⁵ She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah.^(A) It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.

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

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.”^{(E) 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.^(F)

¹¹ Judah then said to his daughter-in-law^(G) Tamar,^(H) “Live as a widow in your father’s household^(I) until my son Shelah^(J) grows up.”^(K) 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,^(L) died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah,^(M) to the men who were shearing his sheep,^(N) and his friend Hirah the Adullamite^(O) went with him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.”^(AN)

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

²⁰ The descendants of Judah by their clans were:

Judah^(A)

To Hezron’s Sons