1 Aconteceu, por esse tempo, que Judá se apartou de seus irmãos e se hospedou na casa de um adulamita, chamado Hira. 2 Ali viu Judá a filha de um cananeu, chamado Sua; ele a tomou por mulher e a possuiu. 3 E ela concebeu e deu à luz um filho, e o pai lhe chamou Er. 4 Tornou a conceber e deu à luz um filho; a este deu a mãe o nome de Onã. 5 Continuou ainda e deu à luz outro filho, cujo nome foi Selá; ela estava em Quezibe quando o teve. 6 Judá, pois, tomou esposa para Er, o seu primogênito; o nome dela era Tamar. 7 Er, porém, o primogênito de Judá, era perverso perante o Senhor, pelo que o Senhor o fez morrer. 8 Então, disse Judá a Onã: Possui a mulher de teu irmão, cumpre o levirato e suscita descendência a teu irmão. 9 Sabia, porém, Onã que o filho não seria tido por seu; e todas as vezes que possuía a mulher de seu irmão deixava o sêmen cair na terra, para não dar descendência a seu irmão. 10 Isso, porém, que fazia, era mau perante o Senhor, pelo que também a este fez morrer. 11 Então, disse Judá a Tamar, sua nora: Permanece viúva em casa de teu pai, até que Selá, meu filho, venha a ser homem. Pois disse: Para que não morra também este, como seus irmãos. Assim, Tamar se foi, passando a residir em casa de seu pai.

12 No correr do tempo morreu a filha de Sua, mulher de Judá; e, consolado Judá, subiu aos tosquiadores de suas ovelhas, em Timna, ele e seu amigo Hira, o adulamita. 13 E o comunicaram a Tamar: Eis que o teu sogro sobe a Timna, para tosquiar as ovelhas. 14 Então, ela despiu as vestes de sua viuvez, e, cobrindo-se com um véu, se disfarçou, e se assentou à entrada de Enaim, no caminho de Timna; pois via que Selá já era homem, e ela não lhe fora dada por mulher. 15 Vendo-a Judá, teve-a por meretriz; pois ela havia coberto o rosto. 16 Então, se dirigiu a ela no caminho e lhe disse: Vem, deixa-me possuir-te; porque não sabia que era a sua nora. Ela respondeu: Que me darás para coabitares comigo? 17 Ele respondeu: Enviar-te-ei um cabrito do rebanho. Perguntou ela: Dar-me-ás penhor até que o mandes? 18 Respondeu ele: Que penhor te darei? Ela disse: O teu selo, o teu cordão e o cajado que seguras. Ele, pois, lhos deu e a possuiu; e ela concebeu dele. 19 Levantou-se ela e se foi; tirou de sobre si o véu e tornou às vestes da sua viuvez.

20 Enviou Judá o cabrito, por mão do adulamita, seu amigo, para reaver o penhor da mão da mulher; porém não a encontrou. 21 Então, perguntou aos homens daquele lugar: Onde está a prostituta cultual que se achava junto ao caminho de Enaim? Responderam: Aqui não esteve meretriz nenhuma. 22 Tendo voltado a Judá, disse: Não a encontrei; e também os homens do lugar me disseram: Aqui não esteve prostituta cultual nenhuma. 23 Respondeu Judá: Que ela o guarde para si, para que não nos tornemos em opróbrio; mandei-lhe, com efeito, o cabrito, todavia, não a achaste.

24 Passados quase três meses, foi dito a Judá: Tamar, tua nora, adulterou, pois está grávida. Então, disse Judá: Tirai-a fora para que seja queimada. 25 Em tirando-a, mandou ela dizer a seu sogro: Do homem de quem são estas coisas eu concebi. E disse mais: Reconhece de quem é este selo, e este cordão, e este cajado. 26 Reconheceu-os Judá e disse: Mais justa é ela do que eu, porquanto não a dei a Selá, meu filho. E nunca mais a possuiu.

27 E aconteceu que, estando ela para dar à luz, havia gêmeos no seu ventre. 28 Ao nascerem, um pôs a mão fora, e a parteira, tomando-a, lhe atou um fio encarnado e disse: Este saiu primeiro. 29 Mas, recolhendo ele a mão, saiu o outro; e ela disse: Como rompeste saída? E lhe chamaram Perez. 30 Depois, lhe saiu o irmão, em cuja mão estava o fio encarnado; e lhe chamaram Zera.

1 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in unto her. 3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er. 4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. 5 And she yet again bare a son, and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him. 6 And Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, and her name was Tamar. 7 And Er, Judah’s first-born, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah slew him. 8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother. 9 And Onan knew that the seed would 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 he should give seed to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and he slew him also. 11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow in thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown up; for he said, Lest he also die, like his brethren. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

12 And in process of time Shua’s daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold, thy father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep. 14 And she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face. 16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee: for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me? 17 And he said, I will send thee a kid of the goats from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it? 18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand. And he gave them to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. 19 And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood. 20 And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not. 21 Then he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the wayside? And they said, There hath been no prostitute here. 22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I have not found her; and also the men of the place said, There hath been no prostitute here. 23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be put to shame: 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 moreover, 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 the cords, and the staff. 26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She is more righteous than I, forasmuch as 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 one put out a 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, Wherefore hast thou made a breach for thyself? Therefore his name was called Perez. 30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zerah.

1 At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.

2 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her;

3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.

4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.

5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.

6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death.

8 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."

9 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.

11 Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's household until my son Shelah grows up." 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, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.

13 When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,"

14 she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah 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, for she had covered her face.

16 Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked.

17 "I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked.

18 He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again.

20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her.

21 He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute 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, or we will become a laughingstock. 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!"

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."

26 Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." 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.

28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, "This one came out first."

29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez. [^1]

30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah. [^2]