Genesis

犹大和她玛

1那时，犹大离开他弟兄下去，到一个亚杜兰人名叫希拉的家里去。

2犹大在那里看见一个迦南人名叫书亚的女儿，就娶她为妻，与她同房，

3她就怀孕生了儿子，犹大给他起名叫珥。

4她又怀孕生了儿子，母亲给他起名叫俄南。

5她复又生了儿子，给他起名叫示拉。她生示拉的时候，犹大正在基悉。

6犹大为长子珥娶妻，名叫她玛。

7犹大的长子珥在耶和华眼中看为恶，耶和华就叫他死了。

8犹大对俄南说：「你当与你哥哥的妻子同房，向她尽你为弟的本分，为你哥哥生子立后。」

9俄南知道生子不归自己，所以同房的时候便遗在地，免得给他哥哥留后。

10俄南所做的在耶和华眼中看为恶，耶和华也就叫他死了。

11犹大心里说：「恐怕示拉也死，像他两个哥哥一样」，就对他儿妇她玛说：「你去，在你父亲家里守寡，等我儿子示拉长大。」她玛就回去，住在她父亲家里。

12过了许久，犹大的妻子书亚的女儿死了。犹大得了安慰，就和他朋友亚杜兰人希拉上亭拿去，到他剪羊毛的人那里。

13有人告诉她玛说：「你的公公上亭拿剪羊毛去了。」

14她玛见示拉已经长大，还没有娶她为妻，就脱了她作寡妇的衣裳，用帕子蒙着脸，又遮住身体，坐在亭拿路上的伊拿印城门口。

15犹大看见她，以为是妓女，因为她蒙着脸。

16犹大就转到她那里去，说：「来吧！让我与你同寝。」他原不知道是他的儿妇。她玛说：「你要与我同寝，把什么给我呢？」

17犹大说：「我从羊群里取一只山羊羔，打发人送来给你。」她玛说：「在未送以先，你愿意给我一个当头吗？」

18他说：「我给你什么当头呢？」她玛说：「你的印、你的带子，和你手里的杖。」犹大就给了她，与她同寝，她就从犹大怀了孕。

19她玛起来走了，除去帕子，仍旧穿上作寡妇的衣裳。

20犹大托他朋友亚杜兰人送一只山羊羔去，要从那女人手里取回当头来，却找不着她，

21就问那地方的人说：「伊拿印路旁的妓女在哪里？」他们说：「这里并没有妓女。」

22他回去见犹大说：「我没有找着她，并且那地方的人说：『这里没有妓女。』」

23犹大说：「我把这山羊羔送去了，你竟找不着她。任凭她拿去吧，免得我们被羞辱。」

24约过了三个月，有人告诉犹大说：「你的儿妇她玛作了妓女，且因行淫有了身孕。」犹大说：「拉出她来，把她烧了！」

25她玛被拉出来的时候便打发人去见她公公，对他说：「这些东西是谁的，我就是从谁怀的孕。请你认一认，这印和带子并杖都是谁的？」

26犹大承认说：「她比我更有义，因为我没有将她给我的儿子示拉。」从此犹大不再与她同寝了。

27她玛将要生产，不料她腹里是一对双生。

28到生产的时候，一个孩子伸出一只手来；收生婆拿红线拴在他手上，说：「这是头生的。」

29随后这孩子把手收回去，他哥哥生出来了；收生婆说：「你为什么抢着来呢？」因此给他起名叫法勒斯。

30后来，他兄弟那手上有红线的也生出来，就给他起名叫谢拉。

Judah and Tamar

1About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.

2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.

3So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er.

4Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.

5Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.

6Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.

8Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”

9But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.

10What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.

11Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.

12After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah.

13When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”

14she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.

15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.

16Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired.

17“I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered. But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”

18“What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.

20Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.

21He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered.

22So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’”

23“Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock.After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”

24About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”

25As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”

26Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.

The Birth of Perez and Zerah

27When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb.

28And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced.

29But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez.

30Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.