| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 1At that time Judah left his brothers and stayed with an Adullamite man named Hirah. | 1At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. |
| 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 met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her; |
| 3She became pregnant and had a son. Judah named him Er. | 3she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. |
| 4She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan. | 4She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. |
| 5Then she had yet another son, whom she named Shelah. She gave birth to him in Kezib. | 5She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him. |
| 6Judah acquired a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. | 6Judah got 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 LORD's sight; 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 and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to 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 child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing 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 LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death also. |
| 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. | 11Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's household until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's household. |
| 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 recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him. |
| 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 on his way 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 took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his 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, for 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 by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked. |
| 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'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked. |
| 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. | 18He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. 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. | 19After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes 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. | 20Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did 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 who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here," they said. |
| 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 he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, 'There hasn't been any shrine prostitute 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." | 23Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't 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 is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her 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, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are." |
| 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 them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again. |
| 27When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. | 27When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys 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." | 28As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first." |
| 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 drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And 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, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah. |
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