Genesis 38
38
Judah and Tamar
1At that time Judah left his brothers and settled near an Adullamite#Jos 15:35; 1Sm 22:1 named Hirah. 2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua; he took her as a wife and slept with her. 3She conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Er.#Gn 46:12; Nm 26:19 4She conceived again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan. 5She gave birth to another son and named him Shelah. It was at Chezib that#38:5 LXX reads She was at Chezib when#38:5 Or He was at Chezib when she gave birth to him.
6Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, and the Lord put him to death.#1Ch 2:3 8Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law#Dt 25:5–10 and produce offspring for your brother.”#Mt 22:24 9But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he released his semen on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother. 10What he did was evil in the Lord’s sight, so he put him to death also.
11Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.”#Ru 1:12–13 For he thought, “He might die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.
12After a long time#38:12 Lit And there were many days, and Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah#Jos 15:10,57 to his sheepshearers. 13Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14So she took off her widow’s clothes, veiled her face,#Gn 24:65 covered herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife. 15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
16He went over to her and said, “Come, let me sleep with you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.#Lv 18:15
She said, “What will you give me for sleeping with me?”
17“I will send you a young goat from my flock,” he replied.
But she said, “Only if you leave something with me until you send it.”
18“What should I give you?” he asked.
She answered, “Your signet ring, your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him. 19She got up and left, then removed her veil and put her widow’s clothes back on.
20When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get back the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her. 21He asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”
“There has been no cult prostitute here,” they answered.
22So the Adullamite returned to Judah, saying, “I couldn’t find her, and besides, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’”
23Judah replied, “Let her keep the items for herself; otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”
24About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law, Tamar, has been acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant.”
“Bring her out,” Judah said, “and let her be burned to death!” #Lv 20:14
25As she was being brought out, she sent her father-in-law this message: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Examine them. Whose signet ring, cord, and staff are these?”
26Judah recognized them and said, “She is more in the right#38:26 Or more righteous than I,#1Sm 24:17 since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her intimately again.
27When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand, and the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread around it, announcing, “This one came out first.” 29But then he pulled his hand back, out came his brother, and she said, “What a breakout you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez.#38:29 = Breaking Out#Gn 46:12; Nm 26:20; 1Ch 2:4; Mt 1:3 30Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Zerah.#38:30 = Brightness of Sunrise; perhaps related to the scarlet thread
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Genesis 38
38
1And it came to pass at that time, that Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain ‘Adulami (their testimony; their prey; their ornament; justice of the people), whose name [was] Hirah.
2And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) saw there a daughter of a certain Kena’ani (merchants; traders; or those that humble and subdue), whose name [was] Shua (to cry out for help); and he took her, and went in unto her.
3And she conceived, and bore a son; and he called his name ‘Er (watchful; watchman).
4And she conceived again, and bore a son; and she called his name Onan (strong; pain, force, iniquity).
5And she yet again conceived, and bore a son; and called his name Shelach (Sent Out, Branch or Javelin; to prosper, rest): and he was at K’ziv (false), when she bore him.
6And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) took a wife for ‘Er (watchful; watchman) his firstborn, whose name was Tamar [palm-tree] (bitterness, palm tree).
7And ‘Er (watchful; watchman), Y’hudah’s (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate); and the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) killed him.
8And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) said unto Onan (strong; pain, force, iniquity), Go in unto youri brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to youri brother.
9And Onan (strong; pain, force, iniquity) knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled [it] on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
10And the thing which he did displeased the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate): For what reason he killed him also.
11Then said Y’hudah to Tamar [palm-tree] his daughter in law, Remain a widow at youri father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest perhaps he die also, as his brethren [did]. And Tamar [palm-tree] went and dwelt in her father’s house.
12And in process of time the daughter of Shua Y’hudah’s (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) wife died; and Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnah [Portion] (place of forbidding), he and his friend Hirah (a noble family; liberty; anger) the ‘Adulami (their testimony; their prey; their ornament; justice of the people).
13And it was told Tamar [palm-tree] (bitterness, palm tree), saying, Behold youri father in law goes up to Timnah [Portion] (place of forbidding) to shear his sheep.
14And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which [is] by the way to Timnah [Portion] (place of forbidding); for she saw that Shelah (Sent Out, Branch or Javelin; to prosper, rest) was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
15When Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) saw her, he thought her [to be] an prostitute; because she had covered her face.
16And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray youi, let me come in unto youi; (for he knew not that she [was] his daughter in law.) And she said, What will youi give me, that youi may come in unto me?
17And he said, I will send [youi] a kid from the flock. And she said, Will youi give [me] a pledge, till youi send [it]?
18And he said, What pledge shall I give youi? And she said, youri signet (seal or stamp), and youri bracelets, and youri staff that [is] in youri hand. And he gave [it] her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
19And she arose, and went away, and laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20And Y’hudah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the ‘Adulami, to receive [his] pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.
21Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where [is] the prostitute, that [was] openly by the way side? And they said, There was no prostitute in this [place].
22And he returned to Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]), and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, [that] there was no prostitute in this [place].
23And Y’hudah said, Let her take [it] to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and youi hast not found her.
24And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Y’hudah, saying, Tamar [palm-tree] (bitterness, palm tree) youri daughter in law has played the prostitute; and also, behold, she [is] with child by whoredom. And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
25When she [was] brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these [are, am] I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray youi, whose [are] these, the signet (seal or stamp), and bracelets, and staff.
26And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) acknowledged [them], and said, She has been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah (Sent Out, Branch or Javelin; to prosper, rest) my son. And he knew her again no more.
27And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins [were] in her womb.
28And it came to pass, when she travailed, that [the one] put out [his] hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
29And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast youi broken forth? [this] breach (breaking forth; a break; opening, inlet) [be] upon youi: therefore his name was called Peretz (a breach (breaking forth; a break; opening, inlet); divided; rupture).
30And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zerach (a rising [as the sun], scarlet).
Text copyright © 2000-2018 TOV Rose
For more information about the NMV, details about why the names of God are notated and translated as they are, or to learn about the special markings and translations used in this text, click below.
Follow the instructions and you will receive the free e-book by email.