1 At that time, Judah left his brothers and lived in the house of a man from Adullam, named Hira.
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2 There Judah found the daughter of a Canaanite named Shuah, and married her. He owned her,
3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom he named Er.
4 She became pregnant again, had a son and named him Onan.
5 When she was in Chezib, she had another son and named him Shelah.
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6 Judah chose a woman named Tamar for Er, his eldest son.
7 But the Lord rebuked the wicked conduct of Er, Judah's eldest son, and so he killed him.
8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Marry your brother’s wife, fulfill your duties as a brother-in-law toward her, and give offspring to your brother.”
9 But Onan knew that the descendants would not be his; So, every time he had his brother's wife, he spilled the semen on the ground to prevent his brother from having offspring.
10 The Lord disapproved of what he did, and so he killed him too.
11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar: “Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up”, because he thought: “He too could die, like his brothers”. So Tamar went to live in her father's house.
12 Some time later Judah's wife, the daughter of Shuah, died. After the mourning was over, Judah went to see the shearers of his flock in Timnah with his friend Hira the Adullamite.
13 When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
14 She changed her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and went to sit at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. She did this because she saw that although Shelah was grown up, she had not been given to him in marriage.
15 When he saw her, Judah thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.
16 Not knowing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went to her, on the side of the road, and said: “Come here, I want to sleep with you”. She asked him, “What will you give me to lie with me? “
17 He said, “I will send you a kid from my flock.” And she asked, “Will you leave me anything as security until you send it? “
18 Judah said, “What assurance shall I give you? ” She replied: “Your seal with the cord, and the staff that you have in your hand.” He gave them away and possessed her, and Tamar became pregnant by him.
19 She went away, took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again.
20 Judah sent the young goat through his Adullamite friend to retrieve his guarantee from the woman, but he did not find it.
21 and asked the men of the place: “Where is the cultic prostitute who usually stands on the side of the road to Enaim? ” They replied: “There are no cult prostitutes here.”
22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I have not found her. Furthermore, the local men said that there are no cult prostitutes there.”
23 Judah said, “Let her keep what I gave her. I don't want us to become a source of ridicule. After all, I sent her this little goat, but you didn’t find her.”
24 About three months later, they said to Judah: “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has committed prostitution, and in her prostitution she became pregnant.” Judah said, “Bring her out and burn her alive! “
25 When she was being taken out, she sent the following message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man who owns these things.” And he added: “See if you recognize who this seal, this cord and this staff belong to.”
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, for I should have given her to my son Shelah.” And he never had sex with her again.
27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb.
28 While she was giving birth, one of them put his hand out; then the midwife took a red thread and tied the boy's wrist, saying: "This one came out first."
29 But when he withdrew his hand, her brother left and she said: “So you got a way out! ” And he named him Perez.
30 Then his brother came out, who had the red thread on his wrist, and he was given the name Zerah.
