Genesis 38

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

At that time Juda went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Odollamite, named Hiras.

2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.

And he saw there the daughter of a man of Chanaan, called Sue: and taking her to wife, he went in unto her.

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

And she conceived, and bore a son, and called his name Her.

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

And conceiving again, she bore a son, and called 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 bore also a third: whom she called Sela. After whose birth, she ceased to bear any more.

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

And Juda took a wife for Her his firstborn, whose name was Thamar.

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

And Her, the firstborn of Juda, was wicked in the sight of the Lord: and was slain by 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.”

Juda, therefore said to Onan his son: Go in to thy brother’s wife and marry her, that thou mayst raise seed to thy 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.

He knowing that the children should not be his, when he went in to his brother’s wife, spilled his seed upon the ground, lest children should be born in his brother’s name.

10 What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.

And therefore the Lord slew him, because he did a detestable thing.

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.

Wherefore Juda said to Thamar his daughter in law: Remain a widow in thy father’s house, till Sela my son grow up: for he was afraid lest he also might die, as his brethren did. She went her way and dwelt 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.

And after many days were past, the daughter of Sue the wife of Juda died: and when he had taken comfort after his mourning, he went up to Thamnas, to the shearers of his sheep, he and Hiras the Odollamite the shepherd of his flock.

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

And it was told Thamar that her father in law was come up to Thamnas 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.

And she put off the garments of her widowhood, and took a veil: and changing her dress, sat in the cross way, that leadeth to Thamnas: because Sela was grown up, and she had not been married to him.

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

When Juda saw her, he thought she was a harlot: for she had covered her face, lest she should be known.

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.

And going to her, he said: Suffer me to lie with thee: for he knew her not to be his daughter in law. And she answered: What wilt thou give me to enjoy my company?

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 thee a kid out of the flock. And when she said again: I will suffer what thou wilt, if thou give a pledge, till thou send what thou promisest,

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.

Juda said: What wilt thou have for a pledge? She answered: Thy ring and bracelet, and the staff which thou holdest in thy hand. The woman therefore at one copulation conceived.

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

And she arose and went her way: and putting off the apparel which she had taken, 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.

And Juda sent a kid by his shepherd, the Odollamite, that he might receive the pledge again, which he had given to the woman: but he, not finding 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.

Asked the men of that place: Where is the woman that sat in the cross way? And when they all made answer: There was no harlot in this place,

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 Juda, and said to him: I have not found her; moreover the men of that place said to me, that there never sat a harlot there.

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.”

Juda said: Let her take it to herself; surely she cannot charge us with a, lie: I sent the kid which I promised: and thou didst not find 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!”

And behold after three months they told Juda, saying: Thamar, thy daughter in law hath played the harlot, and she appeareth to have a big belly. And Juda said: Bring her out that she may be burnt.

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?”

But when she was led to execution, she sent to her father in law, saying: By the man, to whom these things belong, I am with child. See whose ring, and bracelet, and staff this is.

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.

But he acknowledging the gifts, said: She is juster than I: because I did not give her to Sela, my son. However, he knew her no more.

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

And when she was ready to be brought to bed, there appeared twins in her womb: and in the very delivery of the infants, one put forth a hand, whereon the midwife tied a scarlet thread, saying:

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.

This shall come forth the 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.

But he drawing back his hand, the other came forth: and the woman said: Why is the partition divided for thee? and therefore called his name Phares.

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

Afterwards his brother came out, on whose hand was the scarlet thread: and she called him Zara.