Genesis 38

1 And it came to pass at that time that Judas went down from his brethren, and came as far as to a certain man of Odollam, whose name was Iras.

Around this time, Judah left his brothers and set up his tents at Adullam, near to a local man named Hirah.

2 And Judas saw there the daughter of a Chananitish man, whose name was Sava; and he took her, and went in to her.

There Judah happened to see the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua and married her. He slept with her,

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

and she became pregnant and had a son he named Er.

4 And she conceived and bore a son again; and called his name, Aunan.

She became pregnant again and had a son she named Onan.

5 And she again bore a son; and called his name, Selom: and she was in Chasbi when she bore them.

Then she had another son she named Shelah who was born in Kezib.

6 And Judas took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Thamar.

Much later, Judah arranged for Er, his firstborn son, to marry a woman named Tamar.

7 And Er, the firstborn of Judas, was wicked before the Lord; and God killed him.

But Er did what was evil in the Lord's sight, so the Lord put him to death.

8 And Judas said to Aunan, Go in to your brother's wife, and marry her as her brother-in-law, and raise up seed to your brother.

Judah told Onan, “Go and sleep with your brother's wife to fulfill the requirements of a brother-in-law to have children on behalf of your brother.”

9 And Aunan, knowing that the seed should not be his—it came to pass when he went in to his brother's wife, that he spilled [it] upon the ground, so that he should not give seed to his brother's wife.

Onan realized that any children he had wouldn't be his own, so whenever he slept with his brother's wife he made sure she wouldn't become pregnant by withdrawing and spilling his semen on the ground. In this way he prevented any children being born on behalf of his brother.

10 And his doing this appeared evil before God; and he killed him also.

But what he did was evil in the Lord's sight, so he also put Onan to death.

11 And Judas said to Thamar, his daughter-in-law, Sit you a widow in the house of your father-in-law, until Selom my son be grown; for he said, lest he also die as his brethren; and Thamar departed, and sat in the house of her father.

Then Judah told his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Go to your father's house and live there as a widow until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “Maybe he'll die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went and stayed in her father's house.

12 And the days were fulfilled, and Sava the wife of Judas died; and Judas, being comforted, went to them that sheared his sheep, himself and Iras his Shepherd the Odollamite, to Thamna.

A long time later Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah had finished the time of mourning, he went to visit his sheepshearers at Timnah with his friend Hirah from Adullam.

13 And it was told Thamar his daughter-in-law, saying, Behold, your father-in-law goes up to Thamna, to shear his sheep.

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

14 And having taken off the garments of her widowhood from her, she put on a veil, and ornamented her face, and sat by the gates of Aenan, which is in the way to Thamna, for she saw that Selom was grown; but he gave her not to him for a wife.

So she took off her widow's clothes and covered herself with a veil, disguising herself. She sat down beside the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. She had realized that even though Shelah had now grown up, nothing had been done about her marrying him.

15 And when Judas saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she covered her face, and he knew her not.

Judah saw her and thought she must be a prostitute because she had veiled her face.

16 And he went out of his way to her, and said to her, Let me come in to you; for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law; and she said, What will you give me if you should come in to me?

He went over to her at the side of the road and said, “I want to sleep with you.” He didn't know she was his daughter-in-law. “What will you give me if I let you sleep with me?” she asked.

17 And he said, I will send you a kid of the goats from my flock; and she said, [Well], if you will give me an earnest, until you send it.

“I'll send you a young goat from my flock,” he replied. “What guarantee will you give me to make sure you'll send it?” she asked.

18 And he said, What is the earnest that I shall give you? and she said, Your ring, and your bracelet, and the staff in your hand; and he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him.

“What guarantee do I have to give you?” he asked. “Your signet seal and its cord, and your walking stick that you're holding,” she replied. He handed them over to her. He slept with her and she became pregnant.

19 And she arose and departed, and took her veil from off her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

She left, went home, took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothes.

20 And Judas sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his shepherd the Odollamite, to receive the pledge from the woman; and he found her not.

Judah sent his friend Hirah from Adullam with a young goat to get back his belongings he'd left as a guarantee from the woman, but he couldn't find her.

21 And he asked the men of the place, Where is the harlot who was in Aenan by the wayside? and they said, There was no harlot here.

Hirah asked the men there, “Where's the cult prostitute that sits by the entrance road to Enaim?” “There's no cult prostitute here,” they answered.

22 And he returned to Judas, and said, I have not found her; and the men of the place say, There is no harlot here.

Hirah went back to Judah and told him, “I couldn't find her, and the men there said, ‘There's no cult prostitute here.’”

23 And Judas said, Let her have them, but let us not be ridiculed; I sent this kid, but you have not found her.

“Let her keep what I gave her,” Judah replied. “We'll look ridiculous to people if we go on searching. In any case I did try to send her the young goat as promised but you couldn't find her.”

24 And it came to pass after three months, that it was told Judas, saying, Thamar your daughter-in-law has grievously played the harlot, and behold she is with child by whoredom; and Judas said, Bring her out, and let her be burnt.

Then about three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has had sex like a prostitute and now as a result she's pregnant!” “Bring her out and burn her to death!” Judah ordered.

25 And as they were bringing her, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, I am with child by the man whose these things are; and she said, See whose is this ring and bracelet and staff.

As she was brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law, saying, “I'm pregnant by the man who owns these things.” Then she added, “Please look carefully at this signet seal and its cord and walking stick. Who do they belong to?”

26 And Judas knew [them], and said, Thamar is cleared rather than I, forasmuch as I gave her not to Selom my son: and he knew her not again.

Judah recognized them right away and said, “She has honored the law more than I have, because I didn't give her in marriage to my son Shelah.” He didn't sleep with Tamar again.

27 And it came to pass when she was in labour, that she also had twins in her womb.

When the time came for Tamar to give birth, she was found to be carrying twins.

28 And it came to pass as she was bringing forth, one thrust forth his hand, and the midwife having taken hold of it, bound upon his hand a scarlet [thread], saying, This one shall come out first.

One baby put out his hand, and the midwife tied a scarlet thread around on his wrist and said, “This one came out first.”

29 And when he drew back his hand, then immediately came forth his brother; and she said, Why has the barrier been cut through because of you? and she called his name, Phares.

But then he pulled back his hand and his brother was born, she said, “How did you burst out?” So he was named Perez.

30 And after this came forth his brother, on whose hand was the scarlet thread; and she called his name, Zara.

Then his brother with the scarlet thread on his wrist was born. He was named Zerah.