 1 At that time, Judah went down from his brothers and turned in to a certain Adullamite, named Hirah. 2 Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shuah. And he took her and went in to her. 3 She conceived and gave birth to a son and called him Er. 4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and called him Onan. 5 She conceived yet again and gave birth to a son and called him Shelah. She was at Chezib when she bore him. 6 Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. 7 Judah's firstborn, Er, was wicked in the sight of the Lord so the Lord killed him. 8 Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brother's wife and marry her and raise up descendants to your brother. 9 Onan knew that the descendants would not be his so he went in to his brother's wife and spilled on the ground, not giving descendants to his brother. 10 What he did was evil in the eyes of the Lord so He killed him also. 11 Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter in law, Remain a widow at your father's house until Shelah my son is grown. For he said, Perhaps he also will die as his brothers did. So Tamar lived in her father's house. 12 After many days, Judah's wife, the daughter of Shuah, died. Then after a period of mourning+, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went to his sheep shearers at Timnah. 13 It was told to Tamar saying, Behold, your father in law goes up to Timnah to shear his sheep. 14 She put off her widow's clothes, and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself. And she sat in an open place that is by the way to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown and she was not given to him as wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. 16 He turned aside to her by the wayside 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, so that you may come in to me? 17 He said, I will send a kid of the goats from the flock. And she said, Will you give me a pledge until you send it? 18 He said, What pledge shall I give you? She said, Your signet, and your bracelet, and your staff that is in your hand. And he gave to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 She arose, went away, laid away her veil, and put on the clothes of her widowhood. 20 Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand. But he did not find her. 21 Then he asked the men of that place saying, Where is the harlot who was by the wayside? They said, There was no harlot here. 22 So he returned to Judah and said, I cannot find her. The men of the place said, There was no harlot here. 23 Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be ashamed. Behold, I sent this kid and you have not found her. 24 About three months after that it was told Judah saying, your daughter in law Tamar has played the harlot, and also, behold, she is with child by infidelity+. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burned. 25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law saying, I am with child by the man whose things these are. And she said, Please observe. Whose things are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff? 26 Judah acknowledged them and said, She has been more righteous than I have, because I did not give her to my son Shelah. And he never knew her again. 27 In the time of her travail, twins were in her womb. 28 When she travailed, one put out a hand. The midwife took and tied upon his hand a scarlet thread saying, This one came out first. 29 As he drew back his hand, his brother came out and she said, How have you broken a break for yourself? His name was called Pharez. 30 Afterward his brother came out on whose hand was the scarlet thread. His name was called Zarah.
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