šēlam!” Un viņš ar to vairs negulēja. 27 Viņas dzemdībās, redzi – tai klēpī bija dvīņi! 28 Kad viņa dzemdēja, viens izbāza roku, un vecmāte to satvēra un piesēja rokai sarkanu diegu, sacīdama: “Šis iznāca pirmais!” 29 Bet viņš ievilka roku atpakaļ, un redzi – iznāca viņa brālis, un viņa teica: “Ak, kā tu plēstin izplēsies laukā!” Un viņa nosauca viņu vārdā Perecs . 30 Bet pēc tam iznāca viņa brālis, kam ap roku bija sarkanais diegs, un viņu nosauca vārdā Zerahs.
