38 At that time, Judah left his brothers. He went to stay with a man from the town of Adullam. His name was Hirah. 2 While he was there, Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man called Shua. Judah married her and he had sex with her. 3 She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. Judah gave him the name ‘Er’. 4 His wife became pregnant again, and she gave birth to another son. She gave him the name ‘Onan’. 5 Later, she gave birth to another son. She gave him the name ‘Shelah’. She gave birth to Shelah in Kezib.
6 Judah found a wife for his oldest son, Er. Her name was Tamar. 7 But the Lord saw that Er, Judah's firstborn son, was very bad. So the Lord caused him to die. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, ‘You should marry your dead brother's wife and have sex with her. You are her dead husband's brother. You must have a son who will become your dead brother's descendant.’ [ b ]
9 But Onan did not want Tamar to give birth to his child. He knew that the child would not belong to him. So when he had sex with his brother's wife Tamar, he made his semen go onto the ground. Onan did this so that Tamar would not give birth to a child for his dead brother.
10 What Onan did was bad, and the Lord was not pleased with him. So the Lord caused Onan to die too. 11 Then Judah said to his son's widow, Tamar, ‘Go back to your father's house and live there as a widow. Stay there until my son Shelah grows older.’ Judah thought, ‘I do not want Shelah to die in the way that his brothers died.’ So Tamar went to live in her father's house.
12 After a long time, Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had stopped being sad because of her death, he left his home to travel. He went with his friend, Hirah the Adullamite, to a place called Timnah. He went to see the men who were cutting the wool from his sheep. 13 Someone told Tamar, ‘Your husband's father is going to Timnah to get the wool from his sheep.’
14 Tamar knew that Judah's son Shelah had now become a man. But Judah had not yet let Shelah marry her. So Tamar took off her widow's clothes and she put on other clothes. She covered her head with a veil. She did not want anyone to recognize her. Then she sat at the gate of Enaim. Enaim is a town on the road that goes to Timnah.
15 Judah saw her as she sat there. He thought that she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face. 16 He did not know that she was his son's widow. He went to her at the side of the road. He said, ‘Let me have sex with you.’ Tamar asked him, ‘If I have sex with you, what will you give me?’ 17 Judah replied, ‘I will take a young goat from my animals and I will give it to you.’ Tamar said, ‘Please give me something now to show me that you will really send the goat to me.’ 18 Judah asked her, ‘What should I give you?’ Tamar replied, ‘Give me your special ring and the string that holds it. And give me the stick that is in your hand.’ [ c ] So Judah gave them to her. He had sex with her. As a result, she became pregnant.
19 After this, Tamar left there and she took off her veil. She put her widow's clothes on again.
20 Judah sent his friend Hirah, the Adullamite, to take a young goat back to where the woman had been. Judah wanted to get his special things back from the woman. But Hirah could not find the woman. 21 He asked some men who lived there, ‘Where is the temple prostitute who sat by the road at Enaim?’ [ d ] But the men said, ‘There has not been any prostitute here.’
22 So Hirah went back to Judah, with the goat. He told him, ‘I did not find her. The men who lived there said, “There has not been any temple prostitute here.” ’ 23 So Judah said, ‘Let her keep the things that I gave to her. People will laugh at me if you go back there again. I sent this young goat for her, as I promised, but you could not find her.’
24 Three months later, someone told Judah, ‘Your dead son's wife, Tamar, has become a prostitute and now she is pregnant.’ Judah said, ‘Take her out of the town and burn her to death!’ 25 So they took Tamar away to kill her. But she sent a message to her dead husband's father. She said, ‘The man that these things belong to had sex with me. That is why I am pregnant. Look at these things carefully. Do you know who the ring, its string, and the stick belong to?’
26 Judah saw that the things belonged to him. He said, ‘She is more honest than I am. She has done this because I would not give her to my son, Shelah, as his wife.’ Judah did not have sex with Tamar again.
27 The time came for Tamar to give birth, and there were twins! 28 While she was giving birth, one baby put out his hand. The woman who was helping Tamar tied a red string to that baby's arm. She said, ‘This baby came out first.’ 29 But then the baby moved his hand back inside and his brother came out first. The woman said, ‘You have opened a way for yourself to come out!’ So they gave him the name ‘Perez’. [ e ] 30 Then his brother came out, with the red string on his arm. They gave him the name ‘Zerah’.
38 About that time, Judah left his brothers and went to stay with a man named Hirah from the town of Adullam. 2 Judah met a Canaanite girl there and married her. The girl’s father was named Shua. 3 The Canaanite girl gave birth to a son and named him Er. 4 Later, she gave birth to another son and named him Onan. 5 Then she had another son named Shelah. Judah lived in Kezib when his third son was born.
6 Judah chose a woman named Tamar to be the wife of his first son Er. 7 But Er did many bad things. The Lord was not happy with him, so the Lord killed him. 8 Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and sleep with your dead brother’s wife. [ a ] Become like a husband to her. If children are born, they will belong to your brother Er.”
9 Onan knew that the children from this union would not belong to him. He had sexual relations with Tamar, but he did not allow himself to stay inside her. 10 This made the Lord angry. So he killed Onan also. 11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Go back to your father’s house. Stay there and don’t marry until my young son Shelah grows up.” Judah was afraid that Shelah would also be killed like his brothers. So Tamar went back to her father’s home.
12 Later, Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah’s time of sadness, he went to Timnah with his friend Hirah from Adullam. Judah went to Timnah to have the wool cut from his sheep. 13 Tamar learned that Judah, her father-in-law, was going to Timnah to cut the wool from his sheep. 14 Tamar always wore clothes that showed that she was a widow. So she put on some different clothes and covered her face with a veil. Then she sat down near the road going to Enaim, a town near Timnah. Tamar knew that Judah’s younger son Shelah was now grown up, but Judah would not make plans for her to marry him.
15 Judah traveled on that road and saw her, but he thought that she was a prostitute. (Her face was covered with a veil like a prostitute.) 16 So he went to her and said, “Let me have sex with you.” (Judah did not know that she was Tamar, his daughter-in-law.)
She said, “How much will you give me?”
17 Judah answered, “I will send you a young goat from my flock.”
She answered, “I agree to that. But first you must give me something to keep until you send me the goat.”
18 Judah asked, “What do you want me to give you as proof that I will send you the goat?”
Tamar answered, “Give me your seal and its string [ b ] and your walking stick.” Judah gave these things to her. Then Judah and Tamar had sexual relations, and she became pregnant. 19 Then Tamar went home, took off her veil that covered her face, and again put on the special clothes that showed she was a widow.
20 Later, Judah sent his friend Hirah to Enaim to give the prostitute the goat he promised. Judah also told Hirah to get the special seal and the walking stick from her, but Hirah could not find her. 21 He asked some of the men at the town of Enaim, “Where is the prostitute who was here by the road?”
The men answered, “There has never been a prostitute here.”
22 So Judah’s friend went back to Judah and said, “I could not find the woman. The men who live in that place said that there was never a prostitute there.”
23 So Judah said, “Let her keep the things. I don’t want people to laugh at us. I tried to give her the goat, but we could not find her. That is enough.”
24 About three months later, someone told Judah, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar sinned like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant.”
Then Judah said, “Take her out and burn her.”
25 The men went to Tamar to kill her, but she sent a message to her father-in-law that said, “The man who made me pregnant is the man who owns these things. Look at them. Whose are they? Whose special seal and string is this? Whose walking stick is this?”
26 Judah recognized these things and said, “She is right. I was wrong. I did not give her my son Shelah like I promised.” And Judah did not sleep with her again.
27 The time came for Tamar to give birth. She was going to have twins. 28 While she was giving birth, one baby put his hand out. The nurse tied a red string on the hand and said, “This baby was born first.” 29 But that baby pulled his hand back in, so the other baby was born first. So the nurse said, “You were able to break out first!” So they named him Perez. [ c ] 30 After this, the other baby was born. This was the baby with the red string on his hand. They named him Zerah. [ d ]
38 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
5 And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.
6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
7 And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord ; and the Lord slew him.
8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord : wherefore he slew him also.
11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.
12 And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
14 And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
17 And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?
18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not.
21 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.
22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.
23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.
26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.
30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
38 And it came about at that time, that Judah [ a ] departed from his brothers and [ b ] visited a certain ( A ) Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was ( B ) Shua; and he took her as a wife and had relations with her. 3 And she conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him ( C ) Er. 4 Then she conceived again and gave birth to a son, and she named him ( D ) Onan. 5 She gave birth to yet another son and named him ( E ) Shelah; and it was at Chezib [ c ] that she gave birth to him.
6 Now Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But ( F ) Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord , so the Lord took his life. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “ ( G ) Have relations with your brother’s wife and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up a [ d ] child for your brother.” 9 Now Onan knew that the [ e ] ( H ) child would not be his; so when he had relations with his brother’s wife, he [ f ] wasted his seed on the ground so that he would not give [ g ] a child to his brother. 10 But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord ; so He ( I ) took his life also. 11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “ ( J ) Remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up”; for he [ h ] thought, “ I am afraid that he too may die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.
12 Now [ i ] after a considerable time Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and when [ j ] the time of mourning was ended, Judah went up to his sheepshearers at ( K ) Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to ( L ) Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 So she [ k ] removed her widow’s garments and ( M ) covered herself with a [ l ] veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gateway of [ m ] Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and ( N ) she had not been given to him as a wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he assumed she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 So he turned aside to her by the road, and said, “ [ n ] Here now, let me have relations with you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give me, that you may have relations with me?” 17 He said, therefore, “I will send you a [ o ] young goat from the flock.” She then said, “Will you give a pledge until you send it ?” 18 He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” And she said, “ ( O ) Your seal and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and had relations with her, and she conceived by him. 19 Then she got up and departed, and [ p ] removed her [ q ] veil and put on her widow’s garments.
20 When Judah sent the [ r ] young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. 21 He asked the people of her place, saying, “Where is the temple prostitute who was by the road at Enaim?” But they said, “There has been no temple prostitute here.” 22 So he returned to Judah, and said, “I did not find her; and furthermore, the people of the place said, ‘There has been no temple prostitute here.’” 23 Then Judah said, “Let her [ s ] keep them, otherwise we will become a laughingstock. [ t ] After all, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.”
24 Now it was about three months later that Judah was [ u ] informed, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and behold, she is also pregnant by prostitution.” Then Judah said, “Bring her out and ( P ) have her burned!” 25 It was while she was being brought out that she sent word to her father-in-law, saying, “I am pregnant by the man to whom these things belong.” She also said, “ ( Q ) Please examine and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?” 26 And Judah recognized them , and said, “ ( R ) She is more righteous than I, since ( S ) I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not [ v ] have relations with her again.
27 It came about at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were ( T ) twins in her womb. 28 Moreover, it took place while she was giving birth, that one baby put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 But it came about as he drew back his hand that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named [ w ] ( U ) Perez. 30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named [ x ] ( V ) Zerah.
38 At that time, Judah ( A ) left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam ( B ) named Hirah. ( C ) 2 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. ( D ) He married her and made love to her; 3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. ( E ) 4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. ( F ) 5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. ( G ) It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ( H ) 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord ’s sight; ( I ) so the Lord put him to death. ( J )
8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” ( K ) 9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord ’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also. ( L )
11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law ( M ) Tamar, ( N ) “Live as a widow in your father’s household ( O ) until my son Shelah ( P ) grows up.” ( Q ) For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.
12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, ( R ) died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, ( S ) to the men who were shearing his sheep, ( T ) and his friend Hirah the Adullamite ( U ) went with him.
13 When Tamar ( V ) was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,” ( W ) 14 she took off her widow’s clothes, ( X ) covered herself with a veil ( Y ) to disguise herself, and then sat down ( Z ) at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. ( AA ) For she saw that, though Shelah ( AB ) had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, ( AC ) for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing ( AD ) that she was his daughter-in-law, ( AE ) he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” ( AF )
“And what will you give me to sleep with you?” ( AG ) she asked.
17 “I’ll send you a young goat ( AH ) from my flock,” he said.
“Will you give me something as a pledge ( AI ) until you send it?” she asked.
18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?”
“Your seal ( AJ ) and its cord, and the staff ( AK ) in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. ( AL ) 19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes ( AM ) again.
20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite ( AN ) in order to get his pledge ( AO ) back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute ( AP ) who was beside the road at Enaim?”
“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.
22 So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’”
23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has, ( AQ ) or we will become a laughingstock. ( AR ) After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”
24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!” ( AS )
25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.” ( AT )
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, ( AU ) since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah. ( AV ) ” And he did not sleep with her again.
27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. ( AW ) 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife ( AX ) took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist ( AY ) and said, “This one came out first.” 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, ( AZ ) and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez. [ a ] ( BA ) 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, ( BB ) came out. And he was named Zerah. [ b ] ( BC )
