Genesis 38:12-23

New International Version

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

¹³ When Tamar^(E) was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”^{(F) 14} she took off her widow’s clothes,^(G) covered herself with a veil^(H) to disguise herself, and then sat down^(I) at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.^(J) For she saw that, though Shelah^(K) 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,^(L) for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ Not realizing^(M) that she was his daughter-in-law,^(N) he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”^(O)

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

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

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

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

“Your seal^(S) and its cord, and the staff^(T) in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.^{(U) 19} After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes^(V) again.

²⁰ Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite^(W) in order to get his pledge^(X) back from the woman, but he did not find her. ²¹ He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute^(Y) 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,^(Z) or we will become a laughingstock.^(AA) After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”