Genesis 38

1 About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.

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 Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.

There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her, and went in to her.

3 So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er.

She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.

4 Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.

She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.

5 Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.

She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.

6 Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.

Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight. So the LORD killed him.

8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”

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 But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.

Onan knew that the offspring would not 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 What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.

The thing which he did was evil in the LORD’s sight, and he killed him also.

11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.

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 a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah.

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 When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”

Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

14 she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.

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 was not given to him as a wife.

15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.

When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.

16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired.

He turned to her by the way, and said, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”

17 “I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered. But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”

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 “What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

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 Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.

She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

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.

Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her.

21 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.

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 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.’”

He returned to Judah, and said, “I have not found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute 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.”

Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you have not found her.”

24 About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”

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 As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”

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 recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.

Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.

27 When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb.

In the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb.

28 And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced.

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 But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez.

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 Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.

Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.