Genesis 38

¹ This time Judah come leave home and he move go Adullam where him dey stay with a man wey them dey call Hirah.

² Na there he see one Canaanite woman, daughter of Shua and he marry her. when he sleep with her,

³ she get belle and she born a son, she come name the boy Er.

⁴ She come get belle again and she born another son, she name him Onan.

⁵ When she come born the third son, she name him Shelah. When them born Shelah, dem dey live for Chezib. With time,

⁶ Judah come arrange for him first born Er, make he marry a young woman wey dem dey call Tamar.

⁷ But Er na wicked man for God sight, naso God come kill him.

⁸ Judah come tell Er brother, Onan say go marry Tamar as e be law of the brother of a man wey don die, you go produce a heir for your brother. Your brother suppose get descendant.

⁹ But Onan know say the children no go be him own, so anytime wey he dey sleep with him brother widow, he dey pour the Semen for ground so that him brother no go get children.

¹⁰ God no dey happy with wetin him do, and God come kill am.

¹¹ Judah come tell him daughter in-law Tamar say, return to your father house make you remain widow until my son Shelah grow up. He talk am like this because he dey fear say Shelah go die like him brothers. Naso Tamar go back home.

¹² After some time, Judah wife come die, when he don morn her finish, he and him friend Hirah of Adullam come to Timnah where dem dey shear him sheep.

¹³ Somebody tell Tamar say him father in=law dey go Timnah go shear sheep.

¹⁴ Naso she change from widow clothes wey she don dey wear, she come cover her face with veil and she siddon for entrance of Enai. A town wey dey for road wey go Timnah. Tamar know say Judah son Shelah don grow up but dem no marry her to him.

¹⁵ When Judah see her, he think say she be prostitute because she cover her face. He come go meet her for side of road and he say how much you dey charge?

¹⁶ He no know say na him daughter in-law she be. She say, "Wetin you go give me?" He come answer,

¹⁷ "I go send you one young goat from my flock." She come say, "Alright, if you go give me something as pledge until you send the goat."

¹⁸ He come ask, "Wetin I go give you as pledge?" She come answer, "Your seed with cord and the stick wey you dey carry." He come give them to her. Dem come sleep together and she get belle.

¹⁹ Tamar go home, she come remove her veil and she wear her widow clothe back.

²⁰ Judah come send him friend Hirah make he take the goat and collect the things wey he use pledge from the woman, but Hirah no fit find her.

²¹ He come ask some men for Enai, where the prostitute wey dey here by the road? Dem come answer, no prostitute don ever dey here before.

²² He come go back to Judah and he say, I no find her. The men wey dey there talk say no prostitute don ever dey that place.

²³ Judah come say make she keep the things, we no want make people dey laugh at us. I don try to pay her but we no find her.

²⁴ After three months somebody come tell Judah say your daughter in-law Tamar don dey act like prostitute and now she don get belle. Judah come order say make dem take her out and burn her to death.

²⁵ As dem dey take her out, she come send message to her father in-law, I don pregnant by the man wey own these things. Look the things and see who get am.

²⁶ Judah come recognise them and he say, she dey right, I don fail her. I suppose don give her to my son Shelah. Judah no come make love to her again.

²⁷ When the time she go born reach, dem find out say na twin she wan born.

²⁸ When she dey labour, one of them come bring out hand, the midwife catch am and tie red thread around am and say na this one them born first.

²⁹ But he take him hand inside, dem come born him brother first. The midwife come say, "Na like this you dey break your way out." Naso dem name am Pharez.

³⁰ Dem come born him brother with red thread for him hand, and dem name him Zerah.