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36 And these [are] births of Esau, who [is] Edom.

Esau hath taken his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah daughter of Anah, daughter of Zibeon the Hivite,

and Bashemath daughter of Ishmael, sister of Nebajoth.

And Adah beareth to Esau, Eliphaz; and Bashemath hath born Reuel;

and Aholibamah hath born Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah. These [are] sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

And Esau taketh his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance which he hath acquired in the land of Canaan, and goeth into the country from the face of Jacob his brother;

for their substance was more abundant than to dwell together, and the land of their sojournings was not able to bear them because of their cattle;

and Esau dwelleth in mount Seir: Esau is Edom.

And these [are] births of Esau, father of Edom, in mount Seir.

10 These [are] the names of the sons of Esau: Eliphaz son of Adah, wife of Esau; Reuel son of Bashemath, wife of Esau.

11 And the sons of Eliphaz are Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz;

12 and Timnath hath been concubine to Eliphaz son of Esau, and she beareth to Eliphaz, Amalek; these [are] sons of Adah wife of Esau.

13 And these [are] sons of Reuel: Nahath and Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah; these were sons of Bashemath wife of Esau.

14 And these have been the sons of Aholibamah daughter of Anah, daughter of Zibeon, wife of Esau; and she beareth to Esau, Jeush and Jaalam and Korah.

15 These [are] chiefs of the sons of Esau: sons of Eliphaz, first-born of Esau: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz,

16 chief Korah, chief Gatam, chief Amalek; these [are] chiefs of Eliphaz, in the land of Edom; these [are] sons of Adah.

17 And these [are] sons of Reuel son of Esau: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah; these [are] chiefs of Reuel, in the land of Edom; these [are] sons of Bashemath wife of Esau.

18 And these [are] sons of Aholibamah wife of Esau: chief Jeush, chief Jaalam, chief Korah; these [are] chiefs of Aholibamah daughter of Anah, wife of Esau.

19 These [are] sons of Esau (who [is] Edom), and these their chiefs.

20 These [are] sons of Seir the Horite, the inhabitants of the land: Lotan, and Shobal, and Zibeon, and Anah,

21 and Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan; these [are] chiefs of the Horites, sons of Seir, in the land of Edom.

22 And the sons of Lotan are Hori and Heman; and a sister of Lotan [is] Timna.

23 And these [are] sons of Shobal: Alvan and Manahath, and Ebal, Shepho and Onam.

24 And these [are] sons of Zibeon, both Ajah and Anah: it [is] Anah that hath found the Imim in the wilderness, in his feeding the asses of Zibeon his father.

25 And these [are] sons of Anah: Dishon, and Aholibamah daughter of Anah.

26 And these [are] sons of Dishon: Hemdan, and Eshban, and Ithran, and Cheran.

27 These [are] sons of Ezer: Bilhan, and Zaavan, and Akan.

28 These [are] sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

29 These [are] chiefs of the Horite: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah,

30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan: these [are] chiefs of the Horite in reference to their chiefs in the land of Seir.

31 And these [are] the kings who have reigned in the land of Edom before the reigning of a king over the sons of Israel.

32 And Bela son of Beor reigneth in Edom, and the name of his city [is] Dinhabah;

33 and Bela dieth, and reign in his stead doth Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah;

34 and Jobab dieth, and reign in his stead doth Husham from the land of the Temanite.

35 And Husham dieth, and reign in his stead doth Hadad son of Bedad (who smiteth Midian in the field of Moab), and the name of his city [is] Avith;

36 and Hadad dieth, and reign in his stead doth Samlah of Masrekah;

37 and Samlah dieth, and reign in his stead doth Saul from Rehoboth of the River;

38 and Saul dieth, and reign in his stead doth Baal-hanan son of Achbor;

39 and Baal-hanan son of Achbor dieth, and reign in his stead doth Hadar, and the name of his city [is] Pau; and his wife's name [is] Mehetabel daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-zahab.

40 And these [are] the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families, according to their places, by their names: chief Timnah, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth,

41 chief Aholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon,

42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar,

43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram: these [are] chiefs of Edom, in reference to their dwellings, in the land of their possession; he [is] Esau father of Edom.

37 And Jacob dwelleth in the land of his father's sojournings -- in the land of Canaan.

These [are] births of Jacob: Joseph, a son of seventeen years, hath been enjoying himself with his brethren among the flock, (and he [is] a youth,) with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and Joseph bringeth in an account of their evil unto their father.

And Israel hath loved Joseph more than any of his sons, for he [is] a son of his old age, and hath made for him a long coat;

and his brethren see that their father hath loved him more than any of his brethren, and they hate him, and have not been able to speak [to] him peaceably.

And Joseph dreameth a dream, and declareth to his brethren, and they add still more to hate him.

And he saith unto them, `Hear ye, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

that, lo, we are binding bundles in the midst of the field, and lo, my bundle hath arisen, and hath also stood up, and lo, your bundles are round about, and bow themselves to my bundle.'

And his brethren say to him, `Dost thou certainly reign over us? dost thou certainly rule over us?' and they add still more to hate him, for his dreams, and for his words.

And he dreameth yet another dream, and recounteth it to his brethren, and saith, `Lo, I have dreamed a dream again, and lo, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars, are bowing themselves to me.'

10 And he recounteth unto his father, and unto his brethren; and his father pusheth against him, and saith to him, `What [is] this dream which thou hast dreamt? do we certainly come -- I, and thy mother, and thy brethren -- to bow ourselves to thee, to the earth?'

11 and his brethren are zealous against him, and his father hath watched the matter.

12 And his brethren go to feed the flock of their father in Shechem,

13 and Israel saith unto Joseph, `Are not thy brethren feeding in Shechem? come, and I send thee unto them;' and he saith to him, `Here [am] I;'

14 and he saith to him, `Go, I pray thee, see the peace of thy brethren, and the peace of the flock, and bring me back word;' and he sendeth him from the valley of Hebron, and he cometh to Shechem.

15 And a man findeth him, and lo, he is wandering in the field, and the man asketh him, saying, `What seekest thou?'

16 and he saith, `My brethren I am seeking, declare to me, I pray thee, where they are feeding?'

17 And the man saith, `They have journeyed from this, for I have heard some saying, Let us go to Dothan,' and Joseph goeth after his brethren, and findeth them in Dothan.

18 And they see him from afar, even before he draweth near unto them, and they conspire against him to put him to death.

19 And they say one unto another, `Lo, this man of the dreams cometh;

20 and now, come, and we slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and have said, An evil beast hath devoured him; and we see what his dreams are.'

21 And Reuben heareth, and delivereth him out of their hand, and saith, `Let us not smite the life;'

22 and Reuben saith unto them, `Shed no blood; cast him into this pit which [is] in the wilderness, and put not forth a hand upon him,' -- in order to deliver him out of their hand, to bring him back unto his father.

23 And it cometh to pass, when Joseph hath come unto his brethren, that they strip Joseph of his coat, the long coat which [is] upon him,

24 and take him and cast him into the pit, and the pit [is] empty, there is no water in it.

25 And they sit down to eat bread, and they lift up their eyes, and look, and lo, a company of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, and their camels bearing spices, and balm, and myrrh, going to take [them] down to Egypt.

26 And Judah saith unto his brethren, `What gain when we slay our brother, and have concealed his blood?

27 Come, and we sell him to the Ishmaelites, and our hands are not on him, for he [is] our brother -- our flesh;' and his brethren hearken.

28 And Midianite merchantmen pass by and they draw out and bring up Joseph out of the pit, and sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silverlings, and they bring Joseph into Egypt.

29 And Reuben returneth unto the pit, and lo, Joseph is not in the pit, and he rendeth his garments,

30 and he returneth unto his brethren, and saith, `The lad is not, and I -- whither am I going?'

31 And they take the coat of Joseph, and slaughter a kid of the goats, and dip the coat in the blood,

32 and send the long coat, and they bring [it] in unto their father, and say, `This have we found; discern, we pray thee, whether it [is] thy son's coat or not?'

33 And he discerneth it, and saith, `My son's coat! an evil beast hath devoured him; torn -- torn is Joseph!'

34 And Jacob rendeth his raiment, and putteth sackcloth on his loins, and becometh a mourner for his son many days,

35 and all his sons and all his daughters rise to comfort him, and he refuseth to comfort himself, and saith, `For -- I go down mourning unto my son, to Sheol,' and his father weepeth for him.

36 And the Medanites have sold him unto Egypt, to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, head of the executioners.

38 And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Judah goeth down from his brethren, and turneth aside unto a man, an Adullamite, whose name [is] Hirah;

and Judah seeth there the daughter of a man, a Canaanite, whose name [is] Shuah, and taketh her, and goeth in unto her.

And she conceiveth, and beareth a son, and he calleth his name Er;

and she conceiveth again, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Onan;

and she addeth again, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Shelah; and he was in Chezib in her bearing him.

And Judah taketh a wife for Er, his first-born, and her name [is] Tamar;

and Er, Judah's first-born, is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah doth put him to death.

And Judah saith to Onan, `Go in unto the wife of thy brother, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother;'

and Onan knoweth that the seed is not [reckoned] his; and it hath come to pass, if he hath gone in unto his brother's wife, that he hath destroyed [it] to the earth, so as not to give seed to his brother;

10 and that which he hath done is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and He putteth him also to death.

11 And Judah saith to Tamar his daughter-in-law, `Abide a widow at thy father's house, till Shelah my son groweth up;' for he said, `Lest he die -- even he -- like his brethren;' and Tamar goeth and dwelleth at her father's house.

12 And the days are multiplied, and the daughter of Shuah, Judah's wife, dieth; and Judah is comforted, and goeth up unto his sheep-shearers, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite, to Timnath.

13 And it is declared to Tamar, saying, `Lo, thy husband's father is going up to Timnath to shear his flock;'

14 and she turneth aside the garments of her widowhood from off her, and covereth herself with a vail, and wrappeth herself up, and sitteth in the opening of Enayim, which [is] by the way to Timnath, for she hath seen that Shelah hath grown up, and she hath not been given to him for a wife.

15 And Judah seeth her, and reckoneth her for a harlot, for she hath covered her face,

16 and he turneth aside unto her by the way, and saith, `Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee,' (for he hath not known that she [is] his daughter-in-law); and she saith, `What dost thou give to me, that thou mayest come in unto me?'

17 and he saith, `I -- I send a kid of the goats from the flock.' And she saith, `Dost thou give a pledge till thou send [it]?'

18 and he saith, `What [is] the pledge that I give to thee?' and she saith, `Thy seal, and thy ribbon, and thy staff which [is] in thy hand;' and he giveth to her, and goeth in unto her, and she conceiveth to him;

19 and she riseth, and goeth, and turneth aside her vail from off her, and putteth on the garments of her widowhood.

20 And Judah sendeth the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the hand of the woman, and he hath not found her.

21 And he asketh the men of her place, saying, `Where [is] the separated one -- she in Enayim, by the way?' and they say, `There hath not been in this [place] a separated one.'

22 And he turneth back unto Judah, and saith, `I have not found her; and the men of the place also have said, There hath not been in this [place] a separated one,'

23 and Judah saith, `Let her take to herself, lest we become despised; lo, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.'

24 And it cometh to pass about three months [after], that it is declared to Judah, saying, `Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath committed fornication; and also, lo, she hath conceived by fornication:' and Judah saith, `Bring her out -- and she is burnt.'

25 She is brought out, and she hath sent unto her husband's father, saying, `To a man whose these [are], I [am] pregnant;' and she saith, `Discern, I pray thee, whose [are] these -- the seal, and the ribbons, and the staff.'

26 And Judah discerneth and saith, `She hath been more righteous than I, because that I did not give her to Shelah my son;' and he hath not added to know her again.

27 And it cometh to pass in the time of her bearing, that lo, twins [are] in her womb;

28 and it cometh to pass in her bearing, that [one] giveth out a hand, and the midwife taketh and bindeth on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, `This hath come out first.'

29 And it cometh to pass as he draweth back his hand, that lo, his brother hath come out, and she saith, `What! thou hast broken forth -- on thee [is] the breach;' and he calleth his name Pharez;

30 and afterwards hath his brother come out, on whose hand [is] the scarlet thread, and he calleth his name Zarah.

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.