Genesis 38

1 And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Judah goeth down from his brethren, and turneth aside unto a man, an Adullamite, whose name [is] Hirah;

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

2 and Judah seeth there the daughter of a man, a Canaanite, whose name [is] Shuah, and taketh her, and goeth in unto her.

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

3 And she conceiveth, and beareth a son, and he calleth his name Er;

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

4 and she conceiveth again, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Onan;

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

5 and she addeth again, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Shelah; and he was in Chezib in her bearing him.

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 taketh a wife for Er, his first-born, and her name [is] Tamar;

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

7 and Er, Judah's first-born, is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah doth put him to death.

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

8 And Judah saith to Onan, 'Go in unto the wife of thy brother, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother;'

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 and Onan knoweth that the seed is not [reckoned] his; and it hath come to pass, if he hath gone in unto his brother's wife, that he hath destroyed [it] to the earth, so as not to give seed to his brother;

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 that which he hath done is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and He putteth him also to death.

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

11 And Judah saith to Tamar his daughter-in-law, 'Abide a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son groweth up;' for he said, 'Lest he die — even he — like his brethren;' and Tamar goeth and dwelleth at her father's house.

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 And the days are multiplied, and the daughter of Shuah, Judah's wife, dieth; and Judah is comforted, and goeth up unto his sheep-shearers, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite, to Timnath.

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 it is declared to Tamar, saying, 'Lo, thy husband's father is going up to Timnath to shear his flock;'

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

14 and she turneth aside the garments of her widowhood from off her, and covereth herself with a vail, and wrappeth herself up, and sitteth in the opening of Enayim, which [is] by the way to Timnath, for she hath seen that Shelah hath grown up, and she hath not been given to him for a wife.

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 And Judah seeth her, and reckoneth her for a harlot, for she hath covered her face,

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

16 and he turneth aside unto her by the way, and saith, 'Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee,' (for he hath not known that she [is] his daughter-in-law); and she saith, 'What dost thou give to me, that thou mayest come in unto me?'

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 and he saith, 'I — I send a kid of the goats from the flock.' And she saith, 'Dost thou give a pledge till thou send [it]?'

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 and he saith, 'What [is] the pledge that I give to thee?' and she saith, 'Thy seal, and thy ribbon, and thy staff which [is] in thy hand;' and he giveth to her, and goeth in unto her, and she conceiveth to him;

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 riseth, and goeth, and turneth aside her vail from off her, and putteth on the garments of her widowhood.

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

20 And Judah sendeth 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 hath not found her.

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 And he asketh the men of her place, saying, 'Where [is] the separated one — she in Enayim, by the way?' and they say, 'There hath not been in this [place] a separated one.'

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 And he turneth back unto Judah, and saith, 'I have not found her; and the men of the place also have said, There hath not been in this [place] a separated one,'

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 and Judah saith, 'Let her take to herself, lest we become despised; lo, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.'

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 And it cometh to pass about three months [after], that it is declared to Judah, saying, 'Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath committed fornication; and also, lo, she hath conceived by fornication:' and Judah saith, 'Bring her out — and she is burnt.'

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 She is brought out, and she hath sent unto her husband's father, saying, 'To a man whose these [are], I [am] pregnant;' and she saith, 'Discern, I pray thee, whose [are] these — the seal, and the ribbons, and the staff.'

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 And Judah discerneth and saith, 'She hath been more righteous than I, because that I did not give her to Shelah my son;' and he hath not added to know her again.

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 And it cometh to pass in the time of her bearing, that lo, twins [are] in her womb;

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

28 and it cometh to pass in her bearing, that [one] giveth out a hand, and the midwife taketh and bindeth on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, 'This hath come out first.'

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 And it cometh to pass as he draweth back his hand, that lo, his brother hath come out, and she saith, 'What! thou hast broken forth — on thee [is] the breach;' and he calleth his name Pharez;

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 and afterwards hath his brother come out, on whose hand [is] the scarlet thread, and he calleth his name Zarah.

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