International Standard Version

Christian Standard Bible

1Right about then, Judah left his brothers and went to live with an Adullamite man named Hirah.

1At that time Judah left his brothers and settled near an Adullamite named Hirah.

2There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her, had sexual relations with her,

2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite named Shua; he took her as a wife and slept with her.

3and she conceived, bore a son, and named him Er.

3She conceived and gave birth to a son, and he named him Er.

4Later, she conceived again, bore another son, and named him Onan.

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

5Then she bore yet another son and named him Shelah. Judah was living in Kezib when she bore him.

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

6Judah found a wife for his oldest son Er. Her name was Tamar.

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

7But the LORD considered Er, Judah's oldest son, to be wicked—so he put him to death.

7Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the LORD's sight, and the LORD put him to death.

8So Judah instructed Onan, "You are to have sexual relations with your dead brother's wife, performing the duty of a brother-in-law with her, and have offspring for your brother."

8Then Judah said to Onan, "Sleep with your brother's wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and produce offspring for your brother."

9But Onan knew that the offspring wouldn't be his own heir, so whenever he had sexual relations with his brother's wife, he would spill his semen on the ground to avoid fathering offspring for his brother.

9But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he released his semen on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.

10The LORD considered what Onan was doing to be evil, so he put him to death, too.

10What he did was evil in the LORD's sight, so he put him to death also.

11After this, Judah told his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Go live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." But he was really thinking, "…otherwise, Shelah might die like his brothers." So Tamar left and lived in her father's house.

11Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He might die too, like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's house.

12Some years later, Shua's daughter (that is, Judah's wife) died. As Judah was grieving, he visited the shearers of his flock in Timnah, accompanied by his Adullamite friend Hirah.

12After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers.

13"Look!" somebody reported to Tamar, "Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to shear his sheep."

13Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."

14So she took off her mourning apparel, covered herself with a shawl, and concealed her outward appearance. Then she went out and sat at the entrance of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah, because she knew that even though Shelah had grown up, she wasn't being given to him as his wife.

14So she took off her widow's clothes, veiled her face, covered herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.

15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, since she had concealed her face.

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

16So on the way, he turned aside, approached her, and said, "Come on! Let's have some sex!" But he didn't realize that he was talking to his own daughter-in-law. "What will you give me," she asked, "in order to have sex with me?"

16He went over to her and said, "Come, let me sleep with you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me for sleeping with me?"

17"I'll send you a young goat from the flock," he responded. But she pressed him, asking, "What security will you put up until you've sent it?"

17"I will send you a young goat from my flock," he replied. But she said, "Only if you leave something with me until you send it."

18Then he asked, "What pledge do you want me to give you?" "Your signet ring, cord, and the staff in your hand," she suggested. So he gave them to her, had sex with her, and she became pregnant by him.

18"What should I give you?" he asked. She answered, "Your signet ring, your cord, and the staff in your hand." So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19Then she got up and left. Later, she took off her shawl and put on her mourning clothes.

19She got up and left, then removed her veil and put her widow's clothes back on.

20Later on, Judah sent his Adullamite friend to take her a young goat, intending to retrieve what he had put up as security from the woman, but he could not find her.

20When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get back the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.

21He asked the men who lived in that area, "Where's that temple prostitute who was sitting alongside the road at Enaim?" But they replied, "There's been no temple prostitute here."

21He asked the men of the place, "Where is the cult prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There has been no cult prostitute here," they answered.

22So he returned to Judah and said, "I haven't found her. Also, the men who are from there said, 'There's been no prostitute here.'"

22So the Adullamite returned to Judah, saying, "I couldn't find her, and besides, the men of the place said, 'There has been no cult prostitute here.'"

23Then Judah said, "Let her have those things. Otherwise, we'll become contemptible. I sent this young goat, but you didn't find her."

23Judah replied, "Let her keep the items for herself; otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send this young goat, but you couldn't find her."

24Three months later, it was reported to Judah, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution! And look! She's pregnant because of it!" "Bring her out," Judah responded. "Let's burn her to death!"

24About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law, Tamar, has been acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant." "Bring her out," Judah said, "and let her be burned to death!"

25While they were bringing her out, she sent this message to her father-in-law: "I am pregnant by the man to whom these things belong. Furthermore," she added, "tell me to whom this signet ring, cord, and staff belongs."

25As she was being brought out, she sent her father-in-law this message: "I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong." And she added, "Examine them. Whose signet ring, cord, and staff are these?"

26When Judah recognized them, he admitted, "She is more upright than I, because I never did give her my son Shelah." And he never had sex with her again.

26Judah recognized them and said, "She is more in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not know her intimately again.

27Later, when it was time for Tamar to give birth, she was carrying twins in her womb!

27When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb.

28While she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand, so the midwife grabbed it and tied something scarlet around his hand, observing, "This one came out first."

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

29As it was, he withdrew his hand, and then his brother was born. Amazed, the midwife cried out loud, "What's this? A breach birth?" So that boy was named Perez.

29But then he pulled his hand back, out came his brother, and she said, "What a breakout you have made for yourself!" So he was named Perez.

30Afterwards, his brother came out, and around his hand was the scarlet. So they named him Zerah.

30Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Zerah.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.