| NET Bible | Berean Study Bible |
| 1At that time Judah left his brothers and stayed with an Adullamite man named Hirah. | 1About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite. |
| 2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. Judah acquired her as a wife and had marital relations with her. | 2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her. |
| 3She became pregnant and had a son. Judah named him Er. | 3So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er. |
| 4She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan. | 4Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan. |
| 5Then she had yet another son, whom she named Shelah. She gave birth to him in Kezib. | 5Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him. |
| 6Judah acquired a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. | 6Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. |
| 7But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD killed him. | 7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death. |
| 8Then Judah said to Onan, "Have sexual relations with your brother's wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise up a descendant for your brother." | 8Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.” |
| 9But Onan knew that the child would not be considered his. So whenever he had sexual relations with his brother's wife, he withdrew prematurely so as not to give his brother a descendant. | 9But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother. |
| 10What he did was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD killed him too. | 10What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well. |
| 11Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until Shelah my son grows up." For he thought, "I don't want him to die like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house. | 11Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house. |
| 12After some time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with his friend Hirah the Adullamite. | 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 his sheepshearers at Timnah. |
| 13Tamar was told, "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep." | 13When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” |
| 14So she removed her widow's clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) | 14she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, 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. | 15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. |
| 16He turned aside to her along the road and said, "Come on! I want to have sex with you." (He did not realize it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, "What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?" | 16Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired. |
| 17He replied, "I'll send you a young goat from the flock." She asked, "Will you give me a pledge until you send it?" | 17“I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered. But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.” |
| 18He said, "What pledge should I give you?" She replied, "Your seal, your cord, and the staff that's in your hand." So he gave them to her and had sex with her. She became pregnant by him. | 18“What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. |
| 19She left immediately, removed her veil, and put on her widow's clothes. | 19Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again. |
| 20Then Judah had his friend Hirah the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge, but Hirah could not find her. | 20Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her. |
| 21He asked the men who were there, "Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?" But they replied, "There has been no cult prostitute here." | 21He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered. |
| 22So he returned to Judah and said, "I couldn't find her. Moreover, the men of the place said, 'There has been no cult prostitute here.'" | 22So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’ ” |
| 23Judah said, "Let her keep the things for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn't find her." | 23“Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.” |
| 24After three months Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, and as a result she has become pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned!" | 24About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!” |
| 25While they were bringing her out, she sent word to her father-in-law: "I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong." Then she said, "Identify the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong." | 25As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?” |
| 26Judah recognized them and said, "She is more upright than I am, because I wouldn't give her to Shelah my son." He did not have sexual relations with her again. | 26Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again. |
| 27When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. | 27When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb. |
| 28While she was giving birth, one child put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, "This one came out first." | 28And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced. |
| 29But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. She said, "How you have broken out of the womb!" So he was named Perez. | 29But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez. |
| 30Afterward his brother came out--the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand--and he was named Zerah. | 30Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah. |
|
