Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Prayer for Protection against Oppressors.

A Prayer of David.

Judah and Tamar

38 Now at that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to [stay with] a certain Adullamite named Hirah. ² There Judah saw a daughter of Shua, a Canaanite, and he took her [as his wife] and lived with her. ³ So she conceived and gave birth to a son and Judah named him Er. ⁴ Then she conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. ⁵ Again she conceived and gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.

⁶ Now Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. ⁷ But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him [in judgment]. ⁸ Then Judah told Onan, “Go in to your brother’s widow, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law [under the levirate marriage custom]; [be her husband and] raise children for [the name of] your brother.”^{(A) 9} Onan knew that the child (heir) would not be his [but his dead brother’s]; so whenever he lay with his brother’s widow, he spilled his seed on the ground [to prevent conception], so that he would not give a child to his brother. ¹⁰ But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord; therefore He killed him also [in judgment]. ¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow at your father’s house until Shelah my [youngest] son is grown”; [but he was deceiving her] for he thought that [if Shelah should marry her] he too might die like his brothers did. So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

^12 [a]But quite a while later, Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died; and when the time of mourning was ended, he went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah with his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³ Tamar was told, “Listen, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴ So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself up [in disguise], and sat in the gateway of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife [as Judah had promised]. ¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a [temple] prostitute, for she had covered her face [as such women did]. ¹⁶ He turned to her by the road, and said, “Please come, let me lie 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 lie with me?” ¹⁷ He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “Will you give me a pledge [as a deposit] until you send it?” ¹⁸ He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She said, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and was intimate with her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹ Then she got up and left, and removed her veil and put on her widow’s clothing.

²⁰ When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to get his pledge [back] from the woman, he was unable to find her. ²¹ He asked the men of that place, “Where is the temple prostitute who was by the roadside at Enaim?” They said, “There was no prostitute here.” ²² So he returned to Judah, and said, “I cannot find her; also the local men said, ‘There was no prostitute around here.’” ²³ Then Judah said, “Let her keep the things (pledge articles) for herself, otherwise we will be a laughingstock [searching everywhere for her]. After all, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.”

²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the [role of a] prostitute, and she is with child because of her immorality.” So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned [to death as punishment]!” ²⁵ While she was being brought out, she [took the things Judah had given her and] sent [them along with a message] to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man to whom these articles belong.” And she added, “Please examine [them carefully] and see [clearly] to whom these things belong, the seal and the cord and staff.” ²⁶ Judah recognized the articles, and said, “She has been more righteous [in this matter] than I, because I did not give her to my son Shelah [as I had promised].” And Judah did not have [intimate] relations with her again.

¹⁰ When the governor nodded for him to speak, Paul answered,

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I make my defense cheerfully and with good courage. ¹¹ As you can easily verify, it has been no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. ¹² Neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor elsewhere in the city did they find me carrying on a discussion or disputing with anybody or causing a crowd to gather. ¹³ Nor can they present evidence to you to prove what they now bring against me. ¹⁴ But I confess this to you, that according to ^[a]the Way, which they call a [divisive and heretical] sect, I do worship and serve the God of our fathers, [confidently] believing everything that is in accordance with the Law [of Moses] and that is written in the Prophets; ¹⁵ having [the same] hope in God which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of [the dead], both of the righteous and of the wicked. ¹⁶ In view of this, I also do my best and strive always to have a clear conscience before God and before men. ¹⁷ Now after several years I came [to Jerusalem] to bring to my people charitable contributions and offerings. ¹⁸ They found me in the temple presenting these offerings, after I had undergone [the rites of] purification, without any crowd or uproar. But there were some Jews from [the west coast province of] Asia [Minor], ¹⁹ who ought to have been here before you to present their charges, if they have anything against me. ²⁰ Or else let these men tell what crime they found [me guilty of] when I stood before the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court), ²¹ other than for this one statement which I had shouted out as I stood among them, ‘For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.’”

²² But Felix, having a rather accurate understanding about the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” ²³ Then he ordered the centurion to keep Paul in custody, but to let him have some freedom, and [he told the centurion] not to stop any of his friends from providing for his needs.