﻿Genesis.
Chapter 38.
At that time Judah went down away from his brothers and turned aside to an Adullamite named Hirah. 
There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He took her as his wife and slept with her. 
She conceived and bore a son, and he named him Er. 
She conceived again and bore a son, and she named him Onan. 
She bore yet another son and named him Shelah. Judah was at Kezib when she bore him. 
Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 
But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death. 
Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife, perform your duty to her as a brother-in-law, and raise up offspring for your brother.” 
Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his seed on the ground to avoid giving offspring to his brother. 
What he did was wicked in the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death also. 
Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He too might die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house. 
After many days Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah was comforted, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheep shearers at Timnah. 
Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 
She took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she had not been given to him as a wife. 
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face. 
He turned aside to her by the road and said, “Please let me sleep with you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me if you sleep with me?” 
He said, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” She said, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?” 
He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She said, “Your seal, your cord, and the staff in your hand.” He gave them to her and slept with her, and she conceived by him. 
She rose and went away, took off her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes. 
Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to recover the pledge from the woman, but he did not find her. 
He asked the men of her place, “Where is the prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?” They said, “There has been no prostitute here.” 
He returned to Judah and said, “I did not find her. The men of the place also said, ‘There has been no prostitute here.’” 
Judah said, “Let her keep the things, lest we become a laughingstock. I sent this young goat, but you did not find her.” 
About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and she is pregnant by prostitution.” Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned.” 
As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” She said, “Please see if you recognize whose seal, cords, and staff these are.” 
Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I did not give her to my son Shelah.” He did not sleep with her again. 
When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 
As she was giving birth, one put out a hand. The midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 
But as he drew back his hand, his brother came out. She said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez. 
Afterward his brother came out, with the scarlet thread on his hand, and he was named Zerah. 
