Genesis 1 1 About that time 那时犹大离开自己的兄弟,下到一个名叫希辣的阿杜蓝人那里住下了。 2 There he met the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua, married her, and had relations with her. 3 She conceived and bore a son, whom she named Er. 她遂怀孕,生了一个儿子,给他起名叫厄尔。 4 Again she conceived and bore a son, whom she named Onan. 5 2 Then she bore still another son, whom she named Shelah. They were in Chezib when he was born. 以后她又生了一个儿子,给他起名叫舍拉;生他的时候,犹大正在革齐布。 6 犹大给自己的长子厄尔娶了妻子,名叫塔玛尔。 7 But Er, 犹大的长子厄尔行了上主所厌恶的事,上主就叫他死了。 8 3 Then Judah said to Onan, "Unite with your brother's widow, in fulfillment of your duty as brother-in-law, and thus preserve your brother's line." 于是犹大对敖难说:"你去与你哥哥的妻子亲近,与她尽你为弟弟的义务,给你哥哥立后。" 9 Onan, however, knew that the descendants would not be counted as his; so whenever he had relations with his brother's widow, he wasted his seed on the ground, to avoid contributing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did greatly offended the LORD, and the LORD took his life too. 他作这事,为上主所厌恶,上主就叫他死了。 11 Thereupon 12 Years passed, and 过了几年,犹大的妻子叔亚的女儿死了。丧期过后,犹大便同自己的朋友阿杜蓝人希辣,上提默纳黑去剪羊毛。 13 When Tamar was told that her father-in-law was on his way up to Timnah to shear his sheep, 有人告诉塔玛尔说:"你公公现正上提默纳黑去剪羊毛。" 14 she took off her widow's garb, veiled her face by covering herself with a shawl, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she was aware that, although Shelah was now grown up, she had not been given to him in marriage. 塔玛尔遂脱去守寡的衣服,蒙上首帕,遮掩自己,坐在通往提默纳黑大道去厄纳殷的路口上;--原来她见舍拉已经长大,还没有娶她为妻。-- 15 When 犹大一看见她,以为她是个妓女,因为她遮盖了自己的脸。 16 So he went over to her at the roadside, and not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he said, "Come, let me have intercourse with you." She replied, "What will you pay me for letting you have intercourse with me?" 犹大便由路上转到她面前,向她说:"来!让我与你亲近!"他并不知她就是自己的儿媳。她答说:"你给我什么,好与我亲近?" 17 He answered, "I will send you a kid from the flock." "Very well," she said, "provided you leave a pledge until you send it." 犹大答说:"由羊群中取一只小公山羊送给你。"塔玛尔说:"你未送来以前,你应给个抵押。" 18 4 犹大问说:"我该给你什么作抵押?"她答说:"你的印章,你的系印带和你手中的棍杖。"犹大便交给了她,与她亲近了;她于是由他怀了孕。 19 When she went away, she took off her shawl and put on her widow's garb again. 事后,她起来回家,除掉首帕,再穿上她守寡的衣服。 20 21 5 So he asked the men of the place, "Where is the temple prostitute, the one by the roadside in Enaim?" But they answered, "There has never been a temple prostitute here." 便问当地人说:"那在厄纳殷路旁的庙妓在那里?"人答说:"这里从来没有庙妓。" 22 He went back to 他回来对犹大说:"我找不着她,并且当地的人都说:这里从来没有庙妓。" 23 "Let her keep the things," 24 About three months later, 大约过了三个月,有人告诉犹大说:"你的儿媳塔玛尔与人通奸,而且因通奸有了身孕。犹大说:"把她拉出来烧死!" 25 But as they were bringing her out, she sent word to her father-in-law, "It is by the man to whom these things belong that I am with child. Please verify," she added, "whose seal and cord and whose staff these are." 当她被拉出来时,她派人到她公公那里说:"这些东西是谁的,我就是由谁怀了孕。"并且说:"请你仔细看看这些东西:印章、印带和棍杖是谁的?" 26 犹大仔细一看,就说:"她比我更有理,因为我尚没有将她嫁给我的儿子舍拉。"他从此以后,再没有认识她。 27 When the time of her delivery came, she was found to have twins in her womb. 到了她要生产的时候,腹中竟是一对双胎。 28 While she was giving birth, one infant put out his hand; and the midwife, taking a crimson thread, tied it on his hand, to note that this one came out first. 她正生产时,一个胎儿伸出一手来,收生婆就拿了一根朱红线系在他手上说:"这个是先出生的。" 29 6 But as he withdrew his hand, his brother came out; and she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" So he was called Perez. 但是他一收回手去,他的兄弟就出生了;收生婆说:"你为自己开了个怎样的裂口!"遂给他起名叫培勒兹。 30 7 Afterward his brother came out; he was called Zerah. 以后,那手上系有朱红线的兄弟也出生了,遂给他起名叫则辣黑。 Footnotes(注解) 1 [1-30] This chapter, from the Yahwist source, has nothing to do with the Joseph story in which 2 [5] Chezib: a variant form of Achzib (Joshua 15:44; Micah 1:14), a town in the Judean Shephelah. 3 [8] Preserve your brother's line: literally "raise up seed for your brother." The ancient Israelites regarded as very important their law of levirate, or "brother-in-law" marriage; see notes on Deut 25:5; Ruth 2:20. In the present story, it is primarily Onan's violation of this law, rather than the means he used to circumvent it, that brought on him God's displeasure (Genesis 38:9-10). 4 [18] Seal and cord: the cylinder seal, through which a hole was bored lengthwise so that it could be worn from the neck by a cord, was a distinctive means of identification. Apparently a man's staff was also marked with his name (Numbers 17:16-17) or other sign of identification. 5 [21] 6 [29] He was called Perez: the Hebrew word means "breach." 7 [30] He was called Zerah: a name connected here by popular etymology with a Hebrew verb for the red light of dawn, alluding apparently to the crimson thread. |