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Genesis 38:1-30 — Judah and Tamar

Gen.38.1-30

¹At that time, Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite man, whose name was Hirah. ²There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man whose name was Shua. He took her and went in to her. ³She conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Er. ⁴She conceived again and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan. ⁵She gave birth to yet another son, and she named him Shelah. He was at Chezib when she gave birth to him. ⁶Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. ⁷But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh, and Yahweh put him to death. ⁸Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother's wife, perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” ⁹But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he went in to his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. ¹⁰What he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so He put him to death also. ¹¹Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father's house. ¹²After many days, the daughter of Shua, Judah's wife, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. ¹³And it was told to Tamar, saying, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴So she took off her widow's garments, covered herself with a veil, wrapped herself, and sat at the entrance 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. ¹⁵When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face. ¹⁶He turned aside to her by the road and said, “Come now, let me go 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 go in to me?” ¹⁷He said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?” ¹⁸He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She said, “Your signet, 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. ¹⁹Then she arose and went away, took off her veil, and put on her widow's garments. ²⁰Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to take back the pledge from the woman's hand, but he did not find her. ²¹He asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has been no shrine prostitute here.” ²²So he returned to Judah and said, “I did not find her; and furthermore, the men of the place said, 'There has been no shrine prostitute here.'” ²³Judah said, “Let her keep them, lest we become a laughingstock. Behold, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.” ²⁴About three months later, it was told to Judah, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has acted like a prostitute, and moreover, behold, she is pregnant by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” ²⁵As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please recognize whose these are: the signet, the cords, and the staff.” ²⁶Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again. ²⁷When the time came for her to give birth, behold, there were twins in her womb. ²⁸As she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” ²⁹But 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 Perez . ³⁰Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.

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4/11/2026

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