Genesis 38–39

¹And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Judah goeth down from his brethren, and turneth aside unto a man, an Adullamite, whose name is Hirah; ²and Judah seeth there the daughter of a man, a Canaanite, whose name is Shuah, and taketh her, and goeth in unto her. ³And she conceiveth, and beareth a son, and he calleth his name Er; ⁴and she conceiveth again, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Onan; ⁵and she addeth again, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Shelah; and he was in Chezib in her bearing him. ⁶And Judah taketh a wife for Er, his first-born, and her name is Tamar; ⁷and Er, Judah’s first-born, is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah doth put him to death. ⁸And Judah saith to Onan, ‘Go in unto the wife of thy brother, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother;’ ⁹and Onan knoweth that the seed is not reckoned his; and it hath come to pass, if he hath gone in unto his brother’s wife, that he hath destroyed it to the earth, so as not to give seed to his brother; ¹⁰and that which he hath done is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and He putteth him also to death. ¹¹And Judah saith to Tamar his daughter-in-law, ‘Abide a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son groweth up;’ for he said, ‘Lest he die—even he—like his brethren;’ and Tamar goeth and dwelleth at her father’s house.

¹²And the days are multiplied, and the daughter of Shuah, Judah’s wife, dieth; and Judah is comforted, and goeth up unto his sheep-shearers, he and Hirah his friend the Adullamite, to Timnath. ¹³And it is declared to Tamar, saying, ‘Lo, thy husband’s father is going up to Timnath to shear his flock;’ ¹⁴and she turneth aside the garments of her widowhood from off her, and covereth herself with a vail, and wrappeth herself up, and sitteth in the opening of Enayim, which is by the way to Timnath, for she hath seen that Shelah hath grown up, and she hath not been given to him for a wife. ¹⁵And Judah seeth her, and reckoneth her for a harlot, for she hath covered her face, ¹⁶and he turneth aside unto her by the way, and saith, ‘Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee,’ (for he hath not known that she is his daughter-in-law); and she saith, ‘What dost thou give to me, that thou mayest come in unto me?’ ¹⁷and he saith, ‘I—I send a kid of the goats from the flock.’ And she saith, ‘Dost thou give a pledge till thou send it?’ ¹⁸and he saith, ‘What is the pledge that I give to thee?’ and she saith, ‘Thy seal, and thy ribbon, and thy staff which is in thy hand;’ and he giveth to her, and goeth in unto her, and she conceiveth to him; ¹⁹and she riseth, and goeth, and turneth aside her vail from off her, and putteth on the garments of her widowhood. ²⁰And Judah sendeth 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 hath not found her. ²¹And he asketh the men of her place, saying, ‘Where is the separated one—she in Enayim, by the way?’ and they say, ‘There hath not been in this place a separated one.’ ²²And he turneth back unto Judah, and saith, ‘I have not found her; and the men of the place also have said, There hath not been in this place a separated one,’ ²³and Judah saith, ‘Let her take to herself, lest we become despised; lo, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.’

²⁴And it cometh to pass about three months after, that it is declared to Judah, saying, ‘Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath committed fornication; and also, lo, she hath conceived by fornication:’ and Judah saith, ‘Bring her out—and she is burnt.’ ²⁵She is brought out, and she hath sent unto her husband’s father, saying, ‘To a man whose these are, I am pregnant;’ and she saith, ‘Discern, I pray thee, whose are these—the seal, and the ribbons, and the staff.’ ²⁶And Judah discerneth and saith, ‘She hath been more righteous than I, because that I did not give her to Shelah my son;’ and he hath not added to know her again. ²⁷And it cometh to pass in the time of her bearing, that lo, twins are in her womb; ²⁸and it cometh to pass in her bearing, that one giveth out a hand, and the midwife taketh and bindeth on his hand a scarlet thread, saying, ‘This hath come out first.’ ²⁹And it cometh to pass as he draweth back his hand, that lo, his brother hath come out, and she saith, ‘What! thou hast broken forth—on thee is the breach;’ and he calleth his name Pharez; ³⁰and afterwards hath his brother come out, on whose hand is the scarlet thread, and he calleth his name Zarah.

Chapter 39

¹And Joseph hath been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, head of the executioners, an Egyptian man, buyeth him out of the hands of the Ishmaelites who have brought him thither. ²And Jehovah is with Joseph, and he is a prosperous man, and he is in the house of his lord the Egyptian, ³and his lord seeth that Jehovah is with him, and all that he is doing Jehovah is causing to prosper in his hand, ⁴and Joseph findeth grace in his eyes and serveth him, and he appointeth him over his house, and all that he hath he hath given into his hand. ⁵And it cometh to pass from the time that he hath appointed him over his house, and over all that he hath, that Jehovah blesseth the house of the Egyptian for Joseph’s sake, and the blessing of Jehovah is on all that he hath, in the house, and in the field; ⁶and he leaveth all that he hath in the hand of Joseph, and he hath not known anything that he hath, except the bread which he is eating. And Joseph is of a fair form, and of a fair appearance.

⁷And it cometh to pass after these things, that his lord’s wife lifteth up her eyes unto Joseph, and saith, ‘Lie with me;’ ⁸and he refuseth, and saith unto his lord’s wife, ‘Lo, my lord hath not known what is with me in the house, and all that he hath he hath given into my hand; ⁹none is greater in this house than I, and he hath not withheld from me anything, except thee, because thou art his wife; and how shall I do this great evil?—then have I sinned against God.’ ¹⁰And it cometh to pass at her speaking unto Joseph day by day, that he hath not hearkened unto her, to lie near her, to be with her; ¹¹and it cometh to pass about this day, that he goeth into the house to do his work, and there is none of the men of the house there in the house, ¹²and she catcheth him by his garment, saying, ‘Lie with me;’ and he leaveth his garment in her hand, and fleeth, and goeth without.

¹³And it cometh to pass when she seeth that he hath left his garment in her hand, and fleeth without, ¹⁴that she calleth for the men of her house, and speaketh to them, saying, ‘See, he hath brought in to us a man, a Hebrew, to play with us; he hath come in unto me, to lie with me, and I call with a loud voice, ¹⁵and it cometh to pass, when he heareth that I have lifted up my voice and call, that he leaveth his garment near me, and fleeth, and goeth without.’ ¹⁶And she placeth his garment near her, until the coming in of his lord unto his house. ¹⁷And she speaketh unto him according to these words, saying, ‘The Hebrew servant whom thou hast brought unto us, hath come in unto me to play with me; ¹⁸and it cometh to pass, when I lift my voice and call, that he leaveth his garment near me, and fleeth without.’

¹⁹And it cometh to pass when his lord heareth the words of his wife, which she hath spoken unto him, saying, ‘According to these things hath thy servant done to me,’ that his anger burneth; ²⁰and Joseph’s lord taketh him, and putteth him unto the round-house, a place where the king’s prisoners are bound; and he is there in the round-house. ²¹And Jehovah is with Joseph, and stretcheth out kindness unto him, and putteth his grace in the eyes of the chief of the round-house; ²²and the chief of the round-house giveth into the hand of Joseph all the prisoners who are in the round-house, and of all that they are doing there, he hath been doer; ²³the chief of the round-house seeth not anything under his hand, because Jehovah is with him, and that which he is doing Jehovah is causing to prosper.

Chapter 40