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Esau's Family

36 Esau, also known as Edom, had many descendants. (A) He married three Canaanite women: The first was Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; the second was Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite; (B) the third was Basemath, who was Ishmael's daughter and Nebaioth's sister.

4-5 Esau and his three wives had five sons while in Canaan. Adah's son was Eliphaz; Basemath's son was Reuel; Oholibamah's three sons were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

Esau took his children and wives, his relatives and servants, his animals and possessions he had acquired while in Canaan, and moved far from Jacob. He did this because the land was too crowded and could not support him and his brother with their flocks and herds. That's why Esau made his home in the hill country of Seir.

9-14 Esau lived in the hill country of Seir and was the ancestor of the Edomites. Esau had three wives: Adah, Basemath, and Oholibamah. Here is a list of his descendants: Esau and Adah had a son named Eliphaz, whose sons were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. Timna was the other wife[a] of Esau's son Eliphaz, and she had a son named Amalek.

Esau and Basemath had a son named Reuel, whose sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

Esau and Oholibamah had three sons: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.

Chiefs and Leaders in Edom

15 Esau and Adah's oldest son was Eliphaz, and the clans that descended from him were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These and Esau's other descendants lived in the land of Edom.

17 The clans that descended from Esau and Basemath's son Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

18 The clans that descended from Esau and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 19 All of these clans descended from Esau, who was known as Edom.

20 Seir was from the Horite tribe that had lived in Edom before the time of Esau. The clans that had descended from him were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.

22 Lotan's sons were Hori and Heman; his sister was Timna.

23 Shobal's sons were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

24 Zibeon's sons were Aiah and Anah—the same Anah who found an oasis[b] in the desert while taking the donkeys of his father out to pasture.

25 Anah's children were Dishon and Oholibamah.

26 Dishon's sons were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

27 Ezer's sons were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

28 Dishan's sons were Uz and Aran.

29 The clans of the Horites were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan, and they lived in the land of Seir.

31-39 Before there were kings in Israel, the following kings ruled Edom one after another:

Bela son of Beor from Dinhabah;

Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah;

Husham from the land of Teman;

Hadad son of Bedad from Avith (Bedad had defeated the Midianites in Moab);

Samlah from Masrekah;

Shaul from the city of Rehoboth on the Euphrates River;

Baalhanan son of Achbor;

Hadar from the city of Pau (his wife Mehetabel was the daughter of Matred and the granddaughter of Mezahab).

40 The clans that descended from Esau took their names from their families and the places where they lived. They are Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel, and Iram. These clans descended from Esau, who was known as Edom, the father of the Edomites. They took their names from the places where they settled.

Joseph and His Brothers

37 Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father Isaac had lived, and this is the story of his family.

When Jacob's son Joseph was 17 years old, he took care of the sheep with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah.[c] But he was always telling his father all sorts of bad things about his brothers.

Jacob loved Joseph more than he did any of his other sons, because Joseph was born when Jacob was very old. Jacob had even given Joseph a fancy coat[d] which showed that Joseph was his favorite son, and so Joseph's brothers hated him and would not be friendly to him.

One day, Joseph told his brothers what he had dreamed, and they hated him even more. Joseph said, “Let me tell you about my dream. We were out in the field, tying up bundles of wheat. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles gathered around and bowed down to it.”

His brothers asked, “Do you really think you are going to be king and rule over us?” Now they hated Joseph more than ever because of what he had said about his dream.

Joseph later had another dream, and he told his brothers, “Listen to what else I dreamed. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me.”

10 When he told his father about this dream, his father became angry and said, “What's that supposed to mean? Are your mother and I and your brothers all going to come and bow down to you?” 11 (C) Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept wondering about the dream.

Joseph Is Sold and Taken to Egypt

12 One day when Joseph's brothers had taken the sheep to a pasture near Shechem, 13 his father Jacob said to him, “I want you to go to your brothers. They are with the sheep near Shechem.”

“Yes, sir,” Joseph answered.

14 His father said, “Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know.” So he sent him from Hebron Valley.

Joseph was near Shechem 15 and wandering through the fields, when a man asked, “What are you looking for?”

16 Joseph answered, “I'm looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are?”

17 “They're not here anymore,” the man replied. “I overheard them say they were going to Dothan.”

Joseph left and found his brothers in Dothan. 18 But before he got there, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! 20 Let's kill him and throw him into a pit and say that some wild animal ate him. Then we'll see what happens to those dreams.”

21 Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. “Let's not kill him,” he said. 22 “Don't murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a well out here in the desert.” Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.

23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat[e] 24 and threw him into a dry well.

25 As Joseph's brothers sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with all kinds of spices that they were taking to Egypt. 26 So Judah said, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and hide his body? 27 Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not harm him. After all, he is our brother.” And the others agreed.

28 (D) When the Midianite merchants came by, Joseph's brothers took him out of the well, and for 20 pieces of silver they sold him to the Ishmaelites[f] who took him to Egypt.

29 When Reuben returned to the well and did not find Joseph there, he tore his clothes in sorrow. 30 Then he went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”

31 Joseph's brothers killed a goat and dipped Joseph's fancy coat in its blood. 32 After this, they took the coat to their father and said, “We found this! Look at it carefully and see if it belongs to your son.”

33 Jacob knew it was Joseph's coat and said, “It's my son's coat! Joseph has been torn to pieces and eaten by some wild animal.”

34 Jacob mourned for Joseph a long time, and to show his sorrow he tore his clothes and wore sackcloth.[g] 35 All of Jacob's children came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will go to my grave, mourning for my son.” So Jacob kept on grieving.

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, who was the king's[h] official in charge of the palace guard.

Judah and Tamar

38 About that time Judah left his brothers in the hill country and went to live near his friend Hirah in the town of Adullam. While there he met the daughter of Shua, a Canaanite man. Judah married her, and they had three sons. He named the first one Er; she named the next one Onan. The third one was born when Judah was in Chezib, and she named him Shelah.

Later, Judah chose Tamar as a wife for Er, his oldest son. But Er was very evil, and the Lord took his life. So Judah told Onan, “It's your duty to marry Tamar and have a child for your brother.”[i]

Onan knew the child would not be his,[j] and when he had sex with Tamar, he made sure that she would not get pregnant. 10 The Lord wasn't pleased with Onan and took his life too.

11 Judah did not want the same thing to happen to his son Shelah, and he told Tamar, “Go home to your father and live there as a widow until my son Shelah is grown.” So Tamar went to live with her father.

12 Some years later Judah's wife died, and he mourned for her. He then went with his friend Hirah to the town of Timnah, where his sheep were being sheared. 13 Tamar found out that her father-in-law Judah was going to Timnah to shear his sheep. 14 She also realized that Shelah was now a grown man, but she had not been allowed to marry him. So she decided to dress in something other than her widow's clothes and to cover her face with a veil. After this, she sat outside the town of Enaim on the road to Timnah.

15 When Judah came along, he did not recognize her because of the veil. He thought she was a prostitute 16 and asked her to sleep with him. She asked, “What will you give me if I do?”

17 “One of my young goats,” he answered.

“What will you give me to keep until you send the goat?” she asked.

18 “What do you want?” he asked in return.

“The ring on that cord around your neck,” was her reply. “I also want the special walking stick[k] you have with you.” He gave them to her, they slept together, and she became pregnant.

19 After returning home, Tamar took off the veil and dressed in her widow's clothes again.

20 Judah asked his friend Hirah take a goat to the woman, so he could get back the ring and walking stick, but she wasn't there. 21 Hirah asked the people of Enaim, “Where is the prostitute who sat along the road outside your town?”

“There's never been one here,” they answered.

22 Hirah went back and told Judah, “I couldn't find the woman, and the people of Enaim said no prostitute had ever been there.”

23 “If you couldn't find her, we'll just let her keep the things I gave her,” Judah answered. “And we'd better forget about the goat, or else we'll look like fools.”

24 About three months later someone told Judah, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has behaved like a prostitute, and now she's pregnant!”

“Drag her out of town and burn her to death!” Judah shouted.

25 As Tamar was being dragged off, she sent someone to tell her father-in-law, “The man who gave me this ring, this cord, and this walking stick is the one who got me pregnant.”

26 “Those are mine!” Judah admitted. “She's a better person than I am, because I broke my promise to let her marry my son Shelah.” After this, Judah never slept with her again.

27-28 Tamar later gave birth to twins. But before either of them was born, one of them stuck a hand out of her womb. The woman who was helping tied a red thread around the baby's hand and explained, “This one came out first.”

29 At once his hand went back in, and the other child was born first. The woman then said, “What an opening you've made for yourself!” So they named the baby Perez.[l] 30 When the brother with the red thread was born, they named him Zerah.[m]

Footnotes

  1. 36.9-14 other wife: See the note at 22.24.
  2. 36.24 an oasis: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  3. 37.2 Bilhah and Zilpah: See 30.1-13.
  4. 37.3 fancy coat: Or “a coat of many colors” or “a coat with long sleeves.”
  5. 37.23 fancy coat: See the note at 37.3.
  6. 37.28 Midianite … Ishmaelites: According to 25.1,2, 12 both the Midianites and the Ishmaelites were descendants of Abraham, and in Judges 8.22-24 the two names are used of the same people. It is possible that in this passage “Ishmaelite” has the meaning “nomadic traders,” while “Midianite” refers to their ethnic origin.
  7. 37.34 sackcloth: A rough dark-colored cloth made from goat or camel hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow.
  8. 37.36 the king's: See the note at 12.15.
  9. 38.8 It's your duty … child … brother: If a man died without having children, his brother was to marry the dead man's wife and have a child, who was to be considered the child of the dead brother (see Deuteronomy 25.5,6).
  10. 38.9 the child … not be his: When Judah died, Onan would get his dead brother's share of the inheritance, but if his dead brother had a son, the inheritance would go to him instead.
  11. 38.18 ring … walking stick: The ring was shaped like a cylinder and could be rolled over soft clay as a way of sealing special documents. The walking stick was probably a symbol of power and the sign of leadership in the tribe, though it may have been a shepherd's rod.
  12. 38.29 Perez: In Hebrew “Perez” sounds like “opening.”
  13. 38.30 Zerah: In Hebrew “Zerah” means “bright,” probably referring to the red thread.

Esau’s Descendants(A)(B)

36 This is the account(C) of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).(D)

Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan:(E) Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite,(F) and Oholibamah(G) daughter of Anah(H) and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite(I) also Basemath(J) daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.(K)

Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,(L) and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah.(M) These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.

Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan,(N) and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob.(O) Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock.(P) So Esau(Q) (that is, Edom)(R) settled in the hill country of Seir.(S)

This is the account(T) of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomites(U) in the hill country of Seir.

10 These are the names of Esau’s sons:

Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.(V)

11 The sons of Eliphaz:(W)

Teman,(X) Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz.(Y)

12 Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubine(Z) named Timna, who bore him Amalek.(AA) These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.(AB)

13 The sons of Reuel:

Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.(AC)

14 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah(AD) daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau:

Jeush, Jalam and Korah.(AE)

15 These were the chiefs(AF) among Esau’s descendants:

The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau:

Chiefs Teman,(AG) Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,(AH) 16 Korah,[a] Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz(AI) in Edom;(AJ) they were grandsons of Adah.(AK)

17 The sons of Esau’s son Reuel:(AL)

Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.(AM)

18 The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah:(AN)

Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah.(AO) These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah.

19 These were the sons of Esau(AP) (that is, Edom),(AQ) and these were their chiefs.(AR)

20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite,(AS) who were living in the region:

Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,(AT) 21 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs.(AU)

22 The sons of Lotan:

Hori and Homam.[b] Timna was Lotan’s sister.

23 The sons of Shobal:

Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam.

24 The sons of Zibeon:(AV)

Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs[c](AW) in the desert while he was grazing the donkeys(AX) of his father Zibeon.

25 The children of Anah:(AY)

Dishon and Oholibamah(AZ) daughter of Anah.

26 The sons of Dishon[d]:

Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.

27 The sons of Ezer:

Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.

28 The sons of Dishan:

Uz and Aran.

29 These were the Horite chiefs:

Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,(BA) 30 Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs,(BB) according to their divisions, in the land of Seir.

The Rulers of Edom(BC)

31 These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite king(BD) reigned:

32 Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah.

33 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah(BE) succeeded him as king.

34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites(BF) succeeded him as king.

35 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian(BG) in the country of Moab,(BH) succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.

36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.

37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth(BI) on the river succeeded him as king.

38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king.

39 When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad[e] succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

40 These were the chiefs(BJ) descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions:

Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied.

This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.(BK)

Joseph’s Dreams

37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed,(BL) the land of Canaan.(BM)

This is the account(BN) of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph,(BO) a young man of seventeen,(BP) was tending the flocks(BQ) with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah(BR) and the sons of Zilpah,(BS) his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report(BT) about them.

Now Israel(BU) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,(BV) because he had been born to him in his old age;(BW) and he made an ornate[f] robe(BX) for him.(BY) When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him(BZ) and could not speak a kind word to him.

Joseph had a dream,(CA) and when he told it to his brothers,(CB) they hated him all the more.(CC) He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves(CD) of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”(CE)

His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?”(CF) And they hated him all the more(CG) because of his dream and what he had said.

Then he had another dream,(CH) and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars(CI) were bowing down to me.”(CJ)

10 When he told his father as well as his brothers,(CK) his father rebuked(CL) him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”(CM) 11 His brothers were jealous of him,(CN) but his father kept the matter in mind.(CO)

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,(CP) 13 and Israel(CQ) said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.(CR) Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he replied.

14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers(CS) and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.(CT)

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.(CU)’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.(CV)

19 “Here comes that dreamer!(CW)” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns(CX) and say that a ferocious animal(CY) devoured him.(CZ) Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”(DA)

21 When Reuben(DB) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.(DC) 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern(DD) here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.(DE)

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe(DF) he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern.(DG) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites(DH) coming from Gilead.(DI) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm(DJ) and myrrh,(DK) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.(DL)

26 Judah(DM) said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?(DN) 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,(DO) our own flesh and blood.(DP)” His brothers agreed.

28 So when the Midianite(DQ) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern(DR) and sold(DS) him for twenty shekels[g] of silver(DT) to the Ishmaelites,(DU) who took him to Egypt.(DV)

29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.(DW) 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”(DX)

31 Then they got Joseph’s robe,(DY) slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.(DZ) 32 They took the ornate robe(EA) back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”

33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal(EB) has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”(EC)

34 Then Jacob tore his clothes,(ED) put on sackcloth(EE) and mourned for his son many days.(EF) 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him,(EG) but he refused to be comforted.(EH) “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son(EI) in the grave.(EJ)” So his father wept for him.

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites[h](EK) sold Joseph(EL) in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.(EM)

Judah and Tamar

38 At that time, Judah(EN) left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam(EO) named Hirah.(EP) There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua.(EQ) He married her and made love to her; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.(ER) She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.(ES) She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah.(ET) It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.

Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.(EU) But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight;(EV) so the Lord put him to death.(EW)

Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.”(EX) But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.(EY)

11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law(EZ) Tamar,(FA) “Live as a widow in your father’s household(FB) until my son Shelah(FC) grows up.”(FD) 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,(FE) died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah,(FF) to the men who were shearing his sheep,(FG) and his friend Hirah the Adullamite(FH) went with him.

13 When Tamar(FI) was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”(FJ) 14 she took off her widow’s clothes,(FK) covered herself with a veil(FL) to disguise herself, and then sat down(FM) at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.(FN) For she saw that, though Shelah(FO) 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,(FP) for she had covered her face. 16 Not realizing(FQ) that she was his daughter-in-law,(FR) he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”(FS)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.”(GG)

26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I,(GH) since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.(GI)” 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.(GJ) 28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife(GK) took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist(GL) and said, “This one came out first.” 29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out,(GM) and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.[i](GN) 30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist,(GO) came out. And he was named Zerah.[j](GP)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 36:16 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (also verse 11 and 1 Chron. 1:36) does not have Korah.
  2. Genesis 36:22 Hebrew Hemam, a variant of Homam (see 1 Chron. 1:39)
  3. Genesis 36:24 Vulgate; Syriac discovered water; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  4. Genesis 36:26 Hebrew Dishan, a variant of Dishon
  5. Genesis 36:39 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 1:50); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Hadar
  6. Genesis 37:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verses 23 and 32.
  7. Genesis 37:28 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams
  8. Genesis 37:36 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also verse 28); Masoretic Text Medanites
  9. Genesis 38:29 Perez means breaking out.
  10. Genesis 38:30 Zerah can mean scarlet or brightness.