Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

Judah and Tamar

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

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

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.”^{(K) 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.^(L)

¹¹ Judah then said to his daughter-in-law^(M) Tamar,^(N) “Live as a widow in your father’s household^(O) until my son Shelah^(P) grows up.”^(Q) 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,^(R) died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah,^(S) to the men who were shearing his sheep,^(T) and his friend Hirah the Adullamite^(U) went with him.

¹³ When Tamar^(V) was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”^{(W) 14} she took off her widow’s clothes,^(X) covered herself with a veil^(Y) to disguise herself, and then sat down^(Z) at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.^(AA) For she saw that, though Shelah^(AB) 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,^(AC) for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ Not realizing^(AD) that she was his daughter-in-law,^(AE) he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”^(AF)

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

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

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

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

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

²⁰ Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite^(AN) in order to get his pledge^(AO) back from the woman, but he did not find her. ²¹ He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute^(AP) 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,^(AQ) or we will become a laughingstock.^(AR) 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!”^(AS)

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.”^(AT)

²⁶ Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I,^(AU) since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.^(AV)” And he did not sleep with her again.

¹⁰ When the governor^(A) motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: “I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. ¹¹ You can easily verify that no more than twelve days^(B) ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ¹² My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple,^(C) or stirring up a crowd^(D) in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. ¹³ And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.^{(E) 14} However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors^(F) as a follower of the Way,^(G) which they call a sect.^(H) I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,^{(I) 15} and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection^(J) of both the righteous and the wicked.^{(K) 16} So I strive always to keep my conscience clear^(L) before God and man.

¹⁷ “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor^(M) and to present offerings. ¹⁸ I was ceremonially clean^(N) when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.^{(O) 19} But there are some Jews from the province of Asia,^(P) who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me.^{(Q) 20} Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— ²¹ unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: ‘It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’”^(R)

²² Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way,^(S) adjourned the proceedings. “When Lysias the commander comes,” he said, “I will decide your case.” ²³ He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard^(T) but to give him some freedom^(U) and permit his friends to take care of his needs.^(V)