¹Nenguva iyoyo Judha akabva kuvana vababa vake, akaburuka, akatsaukira kuno mumwe murume muAdhuramu, ainzi Hira.

¹It happened at that time, that Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

²Judha akaonapo mukunda womumwe munhu muKanani, ainzi Shua, akamutora, akapinda kwaari.

²Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her, and went in to her.

³Iye akava nemimba, akabereka mwana­komana, akamutumidza zita rinonzi Eri.

³She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.

⁴Akava nemimbazve, akabereka mwana­komana, akamutumidza zita rinonzi Onani.

⁴She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.

⁵Akava nemimbazve, akabereka mwanakomana, akamutumidza zita rino­nzi Shera; iye aiva paKezibhi mukadzi wake achimubereka.

⁵She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bore him.

⁶Zvino Judha akatorera dangwe rake Eri mukadzi ainzi Tamari.

⁶Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

⁷Asi dangwe raJudha, aiva munhu akaipa pamberi paJehovha; Jehovha akamuuraya.

⁷Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him.

⁸Zvino Judha akati kuna Onani, Pinda kumukadzi womukoma wako, umuwane, umuitire zvakafanira munin'ina womurume, umutsire mukoma wako vana.

⁸Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up seed to your brother.”

⁹Zvino Onani akaziva kuti vana avo havangavi vake; naizvozvo wakati kana opinda kumukadzi womu­koma wake, orasira mbeu pasi, kuti arege kupa mukoma wake vana.

⁹Onan knew that the seed wouldn’t be his; and it happened, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother.

¹⁰Chi­nhu ichi chaakaita chakanga chakaipa pamberi paJehovha; akamuuraya nai­yewo.

¹⁰The thing which he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he killed him also.

¹¹Ipapo Judha akati kuna Tamari, mukadzi womwana wake, Chigara hako uri chirikadzi paimba yababa vako, kusvikira Shera, mwanakomana wangu, akura; nekuti akati, Zvimwe angafa savakoma vake. Tamari aka­ndogara kumba kwababa vake.

¹¹Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up”; for he said, “Lest he also die, like his brothers.” Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

¹²Mazuva mazhinji akati apfuura, mukunda waShua, mukadzi waJudha, akafa; zvino Judha akati anyaradzwa, akakwira kuvaveuri vamakwai ake paTi­muna, iye naHira, shamwari yake muAdhuramu.

¹²After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.

¹³Tamari akaudzwa, zvichinzi, Tarira baba vomurume wako vanokwira Timuna kundoveura makwai avo;

¹³It was told Tamar, saying, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

¹⁴ipapo iye akabvisa nguvo dzouchirikadzi hwake, akazvifukidza nechokufukidzira chake, akazviputira, akagara pasuwo reEnaimu, guta riri panzira inoenda Timuna; nekuti akanga aona kuti Shera akura, akasamupiwa iye kuti ave mukadzi wake.

¹⁴She took off of her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn’t given to him as a wife.

¹⁵Zvino Judha akati achimuona, akati chifeve, nekuti akanga afukidza chiso chake.

¹⁵When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.

¹⁶Akatsaukira kwaari panzira, akati, Douya, ndipinde kwauri; nekuti akanga asingazivi, kuti mukadzi womwa­nakomana wake. Iye akati, Unogondi­peiko, kuti upinde kwandiri?

¹⁶He turned to her by the way, and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he didn’t know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”

¹⁷Akati, Ndichakutumira mbu­dzana inobva kuzvipfuwo zvangu. Akati, Uchandipa rubatso kusvikira wai­tuma here?

¹⁷He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?”

¹⁸Akati, Ndichagokupa rubatso rweiko? Iye akati, Chimhete chako, norwonzi rwako, netsvimbo yako iri paruoko rwako. Akamupa izvozvo, aka­pinda kwaari, akava nemimba naye.

¹⁸He said, “What pledge will I give you?” She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.

¹⁹Akasimuka, akaenda, akabvisa choku­fukidzira chake, akafuka nguvo dzouchiri­kadzi hwake.

¹⁹She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

²⁰Zvino Judha akatuma mbudzana noruoko rweshamwari yake, muAdhuramu, kuti atore rubatso paruoko rwomukadzi, asi haana kumuwana.

²⁰Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he didn’t find her.

²¹Akabvunza vanhu vokwake, achiti, Chiripiko chifeve chiya, chakanga chiri paEnaimu panzira? Vakati, Kwakanga kusina chifeve pano.

²¹Then he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has been no prostitute here.”

²²Akadzokera kuna Judha, akati, Handina kumuwana; navanhu voko va­kati, Kwakanga kusina chifeve pano.

²²He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’”

²³Ipapo Judha akati, Ngaazvitore hake, kuti tirege kunyadziswa; tarira ndatuma mbudzana iyi, iwe ukasamu­wana.

²³Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”

²⁴Zvino mwedzi inenge mitatu ya­kati yapfuura, Judha akaudzwa, zvichi­nzi, Tamari, mukadzi womwanakomana wako, akaita upombwe; wava nemimba noupombwe hwake. Judha akati, Uyai naye, apiswe.

²⁴It happened about three months later, that it was told Judah, saying, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute; and moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burnt.”

²⁵Zvino vakati vachiuya naye, aka­tuma shoko kuna baba vomurume wake, achiti, Ndine mimba nomurume ane nhumbi idzi, akati, Docherekedzai kuti izvi ndezvani, zvinoti, chimhete norwo­nzi, netsvimbo.

²⁵When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man, whose these are, I am with child.” She also said, “Please discern whose are these—the signet, and the cords, and the staff.”

²⁶Judha akazviziva, akati, Iye wakarurama kukunda ini, nekuti handina kumupa Shera, mwanako­mana wangu. Haana kuzomuzivazve.

²⁶Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.

²⁷Zvino nenguva yokubereka kwake vana vaviri vakanga vari mudumbu rake.

²⁷It happened in the time of her travail, that behold, twins were in her womb.

²⁸Zvino akati achibereka, mumwe akabu­disa ruoko; ipapo mbuya vakatora rwodzi rutsvuku, vakarusungira paruoko rwake, vachiti, Uyu atanga kubuda.

²⁸When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came out first.”

²⁹Zvino uyu akati adzosera ruoko rwake, munu­nuna wake akabuda; ivo vakati, Wazvi­pasanurira seiko? Naizvozvo akamutu­midza zita rinonzi Perezi.

²⁹It happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out, and she said, “Why have you made a breach for yourself?” Therefore his name was called Perez. Perez means “breaking out.”

³⁰Pashure mukoma wake akabuda, akanga aine rwodzi rutsvuku paruoko rwake; zita rake rikatumidzwa Zera.

³⁰Afterward his brother came out, that had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah. Zerah means “scarlet” or “brightness.”