Genesis 38
38
Tamar’s place in Judah’s family
1At that time, Judah moved away from his brothers and settled near an Adullamite named Hirah. 2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her. After he slept with her, 3she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom she#38.3 Sam, Tg; MT he named Er. 4She became pregnant again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan. 5Then she gave birth to one more son and named him Shelah. She was in Chezib when she gave birth to him.
6Judah married his oldest son Er to a woman named Tamar. 7But the LORD considered Judah’s oldest son Er immoral, and the LORD put him to death. 8Judah said to Onan, “Go to your brother’s wife, do your duty as her brother-in-law, and provide children for your brother.” 9Onan knew the children wouldn’t be his so when he slept with his brother’s wife, he wasted his semen on the ground, so he wouldn’t give his brother children. 10The LORD considered what he did as wrong and put him to death too. 11Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Stay as a widow in your father’s household until my son Shelah grows up.” He thought Shelah would die like his brothers had. So Tamar went and lived in her father’s household.
12After a long time, Judah’s wife the daughter of Shua died. Then, after a period of mourning, he and his neighbor Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah, to those who were shearing his sheep. 13Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is now on his way up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14So Tamar took off the clothing she wore as a widow, covered herself with a veil, put on makeup,#38.14 Or perfumed herself or wrapped herself up and sat down at the entrance to Enaim on the road to Timnah, since she realized that although Shelah had already grown up, she hadn’t been given to him as a wife.
15Judah saw her and thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. 16He turned to her beside the road and said, “Let me sleep with you,” because he didn’t know she was his daughter-in-law.
She said, “What will you give me for sleeping with you?”
17He said, “I will give you a kid goat from my flock.”
She said, “Only if you give me some deposit, as security to guarantee that you will send it.”
18He said, “What kind of deposit should I give you?”
And she said, “Your seal, its cord, and the staff in your hand.” He gave these to her, slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
19Then she got up, left, and took off her veil, dressing once again in the clothing she wore as a widow. 20Judah sent the kid goat with his neighbor Hirah the Adullamite so he could take back the deposits from the woman, but he couldn’t find her. 21He asked the locals of that place, “Where’s the consecrated worker#38.21 Traditionally cultic prostitute who was at Enaim on the road?”
But they said, “There’s no consecrated worker here.”
22So he went back to Judah and said, “I couldn’t find her. The locals even said, ‘There’s no holy woman here.’”
23Judah said, “Let her keep everything so we aren’t laughed at. I did send this kid goat, but you couldn’t find her.”
24About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has become a prostitute and is now pregnant because of it.”
And Judah said, “Bring her out so that she may be burned.”
25When she was brought out, she sent this message to her father-in-law, “I’m pregnant by the man who owns these things. See if you recognize whose seal, cord, and staff these are.”
26Judah recognized them and said, “She’s more righteous than I am, because I didn’t allow her to marry my son Shelah.” Judah never knew her intimately again.
27When she gave birth, she discovered she had twins in her womb. 28At birth, one boy put out his hand, and the midwife took it and tied a red thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29As soon as he pulled his hand back, his brother came out, and she said, “You’ve burst out on your own.” So he was named Perez.#38.29 Or bursting out 30Afterward, his brother with the red thread on his hand came out, and he was named Zerah.#38.30 Or dawn
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Genesis 38: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Genesis 38
38
1And it came to pass at that time, that Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain ‘Adulami (their testimony; their prey; their ornament; justice of the people), whose name [was] Hirah.
2And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) saw there a daughter of a certain Kena’ani (merchants; traders; or those that humble and subdue), whose name [was] Shua (to cry out for help); and he took her, and went in unto her.
3And she conceived, and bore a son; and he called his name ‘Er (watchful; watchman).
4And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she called his name Onan (strong; pain, force, iniquity).
5And she yet again conceived, and bore a son; and called his name Shelach (Sent Out, Branch or Javelin; to prosper, rest): and he was at K’ziv (false), when she bore him.
6And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) took a wife for ‘Er (watchful; watchman) his firstborn, whose name was Tamar [palm-tree] (bitterness, palm tree).
7And ‘Er (watchful; watchman), Y’hudah’s (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate); and the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) killed him.
8And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) said unto Onan (strong; pain, force, iniquity), Go in unto youri brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to youri brother.
9And Onan (strong; pain, force, iniquity) knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled [it] on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
10And the thing which he did displeased the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate): For what reason he killed him also.
11Then said Y’hudah to Tamar [palm-tree] his daughter in law, Remain a widow at youri father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest perhaps he die also, as his brethren [did]. And Tamar [palm-tree] went and dwelt in her father’s house.
12And in process of time the daughter of Shua Y’hudah’s (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) wife died; and Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnah [Portion] (place of forbidding), he and his friend Hirah (a noble family; liberty; anger) the ‘Adulami (their testimony; their prey; their ornament; justice of the people).
13And it was told Tamar [palm-tree] (bitterness, palm tree), saying, Behold youri father in law goes up to Timnah [Portion] (place of forbidding) to shear his sheep.
14And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which [is] by the way to Timnah [Portion] (place of forbidding); for she saw that Shelah (Sent Out, Branch or Javelin; to prosper, rest) was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
15When Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) saw her, he thought her [to be] an prostitute; because she had covered her face.
16And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray youi, let me come in unto youi; (for he knew not that she [was] his daughter in law.) And she said, What will youi give me, that youi may come in unto me?
17And he said, I will send [youi] a kid from the flock. And she said, Will youi give [me] a pledge, till youi send [it]?
18And he said, What pledge shall I give youi? And she said, youri signet (seal or stamp), and youri bracelets, and youri staff that [is] in youri hand. And he gave [it] her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
19And she arose, and went away, and laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20And Y’hudah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the ‘Adulami, to receive [his] pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.
21Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where [is] the prostitute, that [was] openly by the way side? And they said, There was no prostitute in this [place].
22And he returned to Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]), and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, [that] there was no prostitute in this [place].
23And Y’hudah said, Let her take [it] to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and youi hast not found her.
24And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Y’hudah, saying, Tamar [palm-tree] (bitterness, palm tree) youri daughter in law has played the prostitute; and also, behold, she [is] with child by whoredom. And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
25When she [was] brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these [are, am] I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray youi, whose [are] these, the signet (seal or stamp), and bracelets, and staff.
26And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) acknowledged [them], and said, She has been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah (Sent Out, Branch or Javelin; to prosper, rest) my son. And he knew her again no more.
27And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins [were] in her womb.
28And it came to pass, when she travailed, that [the one] put out [his] hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
29And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast youi broken forth? [this] breach (breaking forth; a break; opening, inlet) [be] upon youi: therefore his name was called Peretz (a breach (breaking forth; a break; opening, inlet); divided; rupture).
30And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zerach (a rising [as the sun], scarlet).
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