Genesis 38

1 It happened at that time that Judah moved away from his brothers and stayed with an Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

This chapter is missing in the source text.

2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite whose name was Shua. And he married her and slept with her.

3 She conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Er.

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

5 Then she gave birth to another son, and named him Shelah. And he was at Kezib when she gave birth to him.

6 And Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

7 Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of YHWH, so God killed him.

8 Then Judah said to Onan, "Sleep with your brother's wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother."

9 But Onan knew that the offspring wouldn't be his. So it happened when he slept with his brother's wife that he released his semen on the ground, so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.

10 And what he did was evil in the sight of God, so he killed him also.

11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah is grown up." For he thought, "I do not want him to die too, like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.

12 After some time, Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. And Judah finished mourning, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13 And Tamar was told, saying, "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."

14 She took off her widow's clothes and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.

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

16 He went over to her by the road and said, "Please come, let me sleep with you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me for sleeping with you?"

17 He said, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." She said, "Will you give me something as a guarantee until you send it?"

18 He said, "What kind of guarantee should I give you?" She replied, "Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand." So he gave them to her, and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19 And she got up and left, and took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothing.

20 Judah sent the young goat by his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the guarantee back from the woman's hand, but he did not find her.

21 Then he asked the men of the place, saying, "Where is the prostitute that was at Enaim by the road?" They said, "There has been no prostitute here."

22 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 Judah said, "Let her keep the things, lest we be publicly shamed. Look, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her."

24 Now it happened about three months later that Judah was told, saying, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has turned to prostitution, and now, look, she is pregnant by prostitution." Judah said, "Bring her out, and let her be burned."

25 When she was brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man who owns these I am pregnant." She also said, "Please discern whose these are—the signet, and the cord, and the staff."

26 Then Judah recognized them, and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." He did not sleep with her again.

27 It happened when it was time for her to give birth, that look, there were twins in her womb.

28 As she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."

29 It happened, as he drew back his hand, that look, his brother came out, and she said, "How did you break through?" So he was named Perez.

30 Afterward his brother came out, that had the scarlet thread on his hand, so he was named Zerah.