1It happened at that time that 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 certain Canaanite man whose name was Shua, and he took her and went in to her.
3She conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.
4She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.
5She yet again bore a son, and she called his name Shelah; he was at Chezib when she bore him.
6Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and Yahweh put him to death.
8Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law for 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 would spill on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother.
10What he did was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and he put him to death also.
11Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up”—for he thought, “Lest he too die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and remained 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, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite, to Timnah.
13Tamar was told, “Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
14So she removed her widow’s garments from upon her, covered herself with a veil, wrapped herself, 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.
15When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
16He turned aside to her by the way and said, “Come now, 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, that you may come in to me?”
17He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “Only if you give a pledge until you send it.”
18He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” And she said, “Your seal and 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, and she removed her veil from upon her and put on her widow’s garments.
20Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to take the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her.
21He asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the cult-prostitute who was at Enaim by the way?” And they said, “There has been no cult-prostitute here.”
22So he returned to Judah and said, “I did not find her, and also the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult-prostitute here.’”
23Judah said, “Let her keep them for herself, lest we become a laughingstock. Behold, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.”
24About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the prostitute, and indeed she is pregnant by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.”
25As she was being brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong I am pregnant.” And she said, “Recognize, please, whose these are—the seal and the cords and the staff.”
26Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he did not know her again.
27At the time of her giving birth, behold, there were twins in her womb.
28And it happened, as she was giving birth, that 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, “How you have broken out—upon you a breach!” So his name was called Perez.
30Afterward his brother came out, the one with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.
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