Genesis 38

1At that time Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.

2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and slept with her,

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

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

5She gave birth to yet another son and named him Shelah. Judah was at Chezib when she gave birth to him.

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

7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so Yahweh put him to death.

8Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and do your duty as her brother-in-law. Raise up offspring for your brother.”

9But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he wasted his seed on the ground so as not to give offspring to his brother.

10What he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so he put him to death too.

11Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He might die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

12After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

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

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

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

16He turned aside to her by the road and said, “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 to sleep with me?”

17He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Only if you give me a pledge until you send it.”

18He said, “What pledge should I give you?” She answered, “Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she conceived by him.

19Then she got up and left. She took off her veil and put her widow’s clothes back on.

20Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to get the pledge back from the woman, but he could not find her.

21He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has been no shrine prostitute here.”

22So he went back to Judah and said, “I could not find her. The men of the place also said, ‘There has been no shrine prostitute here.’”

23Judah said, “Let her keep the things, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send this young goat, but you could not find her.”

24About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has acted like a prostitute, and what is more, she is pregnant as a result.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned!”

25As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man who owns these.” And she said, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”

26Judah recognized them and said, “She is more in the right than I am, because I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.

27When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb.

28As she was giving birth, one of them put out a hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”

29But as he drew back his hand, his brother came out. She said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez.

30Afterward his brother came out, the one with the scarlet thread on his hand, and he was named Zerah.