Judah Neglects Tamar

¹ At that time, Judah left his brothers and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. ² There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her as his wife and slept with her. ³ She conceived and bore a son, and he named him Er. ⁴ She conceived again and bore a son, and she named him Onan. ⁵ She bore yet again, a son, and named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she gave birth to him.

⁶ Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ⁷ Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death. ⁸ Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her and raise up offspring for your brother.” ⁹ Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, and when he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. ¹⁰ This thing that he did was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death also.

¹¹ 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.

Tamar Deceives Judah

¹² 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 up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴ She took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with her veil, wrapped herself, and sat at the gate of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah, for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given to him as a wife. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ He turned to her by the way 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, that you may sleep with me?”

¹⁷ 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 He said, “What pledge will I give you?”

She said, “Your signet and your cord, and your staff that you are holding.”

He gave them to her, and slept with her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹ She got up and went away, took off her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes. ²⁰ Judah sent the young goat at the hand of his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her. ²¹ 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 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 it, lest we be shamed. I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”

²⁴ About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has committed prostitution. Moreover, she is with child by prostitution.”

Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned to death.” ²⁵ 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 acknowledged them and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah, my son.”

He did not sleep with her again.

Pharez and Zarah Borne to Tamar

²⁷ During her labor, twins were in her womb. ²⁸ While she labored, one of them put out a hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread, put it on his hand and tied it, saying, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ As he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, “How you have broken yourself through!” Therefore his name was called Perez. ³⁰ Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and he was given the name Zerah.

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