Genesis Chapter 38 — Judah and Tamar

¹At that time, Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

²There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her, and went in to her.

³She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.

⁴She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.

⁵She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.

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

⁷Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight. So the LORD killed him.

⁸Judah 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.”

⁹Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his; and when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother.

¹⁰The thing which he did was evil in the LORD’s sight, and he killed him also.

¹¹Then 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.

¹²After 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.

¹³Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

¹⁴She took off the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she wasn’t given to him as a wife.

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

¹⁶He 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.

¹⁷He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.”

¹⁸He said, “What pledge will I give you?”

¹⁹She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

²⁰Judah 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.

²¹Then he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?”

²²He returned to Judah, and said, “I haven’t found her; and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’ ”

²³Judah said, “Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you haven’t found her.”

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

²⁵When 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.”

²⁶Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.”

²⁷In the time of her travail, behold, twins were in her womb.

²⁸When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came out first.”

²⁹As 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.*Perez means “breaking out”.

³⁰Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.†Zerah means “scarlet” or “brightness”.