New King James Version

New Living Translation

1It came to pass at that time that Judah departed from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.

1About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam, where he stayed with a 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 he saw a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her. When he slept with her,

3So she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.

3she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and he named the boy Er.

4She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.

4Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son, and she named him Onan.

5And she conceived yet again and bore a son, and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.

5And when she gave birth to a third son, she named him Shelah. At the time of Shelah’s birth, they were living at Kezib.

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

6In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar.

7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD killed him.

7But Er was a wicked man in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD took his life.

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 Er’s brother Onan, “Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir 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 was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother’s wife, he spilled the semen on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother.

10And the thing which he did displeased the LORD; therefore He killed him also.

10But the LORD considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the LORD took Onan’s life, 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 Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Go back to your parents’ home and remain a widow until my son Shelah is old enough to marry you.” (But Judah didn’t really intend to do this because he was afraid Shelah would also die, like his two brothers.) So Tamar went back to live in her father’s home.

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.

12Some years later Judah’s wife died. After the time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep.

13And it was told Tamar, saying, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

13Someone told Tamar, “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.

14Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but no arrangements had been made for her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow’s clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.

15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, because she had covered her face.

15Judah noticed her and thought she was a prostitute, since 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?”

16So he stopped and propositioned her. “Let me have sex with you,” he said, not realizing that she was his own daughter-in-law. “How much will you pay to have sex with me?” Tamar asked.

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?”

17“I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah promised. “But what will you give me to guarantee that you will send the goat?” she asked.

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.

18“What kind of guarantee do you want?” he replied. She answered, “Leave me your identification seal and its cord and the walking stick you are carrying.” So Judah gave them to her. Then he had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant.

19So she arose and went away, and laid aside her veil and put on the garments of her widowhood.

19Afterward she went back home, took off her veil, and put on her widow’s clothing as usual.

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.

20Later Judah asked his friend Hirah the Adullamite to take the young goat to the woman and to pick up the things he had given her as his guarantee. But Hirah couldn’t 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.”

21So he asked the men who lived there, “Where can I find the shrine prostitute who was sitting beside the road at the entrance to Enaim?” “We’ve never had a shrine prostitute here,” they replied.

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 Hirah returned to Judah and told him, “I couldn’t find her anywhere, and the men of the village claim they’ve never had a shrine prostitute there.”

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.”

23“Then let her keep the things I gave her,” Judah said. “I sent the young goat as we agreed, but you couldn’t find her. We’d be the laughingstock of the village if we went back again to look for 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!”

24About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has acted like a prostitute. And now, because of this, she’s pregnant.” “Bring her out, and let her be burned!” Judah demanded.

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.”

25But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her father-in-law: “The man who owns these things made me pregnant. Look closely. Whose seal and cord and walking stick are these?”

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 immediately and said, “She is more righteous than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.” And Judah never slept with Tamar again.

27Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb.

27When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she was carrying twins.

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 in labor, one of the babies reached out his hand. The midwife grabbed it and tied a scarlet string around the child’s wrist, announcing, “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 pulled back his hand, and out came his brother! “What!” the midwife exclaimed. “How did you break out first?” So he was named Perez.

30Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.

30Then the baby with the scarlet string on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.