38:1 那時，猶大離開他弟兄下去，到一個亞杜蘭人名叫希拉的家裡去。
38:2 猶大在那裡看見一個迦南人名叫書亞的女兒，就娶她為妻，與她同房，
38:3 她就懷孕生了兒子，猶大給他起名叫珥。
38:4 她又懷孕生了兒子，母親給他起名叫俄南。
38:5 她復又生了兒子，給他起名叫示拉。她生示拉的時候，猶大正在基悉。
38:6 猶大為長子珥娶妻，名叫她瑪。
38:7 猶大的長子珥在耶和華眼中看為惡，耶和華就叫他死了。
38:8 猶大對俄南說：「你當與你哥哥的妻子同房，向她盡你為弟的本分，為你哥哥生子立後。」
38:9 俄南知道生子不歸自己，所以同房的時候便遺在地，免得給他哥哥留後。
38:10 俄南所做的在耶和華眼中看為惡，耶和華也就叫他死了。
38:11 猶大心裡說：「恐怕示拉也死，像他兩個哥哥一樣」，就對他兒婦她瑪說：「你去，在你父親家裡守寡，等我兒子示拉長大。」她瑪就回去，住在她父親家裡。
38:12 過了許久，猶大的妻子書亞的女兒死了。猶大得了安慰，就和他朋友亞杜蘭人希拉上亭拿去，到他剪羊毛的人那裡。
38:13 有人告訴她瑪說：「你的公公上亭拿剪羊毛去了。」
38:14 她瑪見示拉已經長大，還沒有娶她為妻，就脫了她作寡婦的衣裳，用帕子蒙著臉，又遮住身體，坐在亭拿路上的伊拿印城門口。
38:15 猶大看見她，以為是妓女，因為她蒙著臉。
38:16 猶大就轉到她那裡去，說：「來吧！讓我與你同寢。」他原不知道是他的兒婦。她瑪說：「你要與我同寢，把甚麼給我呢？」
38:17 猶大說：「我從羊群裡取一隻山羊羔，打發人送來給你。」她瑪說：「在未送以先，你願意給我一個當頭嗎？」
38:18 他說：「我給你甚麼當頭呢？」她瑪說：「你的印、你的帶子，和你手裡的杖。」猶大就給了她，與她同寢，她就從猶大懷了孕。
38:19 她瑪起來走了，除去帕子，仍舊穿上作寡婦的衣裳。
38:20 猶大託他朋友亞杜蘭人送一隻山羊羔去，要從那女人手裡取回當頭來，卻找不著她，
38:21 就問那地方的人說：「伊拿印路旁的妓女在哪裡？」他們說：「這裡並沒有妓女。」
38:22 他回去見猶大說：「我沒有找著她，並且那地方的人說：『這裡沒有妓女。』」
38:23 猶大說：「我把這山羊羔送去了，你竟找不著她。任憑她拿去吧，免得我們被羞辱。」
38:24 約過了三個月，有人告訴猶大說：「你的兒婦她瑪作了妓女，且因行淫有了身孕。」猶大說：「拉出她來，把她燒了！」
38:25 她瑪被拉出來的時候便打發人去見她公公，對他說：「這些東西是誰的，我就是從誰懷的孕。請你認一認，這印和帶子並杖都是誰的？」
38:26 猶大承認說：「她比我更有義，因為我沒有將她給我的兒子示拉。」從此猶大不再與她同寢了。
38:27 她瑪將要生產，不料她腹裡是一對雙生。
38:28 到生產的時候，一個孩子伸出一隻手來；收生婆拿紅線拴在他手上，說：「這是頭生的。」
38:29 隨後這孩子把手收回去，他哥哥生出來了；收生婆說：「你為甚麼搶著來呢？」因此給他起名叫法勒斯。
38:30 後來，他兄弟那手上有紅線的也生出來，就給他起名叫謝拉。
At that time, Judah left
his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. 2 There Judah
met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to
her; 3 she
became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. 4 She conceived again and gave
birth to a son and named him Onan. 5 She gave birth to still another son and named him
Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But
Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so
the Lord put him to death.
8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill
your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 But
Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his
brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing
offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to
death also.
11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in
your father’s household until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may
die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s
household.
12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When
Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were
shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.
13 When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to
shear his sheep,” 14 she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself
with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim,
which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown
up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had
covered her face. 16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he
went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”
“And 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 as a pledge
until you send it?” she asked.
18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?”
“Your seal and its cord, and the staff in
your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she
became pregnant by him. 19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on
her widow’s clothes again.
20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in
order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked
the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the
road at Enaim?”
“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute
here,” they said.
22 So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the
men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’”
23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has, or we will become a
laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find
her.”
24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar
is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her
burned to death!”
25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her
father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she
added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since
I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.
27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her
womb. 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his
hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said,
“This one came out first.” 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came
out, and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.
30 Then his brother, who
had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah.
************
猶大和他瑪的關係原來是公公與媳婦，後來卻成了夫妻，為什麼呢？
因為中東有一個風俗，哥哥過世之後沒有後代，弟弟要和嫂嫂同房為哥哥生一個小孩。然而猶大的兩個兒子和他瑪同房之後，竟然過世了！猶大怕自己的小孩，一個一個死於和他瑪同房，就把他瑪送回娘家。
然而他瑪知道自己的任務是要為猶大生養後代，所以用巧計從猶大生了一對雙胞胎，雖然亂倫也不害怕！也因為這樣，他被猶大稱讚為：「她比我更有義，因為我沒有將她給我的兒子示拉。」
可見上帝是透過猶大來預備基督的降生，因為大衛王是出於猶大之派，基督是出於猶大的後裔，一切都在上帝的保守中！
