Genesis 38
English Standard Version
Judah and Tamar
38 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and (A)turned aside to a certain (B)Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was (C)Shua. He took her and went in to her, 3 and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name (D)Er. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name (E)Onan. 5 Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name (F)Shelah. Judah[a] was in Chezib when she bore him.
6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, (G)was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to (H)your brother's wife and (I)perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother's wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. 10 And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. 11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, (J)“Remain a widow in your father's house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained (K)in her father's house.
12 In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua's daughter, died. When Judah (L)was comforted, he went up to (M)Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” 14 she took off her widow's garments (N)and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to (O)Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, (P)and she had not been given to him in marriage. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” 17 He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” 18 He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, (Q)“Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 Then she arose and went away, and taking off (R)her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman's hand, he did not find her. 21 And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute[b] who was at (S)Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” 22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’” 23 And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”
24 About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law (T)has been immoral.[c] Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.”[d] And Judah said, “Bring her out, and (U)let her be burned.” 25 As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, (V)the signet and the cord and the staff.” 26 Then Judah identified them and said, (W)“She is more righteous than I, since (X)I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.
27 When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. 28 And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called (Y)Perez.[e] 30 Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called (Z)Zerah.
Footnotes
- Genesis 38:5 Hebrew He
- Genesis 38:21 Hebrew sacred woman; a woman who served a pagan deity by prostitution; also verse 22
- Genesis 38:24 Or has committed prostitution
- Genesis 38:24 Or by prostitution
- Genesis 38:29 Perez means a breach
Bereshis 38
Orthodox Jewish Bible
38 And it came to pass at that time, that Yehudah went down from his achim, and turned in to an ish Adulami shmo Chirah.
2 And Yehudah saw there a bat ish Kena’ani shmo Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her.
3 She conceived, and bore ben; and he called shmo Er.
4 And she conceived again, and bore ben; and she called shmo Onan.
5 And she yet again conceived, and bore ben; and called shmo Shelah; at Keziv, when she bore him.
6 And Yehudah took a wife for Er his bechor, whose shem was Tamar.
7 And Er, bechor Yehudah, was rah in the eyes of Hashem; and Hashem slaughtered him.
8 And Yehudah said unto Onan, Go in unto eshet achicha, and enter into levirate marriage with her, and raise up zera to achicha.
9 And Onan knew that the zera should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto eshet achiv, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give zera to achiv.
10 And the thing which he did was rah in the eyes of Hashem; therefore He slaughtered him also.
11 Then said Yehudah to Tamar his kallah, Remain an almanah at thy bais avi, till Shelah beni is grown; for he said, Lest he die also, as his achim did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her bais avi.
12 And in process of time the bat Shua, eshet Yehudah, died; and Yehudah was consoled, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnah, he and his re’a Chirah the Adulami.
13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Hinei, thy kham (father-in-law) goeth up to Timnah to shear his tzon.
14 And she put off her widow’s garments from her, and covered her with a tze’if (veil), and disguised herself, and sat at the crossroads which is on the derech to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him as isha.
15 When Yehudah saw her, he thought her to be a zonah; because she had covered her face.
16 And he turned unto her by the derech, and said, Come now, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his kallah [daughter-in-law]). And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
17 And he said, I will send thee a gedi izzim (kid of the goats). And she said, Wilt thou give me an ervon (pledge), till thou send it?
18 And he said, What ervon shall I give thee? And she said, Thy chotam (signet), and thy [signet neck] cord, and thy staff that is in thine yad. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
19 And she arose, and went away, and took off her tze’if from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 And Yehudah sent the gedi izzim by the yad of his friend the Adulami, to get back his ervon from the yad haisha; but he found her not.
21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the kedesha (cult prostitute) that was on the crossroads by the derech? And they said, There was no kedesha in this place.
22 And he returned to Yehudah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said that there was no kedesha in this place.
23 And Yehudah said, Let her take for herself, lest we become buz (laughingstock); hinei, I sent this gedi, and thou hast not found her.
24 And it came to pass about shlosh chadashim (three months) later, that it was told Yehudah saying, Tamar thy kallah hath played the zonah; and also, hinei, she is with child by zenunim (whoredom). And Yehudah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burned.
25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her kham (father-in-law), saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child; and she said, Discern, now, whose are these, the chotam (signet), and the [signet neck] cord, and the staff.
26 And Yehudah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more tzadekah than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah beni. And he knew her again no more.
27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, hinei te’omim (twin boys) were in her beten.
28 And it came to pass, when she travailed in labor, that the one put out his yad; and the midwife took and bound upon his yad a scarlet thread, saying, This came out rishonah (first).
29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his yad, that, hinei, his brother came out; and she said, How hast paratzta (thou broken out)? This paretz (breach, breaking) be upon thee; therefore shmo was called Peretz [Breaking out].
30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his yad; and shmo was called Zerach.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International