Genesis 38
Expanded Bible
Judah and Tamar
38 About that time, Judah ·left [L went down from] his brothers and went to stay with a man named Hirah in the town of Adullam [C a Canaanite city nine miles northwest of Hebron]. 2 There Judah met a Canaanite girl, the daughter of a man named Shua, and married her. Judah ·had sexual relations with [L went to] her, 3 and she ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son, whom Judah named Er. 4 Later she gave birth to another son and named him Onan. 5 Still later she had another son and named him Shelah. She was at Kezib [C “deceiving”; a town near Adullam; probably the same as Aczib; Josh. 15:44] when this third son was born.
6 Judah ·chose [L took] a girl named Tamar to be the wife of his ·first son [firstborn] Er. 7 But Er, Judah’s ·oldest son [firstborn], did ·what the Lord said was evil [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord] so the Lord killed him. 8 Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and have sexual relations with your dead brother’s wife. It is your duty to ·provide children for your brother in this way [L raise up a seed for your brother; Deut. 25:5–10].”
9 But Onan knew that the ·children [L seed] would not belong to him, so when he ·was supposed to have sexual relations with [L he went to] Tamar he ·did not complete the sex act [L spilled his seed on the ground], ·making it impossible for Tamar to become pregnant and for Er to have descendants [L so that he did not give a descendant/seed to his brother]. 10 ·The Lord was displeased by this wicked thing Onan had done [L What he did was evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], so he killed Onan also. 11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “·Go back to live in your father’s house, and don’t marry [L Remain a widow in your father’s house] until my young son Shelah grows up.” Judah was afraid that Shelah also would die like his brothers. So Tamar returned to her father’s home.
12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah ·had gotten over his sorrow [L was comforted], he went to Timnah [C a town south of Hebron] to his ·men who were cutting the wool from his sheep [L sheepshearers]. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him. 13 Tamar learned that Judah, her father-in-law, was going to Timnah to cut the wool from his sheep. 14 So she took off the clothes that showed she was a widow and covered her face with a veil ·to hide who she was [L and wrapped herself up; C perhaps indicating a woman was a prostitute; see v. 15]. Then she sat down by the gate of Enaim on the road to Timnah. She did this because Judah’s younger son Shelah had grown up, but Judah had not ·made plans for her to marry him [given her to him as a wife].
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face with a veil. 16 So Judah went to her [L on the road side/way] and said, “Let me ·have sexual relations with [L come to] you.” He did not know that she was Tamar, his daughter-in-law.
She asked, “What will you ·give [pay] me if I let you ·have sexual relations with [L come to] me?”
17 Judah answered, “I will send you a young goat from my flock.”
She answered, “First give me ·something to keep as a deposit [a pledge] until you send the goat.”
18 Judah asked, “What do you want me to give you as a ·deposit [pledge]?”
Tamar answered, “Give me your ·seal [signet] and its cord, and give me your ·walking stick [staff; C all items that could identify a person].” So Judah gave these things to her. Then ·Judah and Tamar had sexual relations, and Tamar became pregnant [L he went to her and she conceived]. 19 When ·Tamar went home [L she got up and went], she took off the veil that covered her face and put on the clothes that showed she was a widow.
20 Judah sent his friend ·Hirah [L the Adullamite; 38:1] with the young goat to find the woman and get back his ·seal [signet] and the ·walking stick [staff] he had given her, but Hirah could not find her. 21 He asked some of the people at the town of Enaim, “Where is the prostitute [C perhaps indicating a temple prostitute connected to a fertility religion] who was here by the road?”
They answered, “There has never been a prostitute here.”
22 So he went back to Judah and said, “I could not find the woman, and the people who lived there said, ‘There has never been a prostitute here.’ ”
23 Judah said, “Let her keep the things. I don’t want people to laugh at us. I sent her the goat as I promised, but you could not find her.”
24 About three months later someone told Judah, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, is guilty of acting like a prostitute, and now she ·is pregnant [has conceived].”
Then Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned to death.”
25 When ·the people went to bring Tamar out [L she was brought out], she sent a message to her father-in-law that said, “The man who owns these things has made me pregnant. Look at this ·seal [signet] and its cord and this ·walking stick [staff], and tell me whose they are.”
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more ·in the right [righteous] than I. She did this because I did not give her to my son Shelah as I promised.” And Judah did not ·have sexual relations with [L know; 4:1] her again.
27 When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her ·body [L womb]. 28 While she was ·giving birth [in labor], one baby put his hand out. The ·nurse [midwife] tied a ·red [crimson] string on his hand and said, “This baby came out first.” 29 But he pulled his hand back in, so the other baby was born first. The nurse said, “·So you are able to break out first [or What a breach you have made],” and they named him Perez [C sounds like “break out” in Hebrew]. 30 After this, the baby with the red string on his hand was born, and they named him Zerah [C shining/brightness, perhaps referring to the red string].
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
Génesis 38
Dios Habla Hoy
Judá y Tamar
38 En aquel tiempo, Judá se apartó de sus hermanos y se fue a vivir a la casa de un hombre llamado Hirá, que era del pueblo de Adulam. 2 Allí conoció a la hija de un cananeo llamado Súa, y se casó con ella. Cuando se unieron, 3 ella quedó embarazada y tuvo un hijo, al cual llamó Er. 4 Volvió a quedar embarazada y tuvo otro hijo, al cual llamó Onán. 5 Todavía volvió a tener otro hijo, al cual llamó Selá, que nació cuando Judá estaba en Quezib.
6 Judá casó a Er, su hijo mayor, con una mujer llamada Tamar. 7 Pero al Señor no le agradaba la mala conducta de Er, y le quitó la vida. 8 Entonces Judá le dijo a Onán:
—Únete a la viuda de tu hermano y cumple así con tu deber de cuñado, para que tu hermano pueda tener descendientes por medio de ti.
9 Pero Onán sabía que los hijos que nacieran no serían considerados suyos. Por eso, cada vez que se unía con la viuda de su hermano, procuraba que ella no quedara embarazada, para que su hermano no tuviera descendientes por medio de él. 10 El Señor se disgustó mucho por lo que Onán hacía, y también a él le quitó la vida. 11 Entonces Judá le dijo a su nuera Tamar:
—Quédate viuda en la casa de tu padre, hasta que mi hijo Selá sea mayor de edad.
En realidad, Judá pensaba que también Selá podría morir como sus hermanos. Así Tamar se fue a vivir a la casa de su padre.
12 Pasó el tiempo y murió la esposa de Judá, la hija de Súa. Cuando Judá dejó de guardar luto, fue al pueblo de Timnat, donde estaban los que trasquilaban sus ovejas, y su amigo Hirá el adulamita lo acompañó. 13 Cuando Tamar supo que su suegro había ido a Timnat a trasquilar sus ovejas, 14 se quitó el vestido de viuda, se cubrió con un velo para que nadie la reconociera, y se sentó a la entrada del pueblo de Enaim, que está en el camino a Timnat. Hizo esto porque se dio cuenta de que Selá ya era mayor de edad, y sin embargo no la habían casado con él.
15 Cuando Judá la vio, pensó que era una prostituta, pues ella se había cubierto la cara. 16 Entonces se apartó del camino para acercarse a ella y, sin saber que era su nuera, le dijo:
—¿Me dejas acostarme contigo?
—¿Qué me vas a dar por acostarte conmigo? —le preguntó ella.
17 —Voy a mandarte uno de los cabritos de mi rebaño —contestó Judá.
—Está bien —dijo ella—, pero déjame algo tuyo como prenda hasta que me lo mandes.
18 —¿Qué quieres que te deje? —preguntó Judá.
—Dame tu sello con el cordón, y el bastón que tienes en la mano —respondió ella.
Judá se los dio y se acostó con ella, y la dejó embarazada. 19 Después Tamar fue y se quitó el velo que tenía puesto, y volvió a ponerse su vestido de viuda.
20 Más tarde Judá mandó el cabrito por medio de su amigo adulamita, para que la mujer le devolviera las prendas, pero su amigo ya no la encontró. 21 Entonces les preguntó a los hombres de ese lugar:
—¿Dónde está esa prostituta de Enaim, la que estaba junto al camino?
—Aquí no ha estado ninguna prostituta —le contestaron.
22 Entonces él regresó a donde estaba Judá, y le dijo:
—No encontré a la mujer, y además los hombres del lugar me dijeron que allí no había estado ninguna prostituta.
23 Y Judá contestó:
—Pues que se quede con las cosas, para que nadie se burle de nosotros; pero que conste que yo mandé el cabrito y tú no la encontraste.
24 Como tres meses después, vinieron a decirle a Judá:
—Tamar, la nuera de usted, se ha acostado con otros hombres, y como resultado de ello ha quedado embarazada.
—¡Sáquenla y quémenla! —gritó Judá.
25 Pero cuando la estaban sacando, ella le mandó decir a su suegro: «El dueño de estas cosas es el que me dejó embarazada. Fíjese usted a ver de quién son este sello con el cordón y este bastón.» 26 Cuando Judá reconoció las cosas, dijo: «Ella ha hecho bien, y yo mal, porque no la casé con mi hijo Selá.» Y nunca más volvió a acostarse con ella.
27 El día que Tamar dio a luz, tuvo mellizos. 28 Al momento de nacer, uno de ellos sacó la mano. Entonces la partera le ató un hilo rojo en la mano, y dijo: «Éste salió primero.» 29 Pero en ese momento el niño metió la mano, y fue su hermano el que nació primero. Por eso la partera lo llamó Fares, pues dijo: «¡Cómo te abriste paso!» 30 Luego nació el otro niño, el que tenía el hilo rojo en la mano, y lo llamó Zérah.
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