Genesis 38
1 Around this time, Judah left his brothers and set up his tents at Adullam, near to a local man named Hirah.
At that time, Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
2 There Judah happened to see the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua and married her. He slept with her,
There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her, and went in to her.
3 and she became pregnant and had a son he named Er.
She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.
4 She became pregnant again and had a son she named Onan.
She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.
5 Then she had another son she named Shelah who was born in Kezib.
She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.
6 Much later, Judah arranged for Er, his firstborn son, to marry a woman named Tamar.
Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
7 But Er did what was evil in the Lord's sight, so the Lord put him to death.
Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight. So the LORD killed him.
8 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.”
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 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.
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 But what he did was evil in the Lord's sight, so he also put Onan to death.
The thing which he did was evil in the LORD’s sight, and he killed him also.
11 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.
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 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.
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, “Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
14 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.
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 Judah saw her and thought she must be a prostitute because she had veiled her face.
When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
16 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.
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 “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.
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 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.
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 left, went home, took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothes.
She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 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.
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 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.
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 Hirah went back to Judah and told him, “I couldn't find her, and the men there said, ‘There's no cult prostitute here.’”
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 “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.”
Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”
24 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.
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 burnt.”
25 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?”
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 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.
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 When the time came for Tamar to give birth, she was found to be carrying twins.
In the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb.
28 One baby put out his hand, and the midwife tied a scarlet thread around on his wrist and said, “This one came out first.”
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 then he pulled back his hand and his brother was born, she said, “How did you burst out?” 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 with the scarlet thread on his wrist was born. He was named Zerah.
Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.
