Genesis 38:13-30

New American Standard Bible

¹³ And Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to ^(A)Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴ So she ^[a]removed her widow’s garments and ^(B)covered herself with a ^[b]veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gateway of ^[c]Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and ^(C)she had not been given to him as a wife. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he assumed she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ So he turned aside to her by the road, and said, “^[d]Here now, let me have relations with you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give me, that you may have relations with me?” ¹⁷ He said, therefore, “I will send you a ^[e]young goat from the flock.” She then said, “Will you give a pledge until you send it?” ¹⁸ He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” And she said, “^(D)Your seal and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and had relations with her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹ Then she got up and departed, and ^[f]removed her ^[g]veil and put on her widow’s garments.

²⁰ When Judah sent the ^[h]young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. ²¹ He asked the people of her place, saying, “Where is the temple prostitute who was by the road at Enaim?” But they said, “There has been no temple prostitute here.” ²² So he returned to Judah, and said, “I did not find her; and furthermore, the people of the place said, ‘There has been no temple prostitute here.’” ²³ Then Judah said, “Let her ^[i]keep them, otherwise we will become a laughingstock. ^[j]After all, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.”

²⁴ Now it was about three months later that Judah was ^[k]informed, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and behold, she is also pregnant by prostitution.” Then Judah said, “Bring her out and ^(E)have her burned!” ²⁵ It was while she was being brought out that she sent word to her father-in-law, saying, “I am pregnant by the man to whom these things belong.” She also said, “^(F)Please examine and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?” ²⁶ And Judah recognized them, and said, “^(G)She is more righteous than I, since ^(H)I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not ^[l]have relations with her again.

²⁷ It came about at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were ^(I)twins in her womb. ²⁸ Moreover, it took place while she was giving birth, that one baby put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ But it came about as he drew back his hand that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named ^[m](J)Perez. ³⁰ Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named ^[n](K)Zerah.