King James Version

1 And it happened in that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned to a man, an Adullamite, whose name was Hira. 2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a Canaanite man, and her name was Shua, and he took her and went to her. 3 And she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and he named him Er. 4 And she conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan. 5 And she added again and bore a son and named him Shelah; and he was at Kezib when she bore him. 6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 And it was that the firstborn of Judah was evil in the eyes of the Lord, and the Lord killed him. 8 And 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." 9 And Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and if he went in to his brother’s wife and wasted the earth, he would not give seed to his brother. 10 And it was evil in the sight of the LORD what he had done, and he also died. 11 And Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Stay a widow in your father's house until Shelah, my son, grows up," for he said, "Lest he also die like his brothers." And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house. 12 And the days increased and the daughter of Shua, the wife of Judah, died; and Judah was comforted, and he went up to the shearers of his sheep, and he saw his friend Hirah, the Adullamite, at Timnah. 13 And it was told to Tamar, saying, "Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep." 14 And she removed the garments of her widowhood from herself and covered herself with a veil and fainted and sat at the entrance of the eyes that are on the way to Timnah because she saw that Shelah had grown up and she was not given to him as a wife. 15 And Judah saw her and thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 And he leaned towards her on the way and said, “Please come to me because he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.” And she said, “What will you give me if you come to me?” 17 And he said, "I will send a kid of the goats from the flock," and she said, "If you will give a pledge until you send." 18 And he said, "What is the pledge that I shall give you?" And she said, "Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand." And he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 And she arose and went and removed her veil from upon her, and she 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 take the pledge from the woman, but he did not find her. 21 And he asked the men of his place, saying, "Where is the holy place that is near the way?" And they said, "There was no holy place here." 22 And he returned to Judah and said, "I did not find her," and the men of the place also said, "There has not been a prostitute here." 23 And Judah said, "Take her, lest we become a laughingstock. Look, I sent the young goat, and you did not find her." 24 And it was, at the end of three months, it was told to Judah, saying: "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has played the harlot, and behold, she is with child by harlotry." And Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned." 25 She was found, and she sent to her husband, saying to the man who belonged to these, "I am pregnant," and she said, "Please recognize for whom are the signet, the cords, and this staff." 26 And Judah recognized and said, "She is more righteous than I, because I did not give her to my son Shelah," and he did not add to know her anymore. 27 And it happened at the time of her giving birth, and behold, twins in her womb. 28 And it came to pass, when she was giving birth, that she put out her hand, and the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This one came out first." 29 And it came to pass when he withdrew his hand, that behold, his brother came out, and she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" Therefore his name was called Perez. 30 And after, my brother went out, who was on his hand the second, and he called his name Zerah.