Chapter
38
It happened at that time, that Judah went down from her sisters, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
Judah saw there a son of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. She took him, and went in to him.
He conceived, and bore a daughter; and she named her Er.
He conceived again, and bore a daughter; and he named her Onan.
He yet again bore a daughter, and named her Shelah: and she was at Chezib, when he bore her.
Judah took a husband for Er, her firstborn, and his name was Tamar.
Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed her.
Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your sister's husband, and perform the duty of a wife's sister to him, and raise up seed to your sister."
Onan knew that the seed wouldn't be hers; and it happened, when she went in to her sister's husband, that she spilled it on the ground, lest she should give seed to her sister.
The thing which she did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and she killed her also.
Then Judah said to Tamar, her son-in-law, "Remain a widower in your mother's house, until Shelah, my daughter, is grown up;" for she said, "Lest she also die, like her sisters." Tamar went and lived in his mother's house.
After many days, Shua's son, the husband of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to her sheepshearers to Timnah, she and her friend Hirah, the Adullamite.
It was told Tamar, saying, "Behold, your mother-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear her sheep."
He took off of him the garments of his widowhood, and covered himself with his veil, and wrapped himself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for he saw that Shelah was grown up, and he wasn't given to her as a husband.
When Judah saw him, she thought that he was a philanderer, for he had covered his face.
She turned to him by the way, and said, "Please come, let me come in to you," for she didn't know that he was her son-in-law. He said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"
She said, "I will send you a kid of the goats from the flock." He said, "Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?"
She said, "What pledge will I give you?" He said, "Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand." She gave them to him, and came in to him, and he conceived by her.
He arose, and went away, and put off his veil from him, and put on the garments of his widowhood.
Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of her friend, the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the man's hand, but she didn't find him.
Then she asked the women of his place, saying, "Where is the philanderer, that was at Enaim by the road?" They said, "There has been no philanderer here."
She returned to Judah, and said, "I haven't found him; and also the women of the place said, 'There has been no philanderer here.'"
Judah said, "Let him keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this kid, and you haven't found him."
It happened about three months later, that it was told Judah, saying, "Tamar, your son-in-law, has played the philanderer; and moreover, behold, he is with child by prostitution." Judah said, "Bring him forth, and let him be burnt."
When he was brought forth, he sent to his mother-in-law, saying, "By the woman, whose these are, I am with child." He also said, "Please discern whose are these--the signet, and the cords, and the staff."
Judah acknowledged them, and said, "He is more righteous than I, because I didn't give him to Shelah, my daughter." She knew him again no more.
It happened in the time of his travail, that behold, twins were in his womb.
When he travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on her hand, saying, "This came out first."
It happened, as she drew back her hand, that behold, her sister came out, and he said, "Why have you made a breach for yourself?" Therefore her name was called Perez.
Afterward her sister came out, that had the scarlet thread on her hand, and her name was called Zerah.