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, Judah [Praised] went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2 and Judah sees there the daughter of a man, a Canaanite, whose name [is] Shuah, and takes her, and goes in to her.

Judah [Praised] saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite [Descendant of Humbled] whose name was Shua. He took her, and went in to her.

3 And she conceives, and bears a son, and he calls his name Er;

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

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

She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named 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 yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bore him.

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

Judah [Praised] took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar [Palm tree].

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

Er, Judah [Praised]’s firstborn, was wicked in Adonai’s sight. Adonai killed 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”;

Judah [Praised] 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 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;

Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his; and when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother.

10 and that which he has done is evil in the eyes of YHWH, and He puts him also to death.

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

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.

Then Judah [Praised] said to Tamar [Palm tree], 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 [Palm tree] went and lived 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.

After many days, Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah [Praised], died. Judah [Praised] was comforted, and went up to his sheep shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.

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

Tamar [Palm tree] was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah 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.

She took off of her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given to him as a wife.

15 And Judah sees her, and reckons her for a harlot, for she has covered her face,

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

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?”

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 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 you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?”

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;

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 and she rises, and goes, and turns aside her veil from off her, and puts on the garments of her widowhood.

She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and 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.

Judah [Praised] 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 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.”

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 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 Judah [Praised], and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’”

23 and Judah says, “Let her take to herself, lest we become despised; behold, I sent this kid, and you have not found her.”

Judah [Praised] said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found 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.”

About three months later, Judah [Praised] was told, “Tamar [Palm tree], your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute. Moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution.” Judah [Praised] said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”

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.”

When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man, whose these are, I am with child.” She also said, “Please discern whose are these— the signet, and the cords, and the staff.”

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.

Judah [Praised] acknowledged them, and said, “She is more upright than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.

27 And it comes to pass in the time of her bearing, that behold, twins [are] in her womb;

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

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.”

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 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;

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 and afterward his brother has come out, on whose hand [is] the scarlet thread, and he calls his name Zerah.

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