Genesis 38

1 And it comes to pass, at that time, that Judah goes down from his brothers, and turns aside to a man, an Adullamite, whose name [is] Hirah;

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

2 and Judah sees there the daughter of a man, a Canaanite, whose name [is] Shuah, and takes her, and goes in to her.

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

3 And she conceives, and bears a son, and he calls his name Er;

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

4 and she conceives again, and bears a son, and calls his name Onan;

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

5 and she adds again, and bears a son, and calls his name Shelah; and he was in Chezib in her bearing him.

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 takes a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name [is] Tamar;

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

7 and Er, Judah’s firstborn, is evil in the eyes of YHWH, and YHWH puts him to death.

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

8 And Judah says to Onan, “Go in to the wife of your brother, and marry her, and raise up seed to your brother”;

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 and Onan knows that the seed is not [reckoned] his; and it has come to pass, if he has gone in to his brother’s wife, that he has destroyed [it] to the earth, so as not to give seed to his brother;

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 that which he has done is evil in the eyes of YHWH, and He puts him also to death.

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

11 And Judah says to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Abide [as] a widow at your father’s house, until my son Shelah grows up”; for he said, “Lest he die—even he—like his brothers”; and Tamar goes and dwells at her father’s house.

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 And the days are multiplied, and the daughter of Shuah, Judah’s wife, dies; and Judah is comforted, and goes up to his sheep-shearers, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite, to Timnath.

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 it is declared to Tamar, saying, “Behold, your husband’s father is going up to Timnath to shear his flock”;

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

14 and she turns aside the garments of her widowhood from off her, and covers herself with a veil, and wraps herself up, and sits in the opening of Enayim, which [is] by the way to Timnath, for she has seen that Shelah has grown up, and she has not been given to him for a wife.

She took off her widow's clothes and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.

15 And Judah sees her, and reckons her for a harlot, for she has covered her face,

When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.

16 and he turns aside to her by the way and says, “Please come, let me come in to you,” for he has not known that she [is] his daughter-in-law; and she says, “What do you give to me, that you may come in to me?”

He went over to her by the road and said, "Please come, let me sleep with you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me for sleeping with you?"

17 And he says, “I send a kid of the goats from the flock.” And she says, “Do you give a pledge until you send [it]?”

He said, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." She said, "Will you give me something as a guarantee until you send it?"

18 And he says, “What [is] the pledge that I give to you?” And she says, “Your seal, and your ribbon, and your staff which [is] in your hand”; and he gives to her, and goes in to her, and she conceives to him;

He said, "What kind of guarantee should I give you?" She replied, "Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand." So he gave them to her, and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

19 and she rises, and goes, and turns aside her veil from off her, and puts on the garments of her widowhood.

And she got up and left, and took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothing.

20 And Judah sends the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the hand of the woman, and he has not found her.

Judah sent the young goat by his friend, the Adullamite, to receive the guarantee back from the woman's hand, but he did not find her.

21 And he asks the men of her place, saying, “Where [is] the separated one—she in Enayim, by the way?” And they say, “There has not been in this [place] a separated one.”

Then he asked the men of the place, saying, "Where is the prostitute that was at Enaim by the road?" They said, "There has been no prostitute here."

22 And he turns back to Judah and says, “I have not found her; and the men of the place also have said, There has not been in this [place] a separated one,”

He returned to Judah, and said, "I haven't found her; and also the men of the place said, 'There has been no prostitute here.'"

23 and Judah says, “Let her take to herself, lest we become despised; behold, I sent this kid, and you have not found her.”

Judah said, "Let her keep the things, lest we be publicly shamed. Look, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her."

24 And it comes to pass about three months [after], that it is declared to Judah, saying, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has committed fornication; and also, behold, she has conceived by fornication”: and Judah says, “Bring her out—and she is burned.”

Now it happened about three months later that Judah was told, saying, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has turned to prostitution, and now, look, she is pregnant by prostitution." Judah said, "Bring her out, and let her be burned."

25 She is brought out, and she has sent to her husband’s father, saying, “To a man whose these [are], I [am] pregnant”; and she says, “Please discern whose these [are]—the seal, and the ribbons, and the staff.”

When she was brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man who owns these I am pregnant." She also said, "Please discern whose these are—the signet, and the cord, and the staff."

26 And Judah discerns and says, “She has been more righteous than I, because that I did not give her to my son Shelah”; and he has not added to know her again.

Then Judah recognized them, and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." He did not sleep with her again.

27 And it comes to pass in the time of her bearing, that behold, twins [are] in her womb;

It happened when it was time for her to give birth, that look, there were twins in her womb.

28 and it comes to pass in her bearing, that [one] gives out a hand, and the midwife takes and binds on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, “This has come out first.”

As she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."

29 And it comes to pass as he draws back his hand, that behold, his brother has come out, and she says, “What! You have broken forth—the breach [is] on you”; and he calls his name Perez;

It happened, as he drew back his hand, that look, his brother came out, and she said, "How did you break through?" So he was named Perez.

30 and afterward his brother has come out, on whose hand [is] the scarlet thread, and he calls his name Zerah.

Afterward his brother came out, that had the scarlet thread on his hand, so he was named Zerah.