Genesis 38:13–30

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