Christian Standard Bible

King James Bible

1At that time Judah left his brothers and settled near an Adullamite named Hirah.

1And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua; he took her as a wife and slept with her.

2And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.

3She conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Er.

3And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.

4She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan.

4And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.

5She gave birth to another son and named him Shelah. It was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.

5And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.

6Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

6And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.

7Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the LORD's sight, and the LORD put him to death.

7And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

8Then Judah said to Onan, "Sleep with your brother's wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and produce offspring for your brother."

8And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

9But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he released his semen on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.

9And Onan 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.

10What he did was evil in the LORD's sight, so he put him to death also.

10And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

11Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He might die too, like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house.

11Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house.

12After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers.

12And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah's wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."

13And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

14So she took off her widow's clothes, veiled her face, covered herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.

14And she put her widow's garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.

15When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

16He went over to her and said, "Come, let me sleep with you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me for sleeping with me?"

16And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

17"I will send you a young goat from my flock," he replied. But she said, "Only if you leave something with me until you send it."

17And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?

18"What should I give you?" he asked. She answered, "Your signet ring, your cord, and the staff in your hand." So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

18And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

19She got up and left, then removed her veil and put her widow's clothes back on.

19And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get back the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.

20And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not.

21He asked the men of the place, "Where is the cult prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There has been no cult prostitute here," they answered.

21Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.

22So the Adullamite returned to Judah, saying, "I couldn't find her, and besides, the men of the place said, 'There has been no cult prostitute here.'"

22And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.

23Judah replied, "Let her keep the items for herself; otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send this young goat, but you couldn't find her."

23And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

24About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law, Tamar, has been acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant." "Bring her out," Judah said, "and let her be burned to death!"

24And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

25As she was being brought out, she sent her father-in-law this message: "I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong." And she added, "Examine them. Whose signet ring, cord, and staff are these?"

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 thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

26Judah recognized them and said, "She is more in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not know her intimately again.

26And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

27When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb.

27And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

28As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand, and the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread around it, announcing, "This one came out first."

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.

29But then he pulled his hand back, out came his brother, and she said, "What a breakout you have made for yourself!" So he was named Perez.

29And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.

30Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Zerah.

30And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.