18 He said, “What pledge shall I give you?” She replied, (A)“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. 19 Then she arose and went away, and taking off (B)her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

20 When 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. 21 And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute[a] who was at (C)Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult prostitute has been here.” 22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult prostitute has been here.’” 23 And 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.”

24 About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law (D)has been immoral.[b] Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.”[c] And Judah said, “Bring her out, and (E)let her be burned.” 25 As 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, (F)the signet and the cord and the staff.” 26 Then Judah identified them and said, (G)“She is more righteous than I, since (H)I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her again.

27 When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. 28 And 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.” 29 But 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 (I)Perez.[d] 30 Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called (J)Zerah.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 38:21 Hebrew sacred woman; a woman who served a pagan deity by prostitution; also verse 22
  2. Genesis 38:24 Or has committed prostitution
  3. Genesis 38:24 Or by prostitution
  4. Genesis 38:29 Perez means a breach

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

“Your seal(A) and its cord, and the staff(B) in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.(C) 19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes(D) again.

20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite(E) in order to get his pledge(F) back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute(G) 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,(H) or we will become a laughingstock.(I) 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!”(J)

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.”(K)

26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I,(L) since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.(M)” 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.(N) 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife(O) took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist(P) and said, “This one came out first.” 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out,(Q) and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.[a](R) 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist,(S) came out. And he was named Zerah.[b](T)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 38:29 Perez means breaking out.
  2. Genesis 38:30 Zerah can mean scarlet or brightness.

18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not.

21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.

22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.

23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And 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, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

28 And 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.

29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.

30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

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