Genesis 38 (MKW)

1Na ntangu yina, Yuda bikaka bampangi ya yandi, yandi kwendaka zinga na sika ya muntu mosi ya bwala Adulame, nkumbu ya yandi Ila.About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.

2Kuna, Yuda talaka mwana mosi ya kento, ya mu-Kaanani, nkumbu ya yandi Suwa. Yandi bakaka yandi na makwela. Mpe yandi vukisaka mfulu na yandi.There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.

3Na yina, Suwa kuzwaka kivumu mpe yandi butaka mwana ya bakala. Yandi pesaka mwana yina nkumbu Ele.So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er.

4Yandi kuzwaka dyaka kivumu mpe yandi butaka mwana ya bakala. Yandi pesaka mwana yina nkumbu Onane.Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.

5Yandi butaka dyaka mwana ya bakala. Yandi pesaka mwana yina nkumbu Sela. Ntangu Suwa butaka Sela, Yuda vwandaka na bwala Kezibe.Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.

6Yuda kwedilaka mwana ya yandi ya ntete Ele kento. Nkumbu ya kento yina vwandaka Tamale.Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

7Ele, mwana ya ntete ya Yuda, salaka yimbi na meso ya Yave. Ni yawu yina, Yave salaka ti yandi kufwa.But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.

8Na yina, Yuda tubaka na Onane: «Vukisa mfulu na kento yina mpangi ya nge me bika. Sala mutindu kinkulu ke na kulomba na munzadi, samu ti, nge butila mpangi ya nge bana.»Then 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.”

9Kasi, Onane zabaka ti bana yina ke vwanda ve bana ya yandi. Na yina, ntangu yina yandi vwandaka vukisa mfulu na kento yina bikaka mpangi ya yandi, yandi vwandaka losa maluma ya yandi na ntoto, samu ti yandi butila ve mpangi ya yandi bana.But 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.

10Mambu yina yandi vwandaka sala vwandaka yimbi na meso ya Yave. Ni yawu yina, Yave salaka ti yandi mpe kufwa.What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.

11Na yina, Yuda tubaka na bokilo ya yandi Tamale: «Mutindu nge me kuma mufwidi, kwenda zinga na sika ya tata ya nge tii ntangu yina mwana ya munu, Sela, ke kula.» Yuda vwandaka tuba na yisi ya ntima: «Ya kele mbote ve ti Sela mpe kufwa mutindu bampangi ya yandi.» Tamale kwendaka zinga na sika ya tata ya yandi.Then 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.

12Bilumbu mingi lutaka mpe mwana ya Suwa, yina vwandaka kento ya Yuda, kufwaka. Ntangu bufwidi manisaka, Yuda kwendaka kuna na Timena, na sika ya bantu yina vwandaka zenga miika ya mameme ya yandi. Yandi kwendaka kintwadi na nkundi ya yandi Ila, mu-Adulame.After 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.

13Ba zabisaka Tamale mutindu yayi: «Bokilo ya nge ke na kukwenda kuna na Timena samu na kuzenga miika ya mameme ya yandi.»When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”

14Tamale katulaka binkuti ya yandi ya bufwidi. Yandi fukilaka kitambala tii na nzutu mpe yandi kwendaka vwanda na mwelo ya Enayime, na nzila ya Timena. Tamale salaka mutindu yina samu ti, yandi talaka ti, Sela vwandaka me kula, mpe ba kwelisaka ve yandi na Sela.she 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.

15Ntangu Yuda talaka Tamale, yandi banzaka ti, ya ke kento ya ndumba, samu ti, Tamale fukaka kizizi ya yandi.When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.

16Yuda kwendaka solola yandi ata kuzaba ti ya vwandaka ni bokilo ya yandi. Yuda tubaka: «Mu kele na nsatu ya nge.» Tamale vutulaka: «Kana mu basika na nge, yinki nge ke pesa munu?»Not 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.

17Yuda vutulaka: «Mu ke fidisa nge mwana ya nkombo». Tamale tubaka: «Simbisa munu kima yina mu ke simba tii ntangu nge ke fidisa munu mwana yango ya nkombo.»“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.”

18Yuda yufulaka: «Yinki mu ke simbisa nge?» Tamale tubaka: «Pesa munu kinyemo ya nge na singa ya yawu mpe yinti yina ke na nge na diboko.» Yuda pesaka yandi yawu, mpe yandi kwendaka vukisa mfulu na Tamale. Tamale kuzwaka kivumu.“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.

19Tamale telamaka mpe kwendaka ya yandi. Yandi katulaka kitambala yina vwandaka na yandi, mpe yandi lwataka dyaka binkuti ya yandi ya bufwidi.Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.

20Yuda tumisaka nkundi ya yandi, yina kele mu-Adulame, samu na kunatina kento yina mwana ya nkombo mpe ti yandi baka bima yina yandi simbisaka Tamale. Kasi muntu yina talaka yandi ve.Now 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.

21Muntu yina yufulaka bantu ya kisika yina: «Wapi kento ya kindumba yina vwandaka na nzila ya Enayime?» Bawu vutulaka: «Awa beto kele ve na kento ya kindumba.»He 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.

22Yandi vutukaka mpe tubaka na Yuda: «Mu me tala yandi ve mpe bantu ya kisika yina me zabisa munu ti kuna, bawu kele ve na kento ya kindumba.»So 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.’”

23Yuda tubaka: «Yandi bumba ya yandi bima yina, mu zola ve ti bantu safula beto, mu me fidisa yandi mwana ya nkombo, kasi nge me tala yandi ve.»“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.”

24Na manima ya bangonda tatu, bantu kwizaka zabisa Yuda: «Bokilo ya nge, Tamale, me sala kindumba mpe yandi me kuzwa kivumu.» Yuda tubaka: «Beno basisa yandi mpe beno yoka yandi!»About 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!”

25Kaka na ntangu yina bantu vwandaka nata yandi, yandi tumisaka bantu yina na kutuba na bokilo ya yandi mutindu yayi: «Muntu ya kuzwa bima yayi, ni yandi me pesa munu kivumu. Mulemvo ya beno, beno sosa kuzaba kinyemo na singa ya yawu mpe yinti yayi kele ya nani?»As 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?”

26Yuda me tala mbote bima mpe yandi tubaka: «Yandi kele ya kusungama kulutila munu, samu ti, mu kwelisaka yandi ve na mwana ya munu Sela.» Na manima, Yuda basikaka dyaka ve na yandi.Judah 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.

27Na ntangu ya kubuta, ba talaka ti yandi vwandaka na mapasa na kivumu ya yandi.When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb.

28Mwana mosi basisaka ntete diboko ya yandi. Kibutisi simbaka diboko ya mwana mpe yandi kangaka yandi singa ya mbwaki na diboko yango mpe yandi tubaka: «Ni yandi yayi kele mwana ya ntete.»And 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.

29Kasi mwana vutulaka diboko na kati mpe mpangi ya yandi basikaka ntete. Na yina, kibutisi tubaka: «Wapi mutindu nge me kuzwa nzila!» Mpe ba pesaka yandi nkumbu Pelese.But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez.

30Na manima, mpangi ya yandi yina vwandaka na singa ya mbwaki na diboko basikaka mpe ba pesaka yandi nkumbu Zela.Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.

Genesis 38

You’ve read Genesis 38

Go deeper

Genesis 38

You’ve read Genesis 38

Go deeper