Genesis 38  New King James Version

Judah and Tamar

38 It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and ^(A)visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. ² And Judah ^(B)saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was ^(C)Shua, and he married her and went in to her. ³ So 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 And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name ^(F)Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.

⁶ Then Judah ^(G)took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was ^(H)Tamar. ⁷ But ^(I)Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, ^(J)and the Lord killed him. ⁸ And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to ^(K)your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.” ⁹ But Onan knew that the heir would not be ^(L)his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. ¹⁰ And the thing which he did ^[a]displeased the Lord; therefore He killed ^(M)him also.

¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, ^(N)“Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” And Tamar went and dwelt ^(O)in her father’s house.

¹² Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah ^(P)was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³ And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up ^(Q)to Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴ So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and ^(R)sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw ^(S)that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. ¹⁶ Then he turned to her by the way, and said, “Please let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.

So she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”

¹⁷ And he said, ^(T)“I will send a young goat from the flock.”

So she said, ^(U)“Will you give me a pledge till you send it?”

¹⁸ Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?”

So she said, ^(V)“Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹ So she arose and went away, and ^(W)laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.

²⁰ And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her. ²¹ Then he asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the harlot who was ^[b]openly by the roadside?”

And they said, “There was no harlot in this place.”

²² So he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place.”

²³ Then Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her.”

²⁴ And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has ^(X)played the harlot; furthermore she is ^[c]with child by harlotry.”

So Judah said, “Bring her out ^(Y)and let her be burned!”

²⁵ When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, ^(Z)“Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.”

²⁶ So Judah ^(AA)acknowledged them and said, ^(AB)“She has been more righteous than I, because ^(AC)I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he ^(AD)never knew her again.

²⁷ Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. ²⁸ And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” Therefore his name was called ^(AE)Perez.^{[d] 30} Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called ^(AF)Zerah.