1В онова време Юда се отдели от братята си и се засели близо до одоламитеца Хира.2Там Юда видя дъщерята на един ханаанец, който се казваше Шуа. Той я взе за жена и заживя с нея.3Тя зачена и роди син, когото Юда нарече Ир.4И тя пак зачена, отново роди син и той го нарече Онан.5И третия път роди син и го нарече Шела. Когато тя го роди, Юда беше в Хезив.6И Юда взе за първородния си син Ир жена на име Тамар.7Ир, първородният син на Юда, вършеше беззакония и Господ го погуби.8Тогава Юда рече на Онан: „Иди при братовата си жена и с правото на девер се ожени за нея, за да оставиш потомство на брат си.“ (Вт 25:5; Рут 1:11; Рут 1:13; Мт 22:24)9Онан знаеше, че потомството няма да бъде негово, и затова, когато беше с братовата си жена, правеше така, че да не създаде потомство на брата си.10Неговата постъпка беше грях пред Господа и Той погуби и него.11А Юда каза на снаха си Тамар: „Живей като вдовица в бащиния си дом, докато порасне синът ми Шела.“ Той се опасяваше Шела да не умре като братята си. А Тамар се върна и заживя в бащиния си дом.12Мина много време и дъщерята на Шуа, жената на Юда, умря. След като Юда се утеши, замина с приятеля си, одоламитеца Хира, за Тамна, където стрижеха добитъка му.13Съобщиха на Тамар: „Ето свекърът ти отива в Тамна да стриже добитъка си.“14И тя съблече дрехите на вдовица, забради се и се забули, и седна при портите на Енаим, на пътя за Тамна. Направи това, защото видя, че Шела беше вече пораснал, а тя все още не беше му дадена за жена.15Юда я видя и я помисли за блудница, защото беше забулила лицето си.16Отби се от пътя си и се приближи до нея с думите: „Искам да бъда с тебе.“ Той не знаеше, че тази жена е снаха му. А тя го попита: „Какво ще ми дадеш, ако бъдеш с мене?“17Той отговори: „Ще ти пратя едно козле от стадото.“ А тя отвърна: „Остави ми залог, докато го изпратиш.“18„Какъв залог да ти дам?“ – попита той. Тя отговори: „Печата с връвта, на която виси, и тоягата, която носиш.“ Той и ги даде и заживя с нея. А тя зачена от него.19Тогава стана и си тръгна, прибра се, разбули се и облече отново дрехите си на вдовица.20А Юда изпрати козлето по одоламитеца, своя приятел, който трябваше да прибере залога от жената, но той не я намери.21И попита местните жители: „Къде е блудницата, която беше край пътя в Енаим?“ Но те отговориха: „Тук никога не е имало блудница.“22Тогава той се върна при Юда и му каза: „Не я намерих. Пък и местните жители казаха, че там не е имало никога блудница.“23Юда рече: „Нека си ги задържи, за да не станем за подигравка. Ето пращах и това козле, но ти не я намери.“24След около три месеца съобщиха на Юда: „Снаха ти Тамар е блудствала и заченала от това.“ Юда каза: „Изведете я и я изгорете!“25Но когато я поведоха, тя прати да кажат на свекъра и: „Аз заченах от онзи, чиито са тези неща.“ И добави: „Познай чий е този печат с връвта и тоягата.“26Юда ги позна и рече: „Тя постъпи справедливо с мене, защото аз не я дадох на сина си Шела, за да бъде с нея.“27Когато дойде време Тамар да ражда, се оказа, че в утробата и има близнаци.28При раждането се показа първо ръка. Бабата върза на ръката червена нишка и каза: „Това излезе първо.“29Но то върна ръката си и излезе братчето му. Бабата възкликна: „Е, ти как си прокара пътя!“ И затова го нарекоха Фарес[1]. (Рут 4:12; Мт 1:3; Лк 3:33)30После излезе братчето му с червената нишка на ръката. Него нарекоха Зара.
1At that time, Judah left his brothers. He went down to stay with a man named Hirah from the town of Adullam.2There Judah met the daughter of a man from Canaan. His name was Shua. Judah married her and slept with her.3She became pregnant and had a son. They named him Er.4She became pregnant again and had another son. She named him Onan.5She had still another son. She named him Shelah. He was born at Kezib.6Judah got a wife for his eldest son Er. Her name was Tamar.7But Judah’s eldest son Er was evil in the LORD’s eyes. So the LORD put him to death.8Then Judah said to Onan, ‘Sleep with your brother’s wife. After all, you are her brother-in-law. So carry out your duty to her. Provide children for your brother.’9But Onan knew that the children wouldn’t belong to him. So every time he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground. He did it so he wouldn’t provide children for his brother.10What he did was evil in the LORD’s eyes. So the LORD put him to death also.11Then Judah spoke to his daughter-in-law Tamar. He said, ‘Live as a widow in your father’s home. Wait there until my son Shelah grows up.’ Judah was thinking, ‘Shelah might die too, just like his brothers.’ So Tamar went to live in her father’s home.12After a long time Judah’s wife died. She was the daughter of Shua. When Judah got over his sadness, he went up to Timnah. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him. Men were clipping the wool from Judah’s sheep at Timnah.13Tamar was told, ‘Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to clip the wool from his sheep.’14So she took off her widow’s clothes. She covered her face with a veil so people wouldn’t know who she was. Then she sat down at the entrance to Enaim. Enaim is on the road to Timnah. Tamar knew that Shelah had grown up. But she hadn’t been given to him as his wife.15Judah saw her. He thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face with a veil.16He didn’t realise that she was his daughter-in-law. He went over to her by the side of the road. He said, ‘Come. Let me sleep with you.’ ‘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 that belongs to you?’ she asked. ‘I’ll keep it until you send the goat.’18He said, ‘What should I give you?’ ‘Give me your official seal and the string that it hangs from,’ she answered. ‘And give me your walking stick.’ So he gave them to her. Then he slept with her. And she became pregnant by him.19After she left, she took off her veil. She put on her widow’s clothes again.20Judah sent his friend Hirah with the young goat he had promised. He wanted to get back what he had given to the woman. But his friend Hirah couldn’t find her.21He asked the men who lived at Enaim, ‘Where’s the temple prostitute? She used to sit beside the road here.’ ‘There hasn’t been any temple prostitute here,’ they said.22So Hirah went back to Judah. He said, ‘I couldn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there didn’t know anything about her. They said, “There hasn’t been any temple prostitute here.” ’23Then Judah said, ‘Let her keep what she has. I don’t want people making fun of us. After all, I did send her this young goat. We can’t help it if you couldn’t find her.’24About three months later people brought word to Judah. They said, ‘Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of being a prostitute. Now she’s pregnant.’ Judah said, ‘Bring her out! Have her burned to death!’25As Tamar was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. She said, ‘I am pregnant by the man who owns these.’ She continued, ‘Do you recognise this seal and string and walking stick? Do you know who they belong to?’26Judah recognised them. He said, ‘She’s a better person than I am. I should have given her to my son Shelah, but I didn’t.’ Judah never slept with Tamar again.27The time came for Tamar to have her baby. There were twin boys inside her.28As the babies were being born, one of them stuck out his hand. So the woman helping Tamar took a bright red thread. The woman tied it on the baby’s wrist. She said, ‘This one came out first.’29But he pulled his hand back, and his brother came out first instead. She said, ‘Just look at how you have forced your way out!’ So he was called Perez.30Then his brother, who had the red thread on his wrist, came out. So he was named Zerah.