And it happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers, and turned aside to an Adullamite man whose name was Hirah.
And Judah saw there the daughter of a Canaanite man whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her.
And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.
And she conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.
And yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. And he was at Chezib when she bore him.
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the eyes of the LORD — and the LORD put him to death.
And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and do the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up seed for your brother.”
But Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and whenever he went in to his brother’s wife, he wasted it on the ground, so as not to give seed to his brother.
And what he did was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and he put him to death also.
And Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Stay a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up” — for he said, “Or he too will die, like his brothers.” And Tamar went and stayed in her father’s house.
And the days grew many, and the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died. And when Judah was comforted, he went up to his sheepshearers, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite, to Timnah.
And it was told to Tamar: “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
And she took off her widow’s garments, and covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah — for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.
And Judah saw her and took her for a whore, for she had covered her face.
And he turned aside to her by the way and said, “Come, please, let me come in to you” — for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give me, to come in to me?”
And he said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “Only if you give a pledge until you send it.”
And he said, “What pledge shall I give you?” And she said, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff that is in your hand.” And he gave them to her, and went in to her — and she conceived by him.
And she rose and went away, and took off her veil, and put on her widow’s garments.
And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand — and he did not find her.
And he asked the men of her place: “Where is the shrine woman who was at Enaim, by the road?” And they said, “There has been no shrine woman here.”
And he returned to Judah and said, “I did not find her — and the men of the place also said, ‘There has been no shrine woman here.’”
And Judah said, “Let her keep them, or we will become a laughingstock. Look, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”
And it happened, about three months later, that it was told to Judah: “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the whore — and look, she is even pregnant by her whoring.” And Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”
As she was being brought out, she sent to her father-in-law: “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Identify, please — whose are this seal and cords and staff?”
And Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I — because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he did not know her again.
The Birth of Perez and Zerah
And it happened, at the time she gave birth — look, twins in her womb.
And it happened, as she was giving birth, that one put out a hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand: “This one came out first.”
And it happened, as he drew back his hand — look, out came his brother. And she said, “How you have broken out — a breach for yourself!” And his name was called Perez.
And afterward his brother came out, with the scarlet thread on his hand; and his name was called Zerah.
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