The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XXXVIII.

[verse 1] Judas descendynge the same tyme fro his britheren, turnede to a man Odolla|myte, [verse 2] Hyram bi name; and he sawȝ there the dowȝter of a Chanany man, Sue bi name. And a wijf takun, ȝede into [verse 3] hir, the which conseyuede, and bare a childe, and clepide the name of hym Her. [verse 4] And eftsones conceyued the kynde, she nemnyde the born sone Onam. [verse 5] And the thridde child she bare, whom she clepide Sela, the which born, seeside to more bere childe. [verse 6] Judas forsothe ȝaue a wijf to his first getun Her, Thamar bi name. [verse 7] And Her, the first getun of Jude, was wickid in the siȝt of the Lord, and ther|for was slayn of hym. [verse 8] Thanne Judas seide to Onam, his sone, Go yn to the

wijf of thi brother, and be thow felaw|shipte to hir, that thow rere seed to thi brother. [verse 9] He wytynge sones to be born not to hym, goynge to the wijf of his brother, shede the seed into the erthe, lest fre children weren born in name of [verse 10] the brother; and therfor the Lord smote hym, therthurȝ that a cursid thing he dide. [verse 11] Wherfore Judas seide to Thamar, the wijf of his sone, Be thow a widwe in the hows of thi fader, to the tyme that Sela my sone growe; forsothe he dredde lest and he shulde dye as the britheren [brether BH. brother D.] of hym. The which ȝede, and dwelte in the hows of hir fader. [verse 12] And manye ȝerys ouergoon, diede Sue, the wijf of Jude, the which after weilyng coumfort takun, steiede vp to the sheepherdis [clypparis E.] of his sheep, he and Yras, the sheepherd of the flok, Odollamyte, in Tampnas. [verse 13] And it was told to Thamar, that hir housbonde fader steiede vp into Tampnas, to the sheep that shulden be clippid. [verse 14] The which, the clothis of widewhed don down, toke to a roket, and the abite chaungid, sat in the place of two weyes that ledeth to Tamp|nam; therthurȝ that Sela was growun, and she hadde not takun hym to hous|bonde. [verse 15] Whom whanne Judas hadde seen, he trowide hir to ben a [Om. A pr. m.] strumpet; she forsothe hadde couerede hir chere, lest she were knowun. [verse 16] And he yngoynge to hir, seith, Lat me, that Y goo togidere with thee; forsothe he wiste not that she was the wijf of his sone. The which an|swerynge, What shal thow ȝyue me, that [verse 17] thow vse me with liggyng? he seide, Y shal sende to thee a kidde fro the flockis. And eft she seiynge, I shal suffre that thow wolt, if thow ȝyue to me a wedde, to the tyme that thow sende that that thow bihotist. [verse 18] Judas seith, What to thee wolt thow be ȝouun for a wedde? She answeryde, Thi rynge, and thin arm|sercle,

and the staf that thow holdist in thin hoond. Thanne at oon togiders [verse 19] goynge the womman conceyuede, and arysynge, she ȝede a wey; and the abite doon doun that she toke, she is clothid with the clothis of widewhod. [verse 20] Judas forsothe sente a kidde bi his sheepherd Odollomyte, that he shulde take a [the BDEFH.] wedde that he ȝaue to the womman; the which [verse 21] whanne he hadde not foundun hir, askide the men of that place, Where is the wom|man that sat in the two weies? answer|ynge alle men, There was not in this place a strumpet. [verse 22] And he turnede aȝen to Juda, and seide to hym, I haue not foundun hir, but and the men of that place seiden to me, neuer there to haue sittun a [Om. A pr. m.] strumpet. [verse 23] Judas seith, Haue she to hir silf, certis of lesynge vndurnym vs she may not; I haue sente a kydde that Y bihiȝte, and thow hast not foundun hir. [verse 24] Loo! forsothe after thre monethis men tolden to Jude, seiynge, Thamar, thi sones [sone E.] wijf, hath doon fornycacioun, and the wombe of hir is seen to wexe ful greet. And Judas seide, Bryng hir forth, that she be brent. [verse 25] The which whanne she shulde be lad to the peyne, sent to her [his A.] housbond fader, seiynge, Of the man whos thes ben Y haue conseyued; know thow whos is the ryng, and the arm sercle, and the staf? [verse 26] The which, the ȝiftis knowun, seith, She is more riȝtwise than Y, for I haue not takun hir to Sela, my sone; and neuerthelater ouer that tyme he knewe hir not. [verse 27] Forsothe instondyng the beryng, gemels apereden in the wombe, and in that heeldyng out of the children, the toon putte forth an hoond, in the which the medewife bonde a reed threed, seiynge, [verse 28] This shal goon out rather. [verse 29] He forsothe drawynge aȝen the hoond, ȝede out the tother, and the womman seide, Whi is the wal for thee dyuydid? And for that cause she clepide the name of

hym Phares. [verse 30] Afterwarde ȝede out the brother of hym, in whos hoond was the reed threed, whom she clepyde Zaram.