Genesis 38 NIV NLT Parallel

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◄ Genesis 38 ►

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1At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.

1About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam, where he stayed with a man named Hirah.

2There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her;

2There he saw a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her. When he slept with her,

3she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.

3she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and he named the boy Er.

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

4Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son, and she named him Onan.

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

5And when she gave birth to a third son, she named him Shelah. At the time of Shelah’s birth, they were living at Kezib.

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

6In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar.

7But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death.

7But Er was a wicked man in the LORD’s sight, so the LORD took his life.

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

8Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother.”

9But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother.

9But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother’s wife, he spilled the semen on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother.

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

10But the LORD considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the LORD took Onan’s life, too.

11Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's household until my son Shelah grows up." For he thought, "He may die too, just like his brothers." So Tamar went to live in her father's household.

11Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Go back to your parents’ home and remain a widow until my son Shelah is old enough to marry you.” (But Judah didn’t really intend to do this because he was afraid Shelah would also die, like his two brothers.) So Tamar went back to live in her father’s home.

12After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.

12Some years later Judah’s wife died. After the time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep.

13When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,"

13Someone told Tamar, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”

14she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.

14Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but no arrangements had been made for her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow’s clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.

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

15Judah noticed her and thought she was a prostitute, since she had covered her face.

16Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you." "And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked.

16So he stopped and propositioned her. “Let me have sex with you,” he said, not realizing that she was his own daughter-in-law. “How much will you pay to have sex with me?” Tamar asked.

17"I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said. "Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked.

17“I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah promised. “But what will you give me to guarantee that you will send the goat?” she asked.

18He said, "What pledge should I give you?" "Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

18“What kind of guarantee do you want?” he replied. She answered, “Leave me your identification seal and its cord and the walking stick you are carrying.” So Judah gave them to her. Then he had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant.

19After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes again.

19Afterward she went back home, took off her veil, and put on her widow’s clothing as usual.

20Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her.

20Later Judah asked his friend Hirah the Adullamite to take the young goat to the woman and to pick up the things he had given her as his guarantee. But Hirah couldn’t find her.

21He asked the men who lived there, "Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?" "There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here," they said.

21So he asked the men who lived there, “Where can I find the shrine prostitute who was sitting beside the road at the entrance to Enaim?” “We’ve never had a shrine prostitute here,” they replied.

22So he went back to Judah and said, "I didn't find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, 'There hasn't been any shrine prostitute here.'"

22So Hirah returned to Judah and told him, “I couldn’t find her anywhere, and the men of the village claim they’ve never had a shrine prostitute there.”

23Then Judah said, "Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn't find her."

23“Then let her keep the things I gave her,” Judah said. “I sent the young goat as we agreed, but you couldn’t find her. We’d be the laughingstock of the village if we went back again to look for her.”

24About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant." Judah said, "Bring her out and have her burned to death!"

24About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has acted like a prostitute. And now, because of this, she’s pregnant.” “Bring her out, and let her be burned!” Judah demanded.

25As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. "I am pregnant by the man who owns these," she said. And she added, "See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are."

25But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her father-in-law: “The man who owns these things made me pregnant. Look closely. Whose seal and cord and walking stick are these?”

26Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah." And he did not sleep with her again.

26Judah recognized them immediately and said, “She is more righteous than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.” And Judah never slept with Tamar again.

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

27When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she was carrying twins.

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

28While she was in labor, one of the babies reached out his hand. The midwife grabbed it and tied a scarlet string around the child’s wrist, announcing, “This one came out first.”

29But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez.

29But then he pulled back his hand, and out came his brother! “What!” the midwife exclaimed. “How did you break out first?” So he was named Perez.

30Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah.

30Then the baby with the scarlet string on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah.

New International Version (NIV)

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