It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers
and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.
There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was
Shua. He took her and went in to her, and she conceived and bore a
son, and he called his name Er. She conceived again and bore a son,
and she called his name Onan. Yet again she bore a son, and she
called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.
And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was
Tamar. But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the
LORD, and the LORD put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, “Go
in to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law
to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew
that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his
brother's wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to
give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the
sight of the LORD, and he put him to death also. Then Judah said to
Tamar his daughter-in-law, “Remain a widow in your father's house,
till Shelah my son grows up”—for he feared that he would die, like
his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father's house.
In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua's daughter, died.
When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his
sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. And when
Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear
his sheep,” she took off her widow's garments and covered herself
with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim,
which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown
up, and she had not been given to him in marriage. When Judah saw
her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
He turned to her at the roadside and said, “Come, let me come in to
you,” for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She
said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?” He
answered, “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she
said, “If you give me a pledge, until you send it—” He said, “What
pledge shall I give you?” She replied, “Your signet and your cord
and your staff that is in your hand.” So he gave them to her and
went in to her, and she conceived by him. Then she arose and went
away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her
widowhood.
When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to
take back the pledge from the woman's hand, he did not find her.
And he asked the men of the place, “Where is the cult prostitute
who was at Enaim at the roadside?” And they said, “No cult
prostitute has been here.” So he returned to Judah and said, “I
have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, ‘No cult
prostitute has been here.’” And Judah replied, “Let her keep the
things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this
young goat, and you did not find her.”
About three months later Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-
law has been immoral. Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality.” And
Judah said, “Bring her out, and let her be burned.” As she was
being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, “By the man
to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” And she said, “Please
identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.”
Then Judah identified them and said, “She is more righteous than I,
since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not know her
again.
When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb.
And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took
and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out
first.” But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out.
And she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” Therefore
his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out with the
scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.
