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Genesis 38
Revised Geneva Translation
Genesis 38
Revised Geneva Translation
38 And at that time, Judah went down from his brothers and visited a man called Hirah, an Adullamite.
2 And there Judah saw a daughter of a man called Shua, a Canaanite. And he took her and went into her.
3 So she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name “Er”.
4 And she conceived again and bore a son; and she called his name “Onan”.
5 Moreover, she bore yet another son whom she called Shelah. And Judah was at Chezib when she bore him.
6 Then Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
7 Now, Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the LORD. Therefore, the LORD killed him.
8 And Judah said to Onan, “Go into your brother’s wife and do the office of a kinsman to her; and raise up seed to your brother.”
9 And Onan knew that the seed would not be his. Therefore, when he went in to his brother’s wife, he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother.
10 And it was wicked in the eyes of the LORD, that which he did. Therefore He killed him also.
11 Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until Shelah, my son, grows up (for he thought, “Lest he die, just as his brothers.”) So, Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
12 And in process of time the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, also died. Then Judah, when he had finished mourning, went up to his sheepshearers, to Timnah (he and his neighbor, Hirah the Adullamite).
13 And it was told to Tamar, saying, “Behold, your father-in-law goes up to Timnath, to shear his sheep.
14 Then she took off her widow’s garments and covered herself with a veil and wrapped herself and sat down in Pethah-enam (which is on the way to Timnah) because she saw that Shelah was grown and she was not given to him as wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he judged her to be a whore, for she had covered her face.
16 And he made his way towards her, and said, “Please, come let me lie with you.” For he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she answered, “What will you give me, to lie with me?”
17 Then he said, “I will send you a kid from the goats of the flock.” And she said, “If you will give me a pledge until you send it.”
18 Then he said, “What is the pledge that I shall give you?” And she answered, “Your signet and your cloak and your staff that is in your hand.” So, he gave it to her and lay with her; and she was with child by him.
19 Then she rose and went and took off her veil and put on her widow’s raiment.
20 Afterward, Judah sent a kid from the goats by the hand of his neighbor, the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand. But he did not find her.
21 Then he asked the men of the place, saying, “Where is the whore who sat in Enaim, by the wayside?” And they answered, “There was no whore there.”
22 Therefore, he came back to Judah, and said, “I cannot find her. And the men of the place also said, ‘There was no whore there.’”
23 Then Judah said, “Let her take them for herself, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this kid, and you have not found her.”
24 Now, after three months, one told Judah, saying, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the whore; and lo, with playing the whore, she is great with child.” Then Judah said, “Bring her forth and let her be burnt.”
25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, “By the man to whom these things pertain, am I with child.” And she also said, “Please determine who’s these are: the seal and the cloak and the staff.”
26 Then Judah knew, and said, “She is more righteous than me. For she has done it because I did not give her to Shelah, my son.” So, he lay with her no more.
27 Now, when the time had come that she should give birth, behold, there were twins in her womb.
28 And when she was in labor, one put out his hand. And the midwife took and bound a red thread around his hand, saying, “This has come out first.”
29 But when he drew his hand back again, lo, his brother came out; and the midwife said, “How have you broken through? A breach is upon you!” And his name was called “Perez”.
30 And afterward, his brother came out (who had the red thread around his hand); and his name was called “Zerah”.
Genesis 38
New International Version
Genesis 38
New International Version
Judah and Tamar
38 At that time, Judah(A) left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam(B) named Hirah.(C) 2 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua.(D) He married her and made love to her; 3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.(E) 4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.(F) 5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah.(G) It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.(H) 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight;(I) so the Lord put him to death.(J)
8 Then 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.”(K) 9 But 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. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.(L)
11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law(M) Tamar,(N) “Live as a widow in your father’s household(O) until my son Shelah(P) grows up.”(Q) For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.
12 After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua,(R) died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah,(S) to the men who were shearing his sheep,(T) and his friend Hirah the Adullamite(U) went with him.
13 When Tamar(V) was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”(W) 14 she took off her widow’s clothes,(X) covered herself with a veil(Y) to disguise herself, and then sat down(Z) at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.(AA) For she saw that, though Shelah(AB) had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute,(AC) for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing(AD) that she was his daughter-in-law,(AE) he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”(AF)
“And what will you give me to sleep with you?”(AG) she asked.
17 “I’ll send you a young goat(AH) from my flock,” he said.
“Will you give me something as a pledge(AI) until you send it?” she asked.
18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?”
“Your seal(AJ) and its cord, and the staff(AK) in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.(AL) 19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes(AM) again.
20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite(AN) in order to get his pledge(AO) back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute(AP) who was beside the road at Enaim?”
“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.
22 So 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.’”
23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has,(AQ) or we will become a laughingstock.(AR) After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”
24 About 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!”(AS)
25 As 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.”(AT)
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I,(AU) since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.(AV)” And he did not sleep with her again.
27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.(AW) 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife(AX) took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist(AY) and said, “This one came out first.” 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out,(AZ) and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.[a](BA) 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist,(BB) came out. And he was named Zerah.[b](BC)
Footnotes
- Genesis 38:29 Perez means breaking out.
- Genesis 38:30 Zerah can mean scarlet or brightness.
Revised Geneva Translation (RGT)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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