Genesis 38
38
Judah and Tamar
1It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and #ver. 16; ch. 19:3; 2 Kgs. 4:8 turned aside to a certain #1 Sam. 22:1; 2 Sam. 23:13; 1 Chr. 11:15; Mic. 1:15Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was #[1 Chr. 2:3]Shua. He took her and went in to her, 3and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name #ch. 46:12; Num. 26:19, 20Er. 4She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name #[See ver. 3 above]Onan. 5Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name #[See ver. 3 above]Shelah. Judah#38:5 Hebrew He was in Chezib when she bore him.
6And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, #1 Chr. 2:3was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. 8Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to #Matt. 22:24; Mark 12:19; Luke 20:28 your brother’s wife and #See Deut. 25:5-10perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” 9But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. 10And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. 11Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, #[Ruth 1:12, 13] “Remain a widow in your father’s house, till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained #Lev. 22:13in her father’s house.
12In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua’s daughter, died. When Judah #ch. 24:67; 37:35; 2 Sam. 13:39 was comforted, he went up to #Judg. 14:1Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13And when Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,” 14she took off her widow’s garments #[ver. 19; ch. 24:65] and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to #ver. 21 Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, #ver. 26and she had not been given to him in marriage. 15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” 17He answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” 18He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, #ver. 25“Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19Then she arose and went away, and taking off #ver. 14her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.
20When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman’s hand, he did not find her. 21And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute#38:21 Hebrew sacred woman; a woman who served a pagan deity by prostitution; also verse 22 who was at #ver. 14Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” 22So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’” 23And Judah replied, “Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her.”
24About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law #Judg. 19:2 has been immoral.#38:24 Or has committed prostitution Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.”#38:24 Or by prostitution And Judah said, “Bring her out, and #Lev. 21:9; [Deut. 22:21; John 8:5]let her be burned.” 25As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please identify whose these are, #ver. 18the signet and the cord and the staff.” 26Then Judah identified them and said, #1 Sam. 24:17 “She is more righteous than I, since #ver. 14I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.
27When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. 28And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore his name was called #ch. 46:12; Num. 26:20; 1 Chr. 2:4; Matt. 1:3Perez.#38:29 Perez means a breach 30Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called #[See ver. 29 above]Zerah.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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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).
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