Genesis 38:1-20 ▼

1 About that tyme Iudas went downe from his brethren, and gate him to a man called Hirah of Adulam.

2 And there he saw ye daughter of a man called Sua, a Chanaanite: and he toke her, and went in to her.

3 And she conceaued, and bare a sonne, and called his name Er.

4 And she conceaued agayne, and bare a sonne, and called hym Onan.

5 And she conceaued agayne, and bare yet a sonne, whom she called Selah: & he was at Chezib whe she bare him.

6 And Iudas gaue Er his first borne sonne a wyfe, whose name was Thamar.

7 And Er Iudas first borne sonne was wicked in the syght of the Lorde, and the Lorde slewe hym.

8 And Iudas sayde vnto Onan: Go in to thy brothers wyfe, and marrie her, that thou mayest stirre vp seede vnto thy brother.

9 And when Onan perceaued that the seede shoulde not be his, therfore when he wet in to his brothers wyfe, he spylled it on the grounde, & gaue not seede vnto his brother.

10 And the thyng which he dyd, displeased the Lorde: wherfore he slewe hym also.

11 Then sayde Iudas to Thamar his daughter in lawe: Remayne a wydowe at thy fathers house, tyll Selah my sonne be growen. (For he sayde, lest peraduenture he dye also as his brethren dyd.) And Thamar went & dwelt in her fathers house.

12 And in processe of tyme, the daughter of Sua Iudas wyfe dyed: Then Iudas when he had left mournyng, went vnto his sheepe shearers to Thinmath, he and his friende Hirah of Adulam.

13 And one tolde Thamar, saying: beholde, thy father in lawe goeth vp to Thimnath to sheare his sheepe.

14 And she put her widowes garmentes of from her, and couered her with a vayle, and disguysed her selfe, and sate her downe in an open place, whiche is by the way syde to Thimnath, for because that she sawe Selah was growen, and she was not geuen vnto hym to wyfe.

15 When Iuda sawe her, he thought it had ben an harlot, because she had couered her face.

16 And he turned to her vnto the way, & sayde, Come I praye thee, let me lye with thee. (For he knewe not that it was his daughter in law.) And she answered: What wylt thou geue me for to lye with thee?

17 Then sayde he: I wyll sende thee a kyd from the flocke. She sayde: Then geue me a pledge tyll thou sende it.

18 He sayde: What pledge shall I geue thee? She sayde: Thy signet, thy bracelet, and thy staffe that is in thyne hande. And he gaue it her, and laye by her: and she was with chylde by hym.

19 And she gate her vp, and went, and put her vayle from her, and put on her wydowes rayment.

20 And Iudas sent the kyd by his friende Adulam, for to receaue his pledge againe from the womans hand: but he founde her not.