| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. | 1At that time Judah left his brothers and stayed with an Adullamite man named Hirah. |
| 2And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her and went in to her. | 2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. Judah acquired her as a wife and had marital relations with her. |
| 3So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er. | 3She became pregnant and had a son. Judah named him Er. |
| 4She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. | 4She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan. |
| 5And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him. | 5Then she had yet another son, whom she named Shelah. She gave birth to him in Kezib. |
| 6Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. | 6Judah acquired a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. |
| 7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him. | 7But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD killed him. |
| 8And Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother.” | 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." |
| 9But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his 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. |
| 10And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also. | 10What he did was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD killed him too. |
| 11Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house till my son Shelah is grown.” For he said, “Lest he also die like his brothers.” And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house. | 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. |
| 12Now in the process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. | 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. |
| 13And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” | 13Tamar was told, "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep." |
| 14So she took off her widow’s garments, covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place which was on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as a wife. | 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.) |
| 15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face. | 15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. |
| 16Then he turned to her by the way, and said, “Please let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. So she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” | 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?" |
| 17And he said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.” So she said, “Will you give me a pledge till you send it?” | 17He replied, "I'll send you a young goat from the flock." She asked, "Will you give me a pledge until you send it?" |
| 18Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?” So she said, “Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand.” Then he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him. | 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. |
| 19So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood. | 19She left immediately, removed her veil, and put on her widow's clothes. |
| 20And Judah sent the young goat by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her. | 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. |
| 21Then he asked the men of that place, saying, “Where is the harlot who was openly by the roadside?” And they said, “There was no harlot in this place.” | 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." |
| 22So he returned to Judah and said, “I cannot find her. Also, the men of the place said there was no harlot in this place.” | 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.'" |
| 23Then Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed; for I sent this young goat and you have not found her.” | 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." |
| 24And it came to pass, about three months after, that Judah was told, saying, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot; furthermore she is with child by harlotry.” So Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” | 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!" |
| 25When she was brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child.” And she said, “Please determine whose these are—the signet and cord, and staff.” | 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." |
| 26So Judah acknowledged them and said, “She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.” And he never knew her again. | 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. |
| 27Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. | 27When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. |
| 28And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” | 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." |
| 29Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, “How did you break through? This breach be upon you!” Therefore his name was called Perez. | 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. |
| 30Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah. | 30Afterward his brother came out--the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand--and he was named Zerah. |
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