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he begot four sons, Balam, Zoukam, Ioukam, Oukam; and the fifth son of Seir, Oreson, begot Ossaran. But before any king reigned in Israel, these kings reigned in Edom: Balak son of Beor, and the name of his city was Denaba, after whom was Jobab son of Zarrha of Bossyra, after whom was Azom from the land of Themanon, after whom was Adad, son of Barad, who cut down Midian in the plain of Moab, and the name of his city was Getthem; and after him was Samalak of Masekka, after whom was Saul of Roboth by the river, after whom was Balaennon son of Abochor, who had a wife named Metebeel, the daughter of Matrad, son of Mezooph, who all were 500 years in number. And the sons of Jacob, hating their brother Joseph out of envy, sold him to the Ishmaelites. and they into Egypt to Petephres the chief cook of Pharaoh. And in that time Judah went to a certain Iran, an Adullamite; and seeing there a Canaanite woman named Saban, he takes her to wife, and he begets four sons from her, Er, Onan, Selom, Phares. And Judah takes for his firstborn son Er a wife named Tamar, and on account of the great wickedness of his ways he dies childless, God having put him to death. And Judah permits his second child Onan to lie with Tamar, so as to raise up seed for his brother. And Onan, knowing that the begetting of the children would not be for him, when he was about to go in to the woman, he spilled his seed on the ground; and being met with indignation from God for this, he immediately died. And Judah orders Tamar to sit as a widow in her father's house, until Selom grows up. Therefore, when he had grown to be a man, he feared to join him to Tamar, suspecting that this one also might perish. But she, being painfully grieved at this, requites Judah in the following manner. So when he had come 769 to the shearing of the sheep, she, having heard, takes off her mourning garments, and puts on costly ones, and sat down at the gates of the city of Ainan, whom Judah, passing by there and seeing her, desired her as a harlot; for she had covered her face so as not to be recognized, and having promised to send her a kid, he asked to lie with her. But she did not yield until she had taken his ring, and his necklace, and his staff as a pledge. And when he had lain with her, he for his part went to his flocks; but she, changing her clothes again into the garments of a widow, hid herself, remaining concealed. But when Judah, having sent the kid, sought the necklace and the rest, and did not find her, he was indeed vexed at the deception, but he waited, wishing to expose the deceit by all means. Therefore, when time had passed, Tamar becomes with child, and Judah, hearing that she had conceived from fornication, commands her to be burned alive. But she, as she was being led away, sends to Judah the necklace, and the ring, and the staff, saying: "From the man whose these things are, I have conceived. Recognize, therefore, whose are the ring, and the necklace, and the staff." But Judah, being dismayed at the matter. and becoming inspired, he blamed himself for the injustice, saying: "She is more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Selom my son." And she, being at the point of giving birth, brought forth twins in childbirth. And the older, that is, the first, put out his hand, and the midwife tied a scarlet thread to his hand, saying: "This one will come out first"; and immediately the child drew his hand back inside, and his brother came out first and his name was called Phares; and after him his brother came out, on whose hand was the scarlet thread, and he was named Zara. Of these was Joseph a descendant, the betrothed of the immaculate Mary, from whom Christ took on flesh. For Phares, as the evangelist Matthew relates, begot Esrom,

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τέσσαρας παῖδας ἐγέννησεν, Βαλὰμ, Ζουκὰμ, Ἰουκὰμ, Οὐκάμ· ὁ δὲ πέμπτος υἱὸς τοῦ Σηεὶρ Ὀρήσων τὸν Ὠσσαράν. Πρὸ δὲ τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι βασιλέας ἐν Ἰσραὴλ, τῆς Ἐδὼμ οὗτοι οἱ βασιλεῖς ἐβασίλευσαν· Βαλὰκ υἱὸς Βεὼρ καὶ ὄνομα τῇ πόλει αὐτοῦ ∆ενάβα, μεθ' ὃν Ἰωβὰβ υἱὸς Ζαῤῥὰ ὁ ἐκ Βοσσύρας, μεθ' ὃν Ἀζὸμ ὁ ἐκ γῆς Θεμανὼν, μεθ' ὃν Ἀδὰδ, υἱὸς Βαρὰδ, ὅστις ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ Μωὰβ ἐξέκοψε τὴν Μαδιὰμ, καὶ ὄνομα τῇ πόλει αὐτοῦ Γετθέμ· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Σαμαλὰκ ὁ ἐκ Μασέκκας, μεθ' ὃν Σαοὺλ ὁ ἐκ Ῥοβὼθ τῆς παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν, μεθ' ὃν Βαλαεννὼν υἱὸς Ἀβοχὼρ ἔχων γυναῖκα ὀνόματι Μετεβεὴλ, θυγατέρα Ματρὰδ, υἱοῦ Μεζοὼφ, οἳ πάντες ἦσαν ἔτη ἀριθμὸν φʹ. Οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ Ἰακὼβ, τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτῶν Ἰωσὴφ φθόνῳ μισήσαντες, τοῖς Ἰσμαηλίταις ἀπέδοντο. καὶ αὐτοὶ εἰς Αἴγυπτον τῷ Πετεφρῇ τῷ ἀρχιμαγείρῳ Φαραώ. Καὶ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ Ἰούδας ἀφικνεῖται πρὸς Ἰράν τινα Ὀδολλαμίτην· καὶ θεασάμενος ἐκεῖ Χαναναίαν γυναῖκα Σάβαν ὀνόματι, ταύτην πρὸς γάμον ἄγεται, καὶ ποιεῖ παῖδας ἐξ αὐτῆς τέσσαρας, Ἢρ, Αὐνὰν, Σηλὼμ, Φαρές. Καὶ Ἰούδας λαμβάνει τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ αὐτοῦ υἱῷ τῷ Ἢρ γυναῖκα ὀνόματι Θάμαρ, καὶ διὰ πονηρίαν πολλὴν τῶν τρόπων αὑτοῦ ἄπαις ἀποθνήσκει, τοῦ Θεοῦ αὐτὸν θανατώσαντος. Καὶ ἐπιτρέπει ὁ Ἰούδας τῷ δευτέρῳ αὐτοῦ παιδὶ Αὐνὰν συνευνασθῆναι τῇ Θάμαρ, ὥστε ἀναστῆσαι σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ὁ Αὐνὰν γνοὺς, ὅτι οὐκ αὐτῷ καθῆκεν ἡ τῶν τέκνων σπορὰ, ἐν τῷ μέλλειν συνεῖναι τῇ γυναικὶ ἐξέχεεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὑτοῦ τὴν γονήν· καὶ νεμεσηθεὶς ἐπὶ τοῦτο ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, παραχρῆμα ἀπέθανεν. Καὶ ὁ Ἰούδας κελεύει τὴν Θάμαρ ἐν τοῖς πατρῴοις οἵκοις χήραν καθέζεσθαι, ἕως οὗ ὁ Σηλὼμ αὔξεται. Ἀνδρωθέντος οὖν αὐτοῦ ἐφοβήθη συνάψαι αὐτὸν τῇ Θάμαρ, ὑποτοπήσας μὴ καὶ οὗτος ἀπολεῖται. Ἡ δὲ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀχθεῖσα ὀδυνηρῶς, τοιῷδε τρόπῳ τὸν Ἰούδαν ἀμείβεται. Ἀφιχθέντος οὖν αὐτοῦ 769 ἐπὶ τὴν κουρὰν τῶν προβάτων, ἀκούσασα αὐτὴ ἀπαμφίσκεται μὲν τὴν ἐσθῆτα τὴν πενθικὴν, ἀμφιέννυται δὲ πολυτελῆ, καὶ πρὸς ταῖς πύλαις τῆς πόλεως Αἰνὰν ἐκαθέζετο, ἣν ὁ Ἰούδας ἐκεῖθεν παριὼν θεασάμενος, ὡς ἑταίρας ἠράσθη αὐτῆς· τὸ γὰρ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπιγνωσθῆναι ἐπεκάλυψε, καὶ ὑποσχόμενος αὐτῇ ἔριφον ἀποστεῖλαι, ἠξίου συμμιγῆναι αὑτῇ. Ἡ δὲ οὐ πρότερον εἶξεν, εἰ μὴ ἐνέχυρον τὸν δακτύλιον, καὶ τὸν ὁρμίσκον, καὶ τὴν βακτηρίαν εἴληφεν. Ὡς δὲ συνεμίγη αὐτῇ, αὐτὸς μὲν εἰς τὰ ποίμνια αὐτοῦ ἀφίκετο· ἡ δὲ μεταμφιεσαμένη πάλιν τὰ τῆς χήρας ἐνδύματα, ἐκρύπτετο λανθάνουσα. Ὡς δ' ἀποστείλας ὁ Ἰούδας τὸν ἔριφον ἐπεζήτει τὸν ὁρμίσκον καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν, ἐπὶ τῷ παραλογισμῷ διεπρίετο μέντοι, ἐκαρτέρει δὲ φωρᾶσαι παντοίως τὴν ἀπάτην βουλόμενος. Χρόνου οὖν παρελθόντος ἔγγυος ἡ Θάμαρ γίνεται, καὶ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἰούδας, ὅτι ἐκ πορνείας συνείληφε, προστάττει ζῶσαν αὐτὴν καταφλεχθῆναι. Ἡ δὲ ἀγομένη ἀποστέλλει τῷ Ἰούδᾳ τὸν ὁρμίσκον, καὶ τὸν δακτύλιον, καὶ τὴν ῥάβδον, φάσκουσα· Ἐκ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, οὗτινος ταῦτά ἐστι, ἐγὼ συνείληφα, Ἐπίγνωθι οὖν τίνος ὁ δακτύλιος, καὶ ὁ ὁρμίσκος, καὶ ἡ ῥάβδος. Ὁ δὲ Ἰούδας, σχετλιάσας ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι. καὶ ἔνθους γενόμενος, αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ κατεμέμφετο, λέγων· ∆εδικαίωται αὕτη, ἢ ἐγὼ, οὗ ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἔδωκα αὐτὴν Σηλὼμ τῷ υἱῷ μου. Αὕτη δὲ, γενομένη ἐπίτεξ, διδύμους ἐν τῷ τίκτειν προσήνεγκεν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν μείζων, τουτέστιν ὁ πρῶτος τὴν χεῖρα αὑτοῦ προεξέβαλε, καὶ ἡ μαῖα λῶμα κόκκινον τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ προσέδησε, φάσκουσα· Οὗτος ἐξελεύσεται πρῶτος· καὶ εὐθέως τὸ παιδίον τὴν χεῖρα ἕνδον συνήγαγε, καὶ ἐξῆλθε πρῶτος ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Φαρές· καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον ἐξῆλθεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς, ἐφ' ᾧ ἦν τὸ κόκκινον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ, καὶ ἐπωνομάσθη Ζαρά. Τούτων ἐτύγχανεν ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπόγονος ὁ μνήστωρ τῆς ἀχράντου Μαρίας, ἐξ ἧς ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ σαρκίον ἀνείληφεν. Φαρὲς γὰρ, ὡς ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ματθαῖος ἱστορεῖ, ἐγέννησε τὸν Ἐσρὼμ,