Genesis 38
Smith's Literal Translation Par ▾ 

Judah and Tamar
(1 Chronicles 2:3–4)

1And it shall be in that time, and Judah will go down from his brethren, and will turn to a man, an Adullamite, and his name Hirah. 2And Judah will see there the daughter of a man, a Canaanite, and his name Shuah, and he will take her and will go in to her. 3And she will conceive and bring forth a son, and he will call his name Er. 4And she will conceive yet again and bear a son, and will call his name Onan. 5And she will add yet and bear a son, and will call his name Shelah: and he was in Chezib, in her bearing him.

6And Judah will take a wife for Er his first-born, and her name Tamar. 7And Er, Judah's first-born, will be evil in the eyes of Jehovah: and Jehovah will kill him. 8And Judah will say to Onan, go in to thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. 9And Onan will know that not to him will be the seed; and it was when he went in to his brother's wife, he destroyed upon the earth, not to give seed to his brother. 10And it will be evil in the eyes of Jehovah, what he did, and he will kill him also. 11And Judah will say to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Sit a widow in thy father's house, till Shelah my son shall be great; (for he said, Lest this also shall die as his brethren.) And Tamar will go and will sit in her father's house.

12And the days will be multiplied, and the daughter of Shuah, Judah's wife, will die; and Judah will be comforted, and will go up to the shearers of his sheep, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite, to Timnath. 13And it will be announced to Tamar, saying, Behold, thy father-in-law going up to Timnath to shear his sheep. 14And she will remove the garments of her widowhood from her, and she will be covered with a veil, and will veil herself and will sit in the entrance of the eyes, which is upon the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was great, and she was not given to him for a wife. 15And Judah will see her, and will think her a harlot, because she covered her face. 16And he will turn to her by the way, and will say, Now I will come in to thee; for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law: and she will say, What wilt thou give to me that thou wilt come in to me? 17And he will say, I will send a kid of the goats from the flock: and she will say, If thou wilt give a pledge till thy sending. 18And he will say, What the pledge which I shall give to thee? And she will say, Thy seal, and thy cord, and thy rod which is in thy hand: and he will give to her, and will go in to her, and she will conceive by him. 19And she will arise and go, and will put away her veil from her, and will put on the garments of her widowhood.

20And Judah will send the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to take the pledge from the hand of the woman; and he found her not. 21And he will ask the men of the place, saying, Where the harlot, she in the eyes upon the way? and they will say, No harlot was here. 22And he will turn back to Judah, and will say, I found her not; and also the men of the place said, No harlot was here. 23And Judah will say, She shall take to her, lest we shall be for a contempt: Behold, I sent this kid, and thou didst not find her.

24And it will be after three months, and it will be announced to Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law committed fornication; and also, behold, she conceived by fornication. And Judah will say, Bring her forth, and she shall be burnt. 25She being brought forth, and she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man whose are these, by him I conceived. And she will say, Recognise, now, to whom the seal, the cords, and the rod, these. 26And Judah will recognise, and will say, She was justified more than I, because that I gave her not to Shelah my son: and he will not add to know her yet again.

The Birth of Perez and Zerah

27And it will be in the time of her bringing forth, and behold, twins in her womb. 28And it will be in her bringing forth, and he will give the hand; and the midwife will take and bind upon his hand, scarlet, saying, This came forth first. 29And it will be after turning back his hand, and behold his brother will come forth; and she will say, How didst thou break forth? the breach upon thee: and his name shall be called. 30And afterward his brother will come forth, whom upon his hand the scarlet, and his name shall be called Zarah.


The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments; Translated Literally From The Original Tongues by Julia E. Smith

Section Headings Courtesy Berean Bible

Genesis 37
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