Chapter 41

1

AND in the forty fifth jubilee, in the second week, and in the second year, Yahudah took for his firstborn Er, a woman from the daughters of Aram, named Tamar.

2

But he hated, and did not lie with her, because his mother was of the daughters of Kena`an, and he wished to take him a woman of the kinsfolk of his mother, but Yahudah, his father, would not permit him.

3

And this Er, the firstborn of Yahudah, was wicked, and Yahuah slew him.

4

And Yahudah said unto Onan, his brother: Go in unto your brother's woman and perform the duty of a man's brother unto her, and raise up seed unto your brother.

5

And Onan knew that the seed would not be his, but his brother's only, and he went into the house of his brother's woman, and spilt the seed on the ground, and he was wicked in the eyes of Yahuah, and he slew him.

6

And Yahudah said unto Tamar, his daughter in law: 'Remain in your father's house as a widow till Shelach my son be grown up, and I shall give you to him to be his woman.'

7

And he grew up; but Bedsu'el, the woman of Yahudah, did not permit her son Shelach to marry. And Bedsu'el, the woman of Yahudah, died in the fifth year of this week.

8

And in the sixth year Yahudah went up to shear his sheep at Timna.

9

And they told Tamar: 'Behold your father in law goes up to Timna to shear his sheep.' And she put off her widow's clothes, and put on a veil, and adorned herself, and sat in the gate adjoining the way to Timna.

10

And as Yahudah was going along he found her, and thought her to be a harlot, and he said unto her: Let me come in unto you; and she said unto him: Come in, and he went in.

11

And she said unto him: 'Give me my hire'; and he said unto her: 'I have nothing in my hand save my ring that is on my finger, and my necklace, and my staff which is in my hand.'

12

And she said unto him: Give them to me until you do send me my hire, and he said unto her: I will send unto you a kid of the goats; and he gave them to her, and she conceived by him.

13

And Yahudah went unto his sheep, and she went to her father's house.

14

And Yahudah sent a kid of the goats by the hand of his shepherd, an Adullamiy, and he found her not; and he asked the people of the place, saying: 'Where is the harlot who was here?'

15

And they said unto him: There is no harlot here with us. And he returned and informed him, and said unto him that he had not found her: I asked the people of the place, and they said unto me: There is no harlot here.

16

And he said: 'Let her keep them lest we become a cause of derision.' And when she had completed three months, it was manifest that she was with child, and they told Yahudah, saying: 'Behold Tamar, your daughter in law, is with child by whoredom.'

17

And Yahudah went to the house of her father, and said unto her father and her brothers: 'Bring her forth, and let them burn her, for she has wrought uncleanness in Yashar'el.'

18

And it came to pass when they brought her forth to burn her that she sent to her father in law the ring and the necklace, and the staff, saying: 'Discern whose are these, for by him am I with child.'

19

And Yahudah acknowledged, and said: 'Tamar is more righteous than I am.

20

And therefore let them burn her not' and for that reason she was not given to Shelach, and he did not again approach her.

21

And after that she bore two sons, Perets and Zerach, in the seventh year of this second week.

22

And thereupon the seven years of fruitfulness were accomplished, of which Yoceph spoke to Phar'oh.

23

And Yahudah acknowledged that the deed which he had done was evil, for he had lain with his daughter in law, and he esteemed it hateful in his eyes, and he acknowledged that he had transgressed and gone astray, for he had uncovered the skirt of his son, and he began to lament and to supplicate before Yahuah because of his transgression.

24

And we told him in a dream that it was forgiven him because he supplicated earnestly, and lamented, and did not again commit it.

25

And he received forgiveness because he turned from his sin and from his ignorance, for he transgressed greatly before our Elohiym; and everyone that acts thus, everyone who lies with his mother in law, let them burn him with fire that he may burn therein, for there is uncleanness and pollution upon them, with fire let them burn them.

26

And do you command the children of Yashar'el that there be no uncleanness amongst them, for everyone who lies with his daughter in law or with his mother in law has wrought uncleanness; with fire let them burn the man who has lain with her, and likewise the woman, and he will turn away wrath and punishment from Yashar'el.

27

And unto Yahudah we said that his two sons had not lain with her, and for this reason his seed was stablished for a second generation, and would not be rooted out.

28

For in singleness of eye he had gone and sought for punishment, namely, according to the judgment of Avraham, which he had commanded his sons, Yahudah had sought to burn her with fire.



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