Genesis 38

1 And it comes to pass, at that time, that Judah goes down from his brothers, and turns aside to a man, an Adullamite, whose name [is] Hirah;

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

2 and Judah sees there the daughter of a man, a Canaanite, whose name [is] Shuah, and takes her, and goes in to 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 And she conceives, and bears a son, and he calls his name Er;

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

4 and she conceives again, and bears a son, and calls his name Onan;

And conceiving again, she bore a son, and called him Onan.

5 and she adds again, and bears a son, and calls his name Shelah; and he was in Chezib in her bearing him.

She bore also a third: whom she called Sela. After whose birth, she ceased to bear any more.

6 And Judah takes a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name [is] Tamar;

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

7 and Er, Judah’s firstborn, is evil in the eyes of YHWH, and YHWH puts him to death.

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

8 And Judah says to Onan, “Go in to the wife of your brother, and marry her, and raise up seed to 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 and Onan knows that the seed is not [reckoned] his; and it has come to pass, if he has gone in to his brother’s wife, that he has destroyed [it] to the earth, so as not to give seed to 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 and that which he has done is evil in the eyes of YHWH, and He puts him also to death.

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

11 And Judah says to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Abide [as] a widow at your father’s house, until my son Shelah grows up”; for he said, “Lest he die—even he—like his brothers”; and Tamar goes and dwells at 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 And the days are multiplied, and the daughter of Shuah, Judah’s wife, dies; and Judah is comforted, and goes up to his sheep-shearers, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite, to Timnath.

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 And it is declared to Tamar, saying, “Behold, your husband’s father is going up to Timnath to shear his flock”;

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

14 and she turns aside the garments of her widowhood from off her, and covers herself with a veil, and wraps herself up, and sits in the opening of Enayim, which [is] by the way to Timnath, for she has seen that Shelah has grown up, and she has not been given to him for 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 And Judah sees her, and reckons her for a harlot, for she has 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 and he turns aside to her by the way and says, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he has not known that she [is] his daughter-in-law; and she says, “What do you give to me, that you may come in to me?”

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 And he says, “I send a kid of the goats from the flock.” And she says, “Do you give 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 And he says, “What [is] the pledge that I give to you?” And she says, “Your seal, and your ribbon, and your staff which [is] in your hand”; and he gives to her, and goes in to her, and she conceives to 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 and she rises, and goes, and turns aside her veil from off her, and puts on the garments of her widowhood.

And she arose and went her way: and putting off the apparel which she had taken, put on the garments of her widowhood.

20 And Judah sends the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the hand of the woman, and he has not found 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 And he asks the men of her place, saying, “Where [is] the separated one—she in Enayim, by the way?” And they say, “There has not been in this [place] a separated one.”

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 And he turns back to Judah and says, “I have not found her; and the men of the place also have said, There has not been in this [place] a separated one,”

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 and Judah says, “Let her take to herself, lest we become despised; behold, I sent this kid, and you have not found 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 And it comes to pass about three months [after], that it is declared to Judah, saying, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has committed fornication; and also, behold, she has conceived by fornication”: and Judah says, “Bring her out—and she is burned.”

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 She is brought out, and she has sent to her husband’s father, saying, “To a man whose these [are], I [am] pregnant”; and she says, “Please discern whose these [are]—the seal, and the ribbons, and the staff.”

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 And Judah discerns and says, “She has been more righteous than I, because that I did not give her to my son Shelah”; and he has not added to know 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 And it comes to pass in the time of her bearing, that behold, twins [are] 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 it comes to pass in her bearing, that [one] gives out a hand, and the midwife takes and binds on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, “This has come out first.”

This shall come forth the first.

29 And it comes to pass as he draws back his hand, that behold, his brother has come out, and she says, “What! You have broken forth—the breach [is] on you”; and he calls his name 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 and afterward his brother has come out, on whose hand [is] the scarlet thread, and he calls his name Zerah.

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