At that time Juda went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Odollamite, named Hiras.

Eodem tempore, descendens Judas a fratribus suis, divertit ad virum Odollamitem, nomine Hiram.

A time came when Juda left his brethren up in the hill country, and went to lodge with a man called Hiras, at Odollam.

And he saw there the daughter of a manof Chanaan, called Sue: and taking her to wife, he went in unto her.

Viditque ibi filiam hominis Chananæi, vocabulo Sue: et accepta uxore, ingressus est ad eam.

Here he cast his eyes on the daughter of one Suë, a Chanaanite, and wedded and bedded her.

And she conceived, and bore a son, and called his name Her.

Quæ concepit, et peperit filium, et vocavit nomen ejus Her.

She conceived, and bore a son, whom she named Her;

And conceiving again, she bore a son, and called him Onan.

Rursumque concepto fœtu, natum filium vocavit Onan.

then conceived again, and called her second son Onan;

She bore also a third: whom she called Sela. After whose birth, she ceased to bear any more.

Tertium quoque peperit: quem appellavit Sela; quo nato, parere ultra cessavit.

then bore a third, whom she called Sela, and after that had no more children.

And Juda took a wife for Her his firstborn, whose name was Thamar.

Dedit autem Judas uxorem primogenito suo Her, nomine Thamar.

Juda found for his eldest son, Her, a wife whose name was Thamar;

And Her, the firstborn of Juda, was wicked in the sight of the Lord: and was slain by him.

Fuit quoque Her primogenitus Judæ nequam in conspectu Domini: et ab eo occisus est.

but this first-born son of his was a sinner, and God saw it and cut him off in his prime.

Juda therefore said to Onan his son: Go in to thy brother’s wife and marry her, that thou mayst raise seed to thy brother.

Dixit ergo Judas ad Onan filium suum: Ingredere uxorem fratris tui, et sociare illi, ut suscites semen fratri tuo.

Whereupon Juda bade his son Onan mate with the widow, and do a husband’s duty by her, so as to beget children in his brother’s name;

He knowing that the children should not be his, when he went in to his brother’s wife, spilled his seed upon the ground, lest children should be born in his brother’s name.

Ille sciens non sibi nasci filios, introiens ad uxorem fratris sui, semen fundebat in terram, ne liberi fratris nomine nascerentur.

but Onan, who knew that they would not be reckoned as his, frustrated the act of marriage when he mated with her, sooner than breed sons in his brother’s name.

And therefore the Lord slew him, because he did a detestable thing.

Et idcirco percussit eum Dominus, quod rem detestabilem faceret.

Him, too, for this abominable deed of his, the Lord punished with death.

Wherefore Juda said to Thamar his daughter in law: Remain a widow in thy father’s house, till Sela my son grow up: for he was afraid lest he also might die, as his brethren did. She went her way and dwelt in her father’s house.

Quam ob rem dixit Judas Thamar nurui suæ: Esto vidua in domo patris tui, donec crescat Sela filius meus: timebat enim ne et ipse moreretur, sicut fratres ejus. Quæ abiit, et habitavit in domo patris sui.

And now Juda said to Thamar, his daughter-in-law, Go back to thy father’s house, and there support thy widowed state until my son Sela has grown up. The truth was, he was afraid the same doom might overtake Sela. Thamar, then, went back to live at her father’s house.

And after many days were past, the daughter of Sue the wife of Juda died: and when he had taken comfort after his mourning, he went up to Thamnas, to the shearers of his sheep, he and Hiras the Odollamite the shepherd of his flock.

Evolutis autem multis diebus, mortua est filia Sue uxor Judæ: qui, post luctum consolatione suscepta, ascendebat ad tonsores ovium suarum, ipse et Hiras opilio gregis Odollamites, in Thamnas.

Time passed, and Suë’s daughter, the wife of Juda, died. And when his grief for her was assuaged, he went with his friend Hiras of Odollam, who was a shepherd, to see the men who were shearing his flock at Thamnas.

And it was told Thamar that her father in law was come up to Thamnas to shear his sheep.

Nuntiatumque est Thamar quod socer illius ascenderet in Thamnas ad tondendas oves.

When she heard that her father-in-law was going up to Thamnas for the sheep-shearing,

And she put off the garments of her widowhood, and took a veil: and changing her dress, sat in the cross way, that leadeth to Thamnas: because Sela was grown up, and she had not been married to him.

Quæ, depositis viduitatis vestibus, assumpsit theristrum: et mutato habitu, sedit in bivio itineris, quod ducit Thamnam: eo quod crevisset Sela, et non eum accepisset maritum.

Thamar laid aside her widow’s weeds, put a veil on, and disguised herself; then she went and sat at the cross roads on the way to Thamnas. She knew well that Sela had grown up, and still no husband was given her.

When Juda saw her, he thought she was a harlot: for she had covered her face, lest she should be known.

Quam cum vidisset Judas, suspicatus est esse meretricem: operuerat enim vultum suum, ne agnosceretur.

Juda saw her without recognizing her as his daughter-in-law (for she kept her face veiled) and took her for a harlot;

And going to her, he said: Suffer me to lie with thee: for he knew her not to be his daughter in law. And she answered: What wilt thou give me to enjoy my company?

Ingrediensque ad eam, ait: Dimitte me ut coëam tecum: nesciebat enim quod nurus sua esset. Qua respondente: Quid dabis mihi ut fruaris concubitu meo?

so he accosted her, and asked for her favours. What wilt thou give me, she asked, as the price of enjoying them?

He said: I will send thee a kid out of the flock. And when she said again: I will suffer what thou wilt, if thou give a pledge, till thou send what thou promisest,

dixit: Mittam tibi hædum de gregibus. Rursumque illa dicente: Patiar quod vis, si dederis mihi arrhabonem, donec mittas quod polliceris.

I will send thee a goat, he answered, from my herd. And when she told him he might have his will, on condition that he gave her a pledge, to hold until he kept his promise,

Juda said: What wilt thou have for a pledge? She answered: Thy ring and bracelet, and the staff which thou holdest in thy hand. The woman therefore at one copulation conceived.

Ait Judas: Quid tibi vis pro arrhabone dari? Respondit: Annulum tuum, et armillam, et baculum quem manu tenes. Ad unum igitur coitum mulier concepit,

What wilt thou have, asked Juda, for a pledge? Thy ring, she answered, and thy bracelet, and the staff thou carriest. At this single mating she conceived;

And she arose and went her way: and putting off the apparel which she had taken, put on the garments of her widowhood.

et surgens abiit: depositoque habitu quem sumpserat, induta est viduitatis vestibus.

and now she rose up and was gone, took off her disguise, and was back in her widow’s weeds again.

And Juda sent a kid by his shepherd, the Odollamite, that he might receive the pledge again, which he had given to the woman: but he, not finding her,

Misit autem Judas hædum per pastorem suum Odollamitem, ut reciperet pignus quod dederat mulieri: qui cum non invenisset eam,

Then Juda bade his shepherd at Odollam take the woman a goat, so as to recover the pledge he had given her. But the shepherd could not find her;

Asked the men of that place: Where is the woman that sat in the cross way? And when they all made answer: There was no harlot in this place,

interrogavit homines loci illius: Ubi est mulier quæ sedebat in bivio? Respondentibus cunctis: Non fuit in loco ista meretrix.

and when he asked the townsfolk, What has become of the harlot that used to sit at the cross-roads? they said, There was never a harlot there.

He returned to Juda, and said to him: I have not found her; moreover the men of that place said to me, that there never sat a harlot there.

Reversus est ad Judam, et dixit ei: Non inveni eam: sed et homines loci illius dixerunt mihi, numquam sedisse ibi scortum.

So he went back to Juda, and told him, I could not find her; and what is more, the townsfolk would have it there was never harlot sitting there at all.

Juda said: Let her take it to herself; surely she cannot charge us with a lie: I sent the kid which I promised: and thou didst not find her.

Ait Judas: Habeat sibi, certe mendacii arguere nos non potest, ego misi hædum quem promiseram: et tu non invenisti eam.

Let her keep what she has, said Juda; she cannot call us dishonest, now that I have sent the kid as I promised, and she was not to be found.

And behold after three months they told Juda, saying: Thamar, thy daughter in law hath played the harlot, and she appeareth to have a big belly. And Juda said: Bring her out that she may be burnt.

Ecce autem post tres menses nuntiaverunt Judæ, dicentes: Fornicata est Thamar nurus tua, et videtur uterus illius intumescere. Dixitque Judas: Producite eam ut comburatur.

So three months passed; and then word came to Juda, Thamar, thy daughter-in-law, has proved a light woman; she is big with child for all to see. Whereupon Juda said, Bring her here, then; she must be burned alive.

But when she was led to execution, she sent to her father in law, saying: By the man, to whom these things belong, I am with child. See whose ring, and bracelet, and staff this is.

Quæ cum duceretur ad pœnam, misit ad socerum suum, dicens: De viro, cujus hæc sunt, concepi: cognosce cujus sit annulus, et armilla, et baculus.

But she, on the way to her place of punishment, sent a message to her father-in-law to say, These belong to the man who got me with child; satisfy thyself, whose are this ring, this bracelet, and this staff.

But he acknowledging the gifts, said: She is juster than I: because I did not give her to Sela my son. However, he knew her no more.

Qui, agnitis muneribus, ait: Justior me est: quia non tradidi eam Sela filio meo. Attamen ultra non cognovit eam.

And Juda, recognizing his own gifts, said, She is in the right, not I; why did I not give her my son Sela in marriage? Yet would he never mate with her again.

And when she was ready to be brought to bed, there appeared twins in her womb: and in the very delivery of the infants, one put forth a hand, whereon the midwife tied a scarlet thread, saying:

Instante autem partu, apparuerunt gemini in utero: atque in ipsa effusione infantium unus protulit manum, in qua obstetrix ligavit coccinum, dicens:

When she was near her time, it proved she had twins in her womb. And at the very moment of her delivery, one of the children put his hand out; so the midwife tied a red cord round it, thinking to herself,

This shall come forth the first.

Iste egredietur prior.

This one is the first-born.

But he drawing back his hand, the other came forth: and the woman said: Why is the partition divided for thee? and therefore called his name Phares.

Illo vero retrahente manum, egressus est alter: dixitque mulier: Quare divisa est propter te maceria? et ob hanc causam, vocavit nomen ejus Phares.

But he drew his hand in again, and the other was born first. Whereupon the woman said, Wouldst thou break thy way out? And so he was called Phares, which means, A breach in the wall.

Afterwards his brother came out, on whose hand was the scarlet thread: and she called him Zara.

Postea egressus est frater ejus, in cujus manu erat coccinum: quem appellavit Zara.

And when his brother was brought to birth after him, with the red cord round his hand, he was called Zara, the Dawn.