| International Standard Version | NET 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 stayed with an Adullamite man 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 man named Shua. Judah acquired her as a wife and had marital relations with her. |
| 3and she conceived, bore a son, and named him Er. | 3She became pregnant and had a son. Judah named him Er. |
| 4Later, she conceived again, bore another son, and named him Onan. | 4She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan. |
| 5Then she bore yet another son and named him Shelah. Judah was living in Kezib when she bore him. | 5Then she had yet another son, whom she named Shelah. She gave birth to him in Kezib. |
| 6Judah found a wife for his oldest son Er. Her name was Tamar. | 6Judah acquired a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. |
| 7But the LORD considered Er, Judah's oldest son, to be wicked—so he put him to death. | 7But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the LORD's sight, so the LORD killed him. |
| 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, "Have sexual relations with your brother's wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise up a descendant 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 child would not be considered his. So whenever he had sexual relations with his brother's wife, he withdrew prematurely so as not to give his brother a descendant. |
| 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 the LORD killed him too. |
| 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, "Live as a widow in your father's house until Shelah my son grows up." For he thought, "I don't want him to die like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived 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 some time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with his friend Hirah the Adullamite. |
| 13"Look!" somebody reported to Tamar, "Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to shear his sheep." | 13Tamar was told, "Look, 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 removed her widow's clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) |
| 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 because 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 turned aside to her along the road and said, "Come on! I want to have sex with you." (He did not realize it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, "What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?" |
| 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?" | 17He replied, "I'll send you a young goat from the flock." She asked, "Will you give me a pledge 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. | 18He said, "What pledge should I give you?" She replied, "Your seal, your cord, and the staff that's in your hand." So he gave them to her and had sex with her. She became pregnant by him. |
| 19Then she got up and left. Later, she took off her shawl and put on her mourning clothes. | 19She left immediately, removed her veil, and put on her widow's clothes. |
| 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. | 20Then Judah had his friend Hirah the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge, but Hirah 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 who were there, "Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?" But they replied, "There has been no cult prostitute here." |
| 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 he returned to Judah and said, "I couldn't find her. Moreover, 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 said, "Let her keep the things for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. I did indeed 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!" | 24After three months Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, and as a result she has become pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned!" |
| 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." | 25While they were bringing her out, she sent word to her father-in-law: "I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong." Then she said, "Identify the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong." |
| 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 upright than I am, because I wouldn't give her to Shelah my son." He did not have sexual relations with her again. |
| 27Later, when it was time for Tamar to give birth, she was carrying twins in her womb! | 27When it was time 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." | 28While she was giving birth, one child put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, "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 drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. She said, "How you have broken out of the womb!" So he was named Perez. |
| 30Afterwards, his brother came out, and around his hand was the scarlet. So they named him Zerah. | 30Afterward his brother came out--the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand--and he was named Zerah. |
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