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Judah and Tamar
About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam, where he stayed with a man named Hirah.
About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam, where he stayed with a man named Hirah.
Judah and Tamar
And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a man of Adullam whose name was Hirah.
And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a man of Adullam whose name was Hirah.
There he saw a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her. When he slept with her,
And Judah saw there the daughter of a Canaanitish man whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in to her.
she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and he named the boy Er.
And she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name Er.
Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son, and she named him Onan.
And she again conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.
And when she gave birth to a third son, she named him Shelah. At the time of Shelah’s birth, they were living at Kezib.
And again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah; and he was at Chezib when she bore him.
In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar.
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
But Er was a wicked man in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD took his life.
And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah, and Jehovah slew him.
Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother.”
Then Judah said to Onan, Go in to thy brother's wife, and fulfil to her the brother-in-law's duty, and raise up seed to thy brother.
But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother’s wife, he spilled the semen on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother.
But when Onan knew that the seed should not be his own, it came to pass when he went in to his brother's wife, that he spilled [it] on the ground, in order to give no seed to his brother.
But the LORD considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the LORD took Onan’s life, too.
And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and he slew him also.
Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Go back to your parents’ home and remain a widow until my son Shelah is old enough to marry you.” (But Judah didn’t really intend to do this because he was afraid Shelah would also die, like his two brothers.) So Tamar went back to live in her father’s home.
And Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow in thy father's house, until Shelah my son is grown; for he said, Lest he die also, as his brethren. And Tamar went and remained in her father's house.
Some years later Judah’s wife died. After the time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep.
And as the days were multiplied, Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. And Judah was comforted, and he went up to his sheep-shearers, to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
Someone told Tamar, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.
Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but no arrangements had been made for her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow’s clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.
And she put the garments of her widowhood off from her, and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the entry of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as wife.
Judah noticed her and thought she was a prostitute, since she had covered her face.
And Judah saw her, and took her for a harlot; because she had covered her face.
So he stopped and propositioned her. “Let me have sex with you,” he said, not realizing that she was his own daughter-in-law.
“How much will you pay to have sex with me?” Tamar asked.
“How much will you pay to have sex with me?” Tamar asked.
And he turned aside to her by the way, and said, Come, I pray thee, let me go in to thee; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in to me?
“I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah promised.
“But what will you give me to guarantee that you will send the goat?” she asked.
“But what will you give me to guarantee that you will send the goat?” she asked.
And he said, I will send [thee] a kid of the goats from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give [me] a pledge, until thou send it?
“What kind of guarantee do you want?” he replied.
She answered, “Leave me your identification seal and its cord and the walking stick you are carrying.” So Judah gave them to her. Then he had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant.
She answered, “Leave me your identification seal and its cord and the walking stick you are carrying.” So Judah gave them to her. Then he had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant.
And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy lace, and thy staff which is in thy hand. And he gave [it] her, and went in to her; and she conceived by him.
Afterward she went back home, took off her veil, and put on her widow’s clothing as usual.
And she arose and went away; and she laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
Later Judah asked his friend Hirah the Adullamite to take the young goat to the woman and to pick up the things he had given her as his guarantee. But Hirah couldn’t find her.
And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand; but he found her not.
So he asked the men who lived there, “Where can I find the shrine prostitute who was sitting beside the road at the entrance to Enaim?”
“We’ve never had a shrine prostitute here,” they replied.
“We’ve never had a shrine prostitute here,” they replied.
And he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the prostitute that was at Enaim, by the way-side? And they said, There was no prostitute here.
So Hirah returned to Judah and told him, “I couldn’t find her anywhere, and the men of the village claim they’ve never had a shrine prostitute there.”
And he returned to Judah, and said, I have not found her; and also the men of the place said, No prostitute has been here.
“Then let her keep the things I gave her,” Judah said. “I sent the young goat as we agreed, but you couldn’t find her. We’d be the laughingstock of the village if we went back again to look for her.”
Then Judah said, Let her take [it] for herself, lest we be put to shame. Behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has acted like a prostitute. And now, because of this, she’s pregnant.”
“Bring her out, and let her be burned!” Judah demanded.
“Bring her out, and let her be burned!” Judah demanded.
And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law has committed fornication, and behold, she is also with child by fornication. And Judah said, Bring her forth, that she may be burned.
But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her father-in-law: “The man who owns these things made me pregnant. Look closely. Whose seal and cord and walking stick are these?”
When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man to whom these [belong] am I with child; and she said, Acknowledge, I pray thee, whose are this signet, and this lace, and this staff.
Judah recognized them immediately and said, “She is more righteous than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.” And Judah never slept with Tamar again.
And Judah acknowledged [them], and said, She is more righteous than I, because I have not given her to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she was carrying twins.
The Birth of Pharez and Zarah
And it came to pass at the time of her delivery, that behold, twins were in her womb.
And it came to pass at the time of her delivery, that behold, twins were in her womb.
While she was in labor, one of the babies reached out his hand. The midwife grabbed it and tied a scarlet string around the child’s wrist, announcing, “This one came out first.”
And it came to pass when she brought forth, that one stretched out [his] hand, and the midwife took it and bound round his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
And it came to pass as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out; and she said, How hast thou broken forth! on thee be the breach! And they called his name Pherez.