Genesis 38:1-13 ▼

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8 So 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.|

9 But 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.

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

11 After 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.

12 Some 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.

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