Genesis 38:11-30

New International Version

¹¹ Judah then said to his daughter-in-law^(A) Tamar,^(B) “Live as a widow in your father’s household^(C) until my son Shelah^(D) grows up.”^(E) 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,^(F) died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah,^(G) to the men who were shearing his sheep,^(H) and his friend Hirah the Adullamite^(I) went with him.

¹³ When Tamar^(J) was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”^{(K) 14} she took off her widow’s clothes,^(L) covered herself with a veil^(M) to disguise herself, and then sat down^(N) at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.^(O) For she saw that, though Shelah^(P) 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,^(Q) for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ Not realizing^(R) that she was his daughter-in-law,^(S) he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”^(T)

“And what will you give me to sleep with you?”^(U) she asked.

¹⁷ “I’ll send you a young goat^(V) from my flock,” he said.

“Will you give me something as a pledge^(W) until you send it?” she asked.

¹⁸ He said, “What pledge should I give you?”

“Your seal^(X) and its cord, and the staff^(Y) in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.^{(Z) 19} After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes^(AA) again.

²⁰ Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite^(AB) in order to get his pledge^(AC) back from the woman, but he did not find her. ²¹ He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute^(AD) 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,^(AE) or we will become a laughingstock.^(AF) 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!”^(AG)

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.”^(AH)

²⁶ Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I,^(AI) since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.^(AJ)” 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.^{(AK) 28} As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife^(AL) took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist^(AM) and said, “This one came out first.” ²⁹ But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out,^(AN) and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.^{[a](AO) 30} Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist,^(AP) came out. And he was named Zerah.^[b](AQ)