38 At that time Judah withdrew from his brothers and went to [lodge with] a certain Adullamite named Hirah.

² There Judah saw and met a daughter of Shuah, a Canaanite; he took her as wife and lived with her.

³ And she became pregnant and bore a son, and he called him Er.

⁴ And she conceived again and bore a son and named him Onan.

⁵ Again she conceived and bore a son and named him Shelah. [They were living] at Chezib when she bore him.

⁶ Now Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn; her name was Tamar.

⁷ And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord slew him.

⁸ Then Judah told Onan, Marry your brother’s widow; live with her and raise offspring for your brother.

⁹ But Onan knew that the family would not be his, so when he cohabited with his brother’s widow, he prevented conception, lest he should raise up a child for his brother.

¹⁰ And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore He slew him also.

¹¹ Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow at your father’s house till Shelah my [youngest] son is grown; for he thought, Lest perhaps [if Shelah should marry her] he would die also, as his brothers did. So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

¹² But later Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shuah, died; and when Judah was comforted, he went up to his sheepshearers at Timnath with his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

¹³ Then it was told Tamar, Listen, your father-in-law is going up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

¹⁴ So she put off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapped herself up [in disguise], and sat in the entrance of Enaim, which is by the road to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown and she was not given to him as his wife.

¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot or devoted prostitute [under a vow to her goddess], for she had covered her face [as such women did].

¹⁶ He turned to her by the road and said, Come, let me have intercourse with you; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What will you give me that you may have intercourse with me?

¹⁷ He answered, I will send you a kid from the flock. And she said, Will you give me a pledge (deposit) until you send it?

¹⁸ And he said, What pledge shall I give you? She said, Your signet [seal], your [signet] cord, and your staff that is in your hand. And he gave them to her and came in to her, and she became pregnant by him.

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

²⁰ And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand; but he was unable to find her.

²¹ He asked the men of that place, Where is the harlot or cult prostitute who was openly by the roadside? They said, There was no harlot or temple prostitute here.

²² So he returned to Judah and said, I cannot find her; and also the local men said, There was no harlot or temple prostitute around here.

²³ And Judah said, Let her keep [the pledge articles] for herself, lest we be made ashamed. I sent this kid, but you have not found her.

²⁴ But about three months later Judah was told, Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the harlot, and also she is with child by her lewdness. And Judah said, Bring her forth and let her be burned!

²⁵ When she was brought forth, she [took the things he had given her in pledge and] sent [them] to her father-in-law, saying, I am with child by the man to whom these articles belong. Then she added, Make out clearly, I pray you, to whom these belong, the signet [seal], [signet] cord, and staff.

²⁶ And Judah acknowledged them and said, She has been more righteous and just than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son. And he did not cohabit with her again.

²⁷ Now when the time came for her to be delivered, behold, there were twins in her womb.

²⁸ And when she was in labor, one baby put out his hand; and the midwife took his hand and bound upon it a scarlet thread, saying, This baby was born first.

²⁹ But he drew back his hand, and behold, his brother was born first. And she said, What a breaking forth you have made for yourself! Therefore his name was called Perez [breaking forth].^(A)

³⁰ And afterward his brother who had the scarlet thread on his hand was born and was named Zerah [scarlet].