Genesis 38:13-30

Legacy Standard Bible

¹³ Then it was told to Tamar, “^[a]Behold, your father-in-law is going up to ^(A)Timnah to shear his sheep.” ¹⁴ So she removed her widow’s garments from herself and ^(B)covered herself with a ^[b]veil and wrapped herself. And she sat at the entrance of ^[c]Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and ^(C)she had not been given to him as a wife. ¹⁵ Then Judah saw her, and he thought she was a harlot, for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ So he turned aside to her by the road and said, “Here now, let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” ¹⁷ He said, therefore, “I will send you a ^[d]young goat from the flock.” She said, moreover, “Will you give a pledge until you send it?” ¹⁸ Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?” And she said, “^(D)Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. ¹⁹ Then she arose and went. And she removed her ^[e]veil from herself and put on her widow’s garments.

²⁰ Then Judah sent the ^[f]young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he did not find her. ²¹ So he asked the men of her place, saying, “Where is the cult prostitute who was by the road at Enaim?” But they said, “There has been no cult prostitute here.” ²² So he returned to Judah and said, “I did not find her; and furthermore, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’” ²³ Then Judah said, “Let her ^[g]keep them, lest we become a laughingstock. Behold, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.”

²⁴ Now it happened about three months later that it was told to Judah saying, “^[h]Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the harlot, and behold, she is also with child by harlotry.” Then Judah said, “Bring her out and ^(E)let her be burned!” ²⁵ It was while she was being brought out that she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “I am with child by the man to whom these things belong.” And she said, “^(F)Please recognize this and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?” ²⁶ And Judah recognized them and said, “^(G)She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as ^(H)I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not ^[i]know her again.

²⁷ Now it happened at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were ^(I)twins in her womb. ²⁸ And it happened, while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ And then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. So she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named ^[j](J)Perez. ³⁰ Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named ^[k](K)Zerah.