38
1 At
that time, Judah
went down from
his brothers, and
visited a certain
Adullamite, whose
name was Hirah.
2 There,
Judah saw the
daughter of
a certain Canaanite
man named Shua.
He took her,
and went in
to her.
3 She
conceived, and
bore a son;
and he named
him Er.
4 She
conceived again,
and bore a
son; and she
named him Onan.
5 She
yet again bore
a son, and
named him Shelah.
He was at
Chezib when she
bore him.
6 Judah
took a wife for
Er, his firstborn,
and her name
was Tamar.
7 Er,
Judah’s firstborn,
was wicked in
the LORD’s sight.
So the LORD
killed him.
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 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 The thing
which he did
was evil in
the LORD’s sight,
and he killed
him also.
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 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 Tamar
was told, “Behold,
your father-in-law
is going up
to Timnah to
shear his sheep.”
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 When
Judah saw her,
he thought that
she was a
prostitute, for
she had covered
her face.
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 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 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 She
arose, and went
away, and put
off her veil
from her, and
put on the garments
of her widowhood.
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 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 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 Judah said,
“Let her keep
it, lest we
be shamed. Behold,
I sent this
young goat, and
you haven’t found
her.”
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 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 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 In
the time of
her travail,
behold, twins were
in her womb.
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 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 Afterward
his brother came
out, who had
the scarlet thread
on his hand,
and his name
was called
Zerah.