Genesis 38:1-13 ▼

1 It happened at that time that Judah moved away from his brothers and stayed with an Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite whose name was Shua. And he married her and slept with her.

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

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

5 Then she gave birth to another son, and named him Shelah. And he was at Kezib when she gave birth to him.

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

7 Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so God killed him.

8 Then Judah said to Onan, |Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.|

9 But Onan knew that the offspring wouldn’t be his. So it happened when he slept with his brother’s wife that he released his semen on the ground, so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.

10 And what he did was evil in the sight of God, so he killed him also.

11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, |Remain a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah is grown up.| For he thought, |I do not want him to die too, like his brothers. |So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

12 After some time, Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. And Judah finished mourning, and went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

13 And Tamar was told, saying, |Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.|