Genesis 38

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 Ref 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;

2 Ref and Judah seeth there the daughter of a man, a Canaanite, whose name `is' Shuah, and taketh her, and goeth in unto her.

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

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

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

6 Ref And Judah taketh a wife for Er, his first-born, and her name `is' Tamar;

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

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

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

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

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

24 Ref 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 Ref 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 Ref 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 Ref 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 Ref 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 Ref and afterwards hath his brother come out, on whose hand `is' the scarlet thread, and he calleth his name Zarah.

World English Bible (WEB)

1 Ref It happened at that time, that Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2 Ref Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her, and went in to her.

3 Ref She conceived, and bore a son; and he named him Er.

4 Ref She conceived again, and bore a son; and she named him Onan.

5 Ref She yet again bore a son, and named him Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bore him.

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

7 Ref Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him.

8 Ref Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and raise up seed to your brother."

9 Ref Onan knew that the seed wouldn't be his; and it happened, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother.

10 Ref The thing which he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he killed him also.

11 Ref Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house, until Shelah, my son, is grown up;" for he said, "Lest he also die, like his brothers." Tamar went and lived in her father's house.

12 Ref After many days, Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted, and went up to his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah, the Adullamite.

13 It was told Tamar, saying, "Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."

14 Ref She took off of 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 wasn't given to him as a wife.

15 When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.

16 Ref He turned to her by the way, and said, "Please come, let me come in to you:" for he didn't know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"

17 Ref He said, "I will send you a kid of the goats from the flock." She said, "Will you give me a pledge, until you send it?"

18 Ref He said, "What pledge will I give you?" She said, "Your signet and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand." He gave them to her, and came in to her, and she conceived by him.

19 Ref She arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20 Ref 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 didn't find her.

21 Then he asked the men of her place, saying, "Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the road?" They said, "There has been no prostitute here."

22 He returned to Judah, and said, "I haven't found her; and also the men of the place said, 'There has been no prostitute here.'"

23 Ref Judah said, "Let her keep it, lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this kid, and you haven't found her."

24 Ref It happened about three months later, that it was told Judah, saying, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the prostitute; and moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution." Judah said, "Bring her forth, and let her be burnt."

25 Ref When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man, whose these are, I am with child." She also said, "Please discern whose are these-- the signet, and the cords, and the staff."

26 Ref Judah acknowledged them, and said, "She is more righteous than I, because I didn't give her to Shelah, my son." He knew her again no more.

27 Ref It happened in the time of her travail, that behold, twins were in her womb.

28 It happened, when she travailed, that one put out a hand: and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This came out first."

29 Ref It happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out, and she said, "Why have you made a breach for yourself?" Therefore his name was called Perez.{Perez means "breaking out."}

30 Ref Afterward his brother came out, that had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.{Zerah means "scarlet" or "brightness."}

Chapter 38 of 50

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