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Genesis · Brenton's Greek Septuagint

Genesis 38 Brenton's Greek Septuagint

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  • Scholarly edition
  • OT: Septuagint (Greek)
  • Septuagint Old Testament (no New Testament)
  • Original language
  • 1851
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

Notes on this text (1)
LXX Brenton's Greek Septuagint
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, κατέβη Ἰούδας ἀπὸ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀφίκετο ἕως πρὸς ἄνθρωπον τινὰ Ὀδολλαμίτην, ᾧ ὄνομα Εἰράς.
1 At that time, Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
2 Καὶ εἶδεν ἐκεῖ Ἰούδας θυγατέρα ἀνθρώπου Χαναναίου, ᾗ ὄνομα Σαυά· καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν, καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτήν.
2 There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her, and went in to her.
3 Καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν υἱὸν, καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Ἤρ.
3 She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.
4 Καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν υἱὸν ἔτι, καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Αὐνάν.
4 She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.
5 Καὶ προσθεῖσα ἔτεκεν υἱὸν, καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Σηλώμ· αὕτη δὲ ἦν ἐν Χασβὶ, ἡνίκα ἔτεκεν αὐτούς.
5 She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.
6 Καὶ ἔλαβεν Ἰούδας γυναῖκα Ἢρ τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ αὐτοῦ, ᾗ ὄνομα Θάμαρ.
6 Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
7 Ἐγένετο δὲ Ἢρ πρωτότοκος Ἰούδα πονηρὸς ἔναντι Κυρίου· καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός.
7 Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in Yahweh’s sight. So Yahweh killed him.
8 Εἶπε δὲ Ἰούδας τῷ Αὐνάν· εἴσελθε πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, καὶ ἐπιγάμβρευσαι αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀνάστησον σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου.
8 Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.”
9 Γνοὺς δὲ Αὐνὰν, ὅτι οὐκ αὐτῷ ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα, ἐγένετο ὅταν εἰσήρχετο πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτου, ἐξέχεεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, τοῦ μὴ δοῦναι σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ.
9 Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his; and when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother.
10 Πονηρὸν δὲ ἐφάνη ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι ἐποίησε τοῦτο· καὶ ἐθανάτωσε καὶ τοῦτον.
10 The thing which he did was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and he killed him also.
11 Εἶπε δὲ Ἰούδας Θάμαρ τῇ νύμφῃ αὐτοῦ, κάθου χήρα ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πατρός σου, ἕως μέγας γένηται Σηλὼμ ὁ υἱός μου· εἶπε γάρ, μή ποτε ἀποθάνῃ καὶ οὗτος, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ. Ἀπελθοῦσα δὲ Θάμαρ ἐκάθητο ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῆς.
11 Then 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.
12 Ἐπληθύνθησαν δὲ αἱ ἡμέραι, καὶ ἀπέθανε Σαυὰ ἡ γυνὴ Ἰούδα· καὶ παρακληθεὶς Ἰούδας ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τοὺς κείροντας τὰ πρόβατα αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς καὶ Εἰρὰς ὁ ποιμὴν αὐτοῦ ὁ Ὀδολλαμίτης εἰς Θαμνά.
12 After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.
13 Καὶ ἀπηγγέλε Θάμαρ τῇ νύμφῃ αὐτοῦ, λέγοντες, ἰδοὺ ὁ πενθερός σου ἀναβαίνει εἰς Θαμνὰ, κεῖραι τὰ πρόβατα αὐτοῦ.
13 Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
14 Καὶ περιελομένη τὰ ἱμάτια τῆς χηρεύσεως ἀφʼ ἑαυτῆς, περιέβαλε τὸ θέριστρον, καὶ ἐκαλλωπίσατο, καὶ ἐκάθισε πρὸς ταῖς πύλαις Αἰνὰν, ἥ ἐστιν ἐν παρόδῳ Θαμνά· ἴδε γὰρ ὅτι μέγας γέγονε Σηλὼμ, αὐτὸς δὲ οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν αὐτῷ γυναῖκα.
14 She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn’t given to him as a wife.
15 Καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὴν Ἰούδας ἔδοξεν αὐτὴν πόρνην εἶναι· κατεκαλύψατο γὰρ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνω αὐτήν.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
16 Ἐξέκλινε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν ὁδόν· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, ἔασόν με εἰσελθεῖν πρός σε· οὐ γὰρ ἔγνω, ὅτι νύμφη αὐτοῦ ἐστίν· ἡ δὲ εἶπε, τί μοι δώσεις, ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃς πρός με;
16 He 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?”
17 Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, ἐγώ σοι ἀποστελλῶ ἔριφον αἰγῶν ἐκ τῶν προβάτων μον· ἡ δὲ εἶπεν, ἐὰν δῷς μοι ἀῤῥαβῶνα, ἕως τοῦ ἀποστεῖλαί σε.
17 He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?”
18 Ὁ δὲ εἶπε, τίνα τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνά σοι δώσω; ἡ δὲ εἶπε, τὸν δακτύλιόν σου, καὶ τὸν ὁρμίσκον, καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον τὴν ἐν τῇ χειρίσου. Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῇ, καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτήν· καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν ἐξ αὐτοῦ.
18 He 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.
19 Καὶ ἀναστᾶσα ἀπῆλθε, καὶ περιείλετο τὸ θέριστρον αὐτῆς ἀφʼ ἑαυτῆς, καὶ ἐνεδύσατο τὰ ἱμάτια τῆς χηρεύσεως αὐτῆς.
19 She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 Ἀπέστειλε δὲ Ἰούδας τὸν ἔριφον ἐξ αἰγῶν ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ ποιμένος αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ὀδολλαμείτου, κομίσασθαι παρὰ τῆς γυναικὸς τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα· καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν αὐτήν.
20 Judah 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.
21 Ἐπηρώτησε δὲ τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ τόπου, ποῦ ἐστιν ἡ πόρνη ἡ γενομένη ἐν Αἰνὰν ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ; καὶ εἶπαν, οὐκ ἦν ἐνταῦθα πόρνη.
21 Then 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.”
22 Καὶ ἀπεστράφη πρὸς Ἰούδαν, καὶ εἶπεν, οὐχ εὗρον· καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ἐκ τοῦ τόπου λέγουσι, μὴ εἶναι ὧδε πόρνην.
22 He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’”
23 Εἶπε δὲ Ἰούδας, ἐχέτω αὐτά· ἀλλὰ μή ποτε καταγελασθῶμεν· ἐγὼ μὲν ἀπέσταλκα τὸν ἔριφον τοῦτον, σὺ δὲ οὐχ εὕρηκας.
23 Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”
24 Ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ τρίμηνον ἀνηγγέλη τῷ Ἰούδα, λέγοντες, ἐκπεπόρνευκε Θάμαρ ἡ νύμφη σου, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχει ἐκ πορνείας· Εἶπε δὲ Ἰούδας, ἐξαγάγετε αὐτὴν, καὶ κατακαυθήτω.
24 About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”
25 Αὐτὴ δὲ ἀγομένη ἀπέστειλε πρὸς τὸν πενθερὸν αὐτὴς, λέγουσα, ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὕτινος ταῦτά ἐστιν, ἐγὼ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχω· καὶ εἶπεν, ἐπίγνωθι τίνος ὁ δακτύλιος, καὶ ὁ ὁρμίσκος καὶ ἡ ῥάβδος αὕτη.
25 When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man who owns these.” She also said, “Please discern whose these are—the signet, and the cords, and the staff.”
26 Ἐπέγνω δὲ Ἰούδας, καὶ εἶπε, δεδικαίωται Θάμαρ ἢ ἐγώ· οὗ ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἔδωκα αὐτὴν Σηλὼμ τῷ υἱῷ μου· Καὶ οὐ προσέθετο ἔτι τοῦ γνῶναι αὐτήν.
26 Judah 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.
27 Ἐγένετο δὲ ἡνίκα ἔτικτε, καὶ τῇδε ἦν δίδυμα ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ αὐτῆς.
27 In the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb.
28 Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ τίκτειν αὐτὴν, ὁ εἷς προεξήνεγκεν τὴν χεῖρα· λαβοῦσα δὲ ἡ μαῖα, ἔδησεν ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ κόκκινον, λέγουσα, οὗτος ἐξελεύσεται πρότερος.
28 When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came out first.”
29 Ὡς δὲ ἐπισυνήγαγε τὴν χεῖρα, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐξῆλθεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ· ἡ δὲ εἶπε, τί διεκόπη διὰ σὲ φραγμός; καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Φαρές.
29 As he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out, and she said, “Why have you made a breach for yourself?” Therefore his name was called Perez.
30 Καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐξῆλθεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ, ἐφʼ ᾧ ἦν ἐπὶ τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τὸ κόκκινον· καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Ζαρά.
30 Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

People & places in this chapter

From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.

People

  • Bath-shua

    Judah's Canaanite wife

    The Canaanite daughter of Shua whom Judah married and who bore Er, Onan and Shelah (unnamed in Genesis 38, where she dies after a long time; named Bath-shua in 1 Chronicles 2:3).

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:12; 1 Chronicles 2:3

    See in the family tree

  • Er

    Judah's firstborn

    Judah's firstborn, who was wicked in the LORD's sight and died young; first husband of Tamar.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:3-7

    See in the family tree

  • Hirah

    Judah's Adullamite friend

    Judah's friend, an Adullamite near whom Judah settled, who went with Judah to the sheepshearing at Timnah and later took the young goat to Enaim but could not find the woman.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:1; Genesis 38:12; Genesis 38:20

    See in the family tree

  • Judah

    The royal tribe

    The lion of the tribes, from whom kings and the Messiah would come.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 29:35; 38; 49:8–12

    See in the family tree

  • Onan

    Judah's second son

    Judah's second son, who died for refusing to raise up offspring for his late brother.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:4-10

    See in the family tree

  • Perez

    Son of Judah

    Born of Judah and Tamar, he became the head of the leading clan of Judah.

    Cited in the guide: Gen. 38; Ruth 4:18; 1 Chron. 2:4-5; Matt. 1:3

    See in the family tree

  • Shelah

    Judah's third son

    Judah's third son, withheld from Tamar until she took matters into her own hands.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:5, 11; Numbers 26:20

    See in the family tree

  • Shua

    Canaanite father of Judah's wife

    A Canaanite man whose daughter Judah married; she bore Er, Onan and Shelah.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:2; Genesis 38:12

    See in the family tree

  • Tamar

    Mother of Perez

    Judah's daughter-in-law who, denied justice, became the mother of Perez.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 38; Matthew 1:3

    See in the family tree

  • Zerah

    Twin of Perez

    The twin brother of Perez, born to Judah and Tamar, whose hand first reached out at birth.

    Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:29-30; 1 Chronicles 2:4

    See in the family tree

Cross references (25)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 2 Kings 4:8; 1 Samuel 22:1; Proverbs 13:20; Micah 1:15; Genesis 19:2–3
  2. 2 1 Chronicles 2:3; Genesis 24:3; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Judges 16:1; Genesis 3:6
  3. 3 Numbers 26:19; Genesis 46:12
  4. 4 Genesis 46:12; Numbers 26:19
  5. 5 Numbers 26:20; Genesis 46:12; Genesis 38:26; Genesis 38:11; 1 Chronicles 4:21
  6. 6 Genesis 21:21; Genesis 24:3; Matthew 1:3
  7. 7 1 Chronicles 2:3; Genesis 46:12; Numbers 26:19; Genesis 13:13; Genesis 19:13
  8. 8 Deuteronomy 25:5–10; Matthew 22:23–27; Ruth 4:5–11; Ruth 1:11; Leviticus 18:16
  9. 9 James 4:5; Deuteronomy 25:6; James 3:16; Titus 3:3; Job 5:2
  10. 10 Numbers 11:1; Genesis 46:12; Proverbs 14:32; 1 Chronicles 21:7; Numbers 26:19
  11. 11 Leviticus 22:13; Ruth 1:11–13
  12. 12 Joshua 15:10; 2 Samuel 13:39; Judges 14:1; Genesis 24:67; Genesis 31:19
  13. 14 Genesis 38:26; Genesis 38:11–13; Proverbs 7:12; Jeremiah 3:2; Genesis 24:65
  14. 16 1 Timothy 6:10; Matthew 26:15; 2 Samuel 13:11; Ezekiel 16:33; Deuteronomy 23:18
  15. 17 Genesis 38:20; Ezekiel 16:33; Luke 16:8; Proverbs 20:16; Genesis 38:24–25
  16. 18 Genesis 38:25–26; Luke 15:22; Jeremiah 22:24; Hosea 4:11
  17. 19 Genesis 38:14; 2 Samuel 14:2; 2 Samuel 14:5
  18. 20 Genesis 20:9; 2 Samuel 13:3; Luke 23:12; Leviticus 19:17; Judges 14:20
  19. 23 Ephesians 5:12; 2 Samuel 12:9; Proverbs 6:33; Romans 6:21; 2 Corinthians 4:2
  20. 24 Leviticus 21:9; Judges 19:2; Ezekiel 23:44; Hosea 2:5; Ezekiel 23:19
  21. 25 Genesis 37:32; Genesis 38:18; Psalm 50:21; Jeremiah 2:26; Revelation 20:12
  22. 26 1 Samuel 24:17; 1 Peter 4:2–3; John 8:9; Titus 2:11–12; 2 Samuel 24:17
  23. 27 Genesis 25:24
  24. 29 Genesis 46:12; Matthew 1:3; 1 Chronicles 2:4; Numbers 26:20; Nehemiah 11:6
  25. 30 1 Chronicles 9:6; 1 Chronicles 2:4; Matthew 1:3

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 38:28 Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies (Book IV, Chapters XXV–XXVI)

    This fact is indeed set forth by many other [occurrences], but typically by [the history of] Thamar, Judah's daughter-in-law. For when she had conceived twins, one of them put forth his hand first; and as the midwife supposed that he was the first-born, she bound a scarlet token on his hand.

    Read in context · Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1 (1885)