Genesis 37:23-38:25

New International Version

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe^(A) he was wearing— ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern.^(B) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites^(C) coming from Gilead.^(D) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm^(E) and myrrh,^(F) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.^(G)

²⁶ Judah^(H) said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?^{(I) 27} Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,^(J) our own flesh and blood.^(K)” His brothers agreed.

²⁸ So when the Midianite^(L) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern^(M) and sold^(N) him for twenty shekels^[a] of silver^(O) to the Ishmaelites,^(P) who took him to Egypt.^(Q)

²⁹ When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.^{(R) 30} He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”^(S)

³¹ Then they got Joseph’s robe,^(T) slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.^{(U) 32} They took the ornate robe^(V) back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”

³³ He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal^(W) has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”^(X)

³⁴ Then Jacob tore his clothes,^(Y) put on sackcloth^(Z) and mourned for his son many days.^{(AA) 35} All his sons and daughters came to comfort him,^(AB) but he refused to be comforted.^(AC) “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son^(AD) in the grave.^(AE)” So his father wept for him.

³⁶ Meanwhile, the Midianites^[b](AF) sold Joseph^(AG) in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.^(AH)

Judah and Tamar

38 At that time, Judah^(AI) left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam^(AJ) named Hirah.^{(AK) 2} There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua.^(AL) He married her and made love to her; ³ she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.^{(AM) 4} She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.^{(AN) 5} She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah.^(AO) It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.

⁶ Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.^{(AP) 7} But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight;^(AQ) so the Lord put him to death.^(AR)

⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.”^{(AS) 9} But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. ¹⁰ What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.^(AT)

¹¹ Judah then said to his daughter-in-law^(AU) Tamar,^(AV) “Live as a widow in your father’s household^(AW) until my son Shelah^(AX) grows up.”^(AY) For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.

¹² After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua,^(AZ) died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah,^(BA) to the men who were shearing his sheep,^(BB) and his friend Hirah the Adullamite^(BC) went with him.

¹³ When Tamar^(BD) was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”^{(BE) 14} she took off her widow’s clothes,^(BF) covered herself with a veil^(BG) to disguise herself, and then sat down^(BH) at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.^(BI) For she saw that, though Shelah^(BJ) had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.

¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute,^(BK) for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ Not realizing^(BL) that she was his daughter-in-law,^(BM) he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”^(BN)

“And what will you give me to sleep with you?”^(BO) she asked.

¹⁷ “I’ll send you a young goat^(BP) from my flock,” he said.

“Will you give me something as a pledge^(BQ) until you send it?” she asked.

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

“Your seal^(BR) and its cord, and the staff^(BS) in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.^{(BT) 19} After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes^(BU) again.

²⁰ Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite^(BV) in order to get his pledge^(BW) back from the woman, but he did not find her. ²¹ He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute^(BX) who was beside the road at Enaim?”

“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.

²² So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’”

²³ Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has,^(BY) or we will become a laughingstock.^(BZ) After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”

²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”

Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”^(CA)

²⁵ As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”^(CB)