Genesis 38:21
19 Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.
20 Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.
He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered.
22 So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’”
23 “Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered.
- KJV
- Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.
- WEB
- 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.”
- ASV
- Then he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the wayside? And they said, There hath been no prostitute here.
- DARBY
- And he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the prostitute that was at Enaim, by the way-side? And they said, There was no prostitute here.
- BLB
- And he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the temple prostitute—she [was] in Enaim by the way?” And they said, “There has not been a temple prostitute in this [place].”
- ÅB
- Og han spurte folkene der på stedet og sa: Hvor er skjøgen, hun i Ena'im, ved veien? De sa: Det har ikke vært noen skjøge her.
- OTB
- Han spurte mennene på stedet: "Hvor er tempelprostituerte som var ved veien i Enaim?" De svarte: "Det har ikke vært noen tempelprostituert her."
- B1930
- Og han spurte folkene der på stedet og sa: Hvor er skjøgen, hun i Ena'im, ved veien? De sa: Det har ikke vært nogen skjøge her.