Judah and Tamar

Genesis 38

1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and o turned aside to a certain p Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was q Shua. He took her and went in to her, 3 and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name r Er. 4 She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name r Onan. 5 Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name r Shelah. Judah 1 was in Chezib when she bore him.

6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, s was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death. 8 Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to t your brother's wife and u perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." 9 But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother's wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. 10 And what he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also. 11 Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, v "Remain a widow in your father's house, till Shelah my son grows up" - for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained w in her father's house.

12 In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua's daughter, died. When Judah x was comforted, he went up to y Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 And when Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep," 14 she took off her widow's garments z and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to a Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, b and she had not been given to him in marriage. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 He turned to her at the roadside and said, "Come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?" 17 He answered, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." And she said, "If you give me a pledge, until you send it - " 18 He said, "What pledge shall I give you?" She replied, c "Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand." So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him. 19 Then she arose and went away, and taking off d her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.

20 When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman's hand, he did not find her. 21 And he asked the men of the place, "Where is the cult prostitute 2 who was at e Enaim at the roadside?" And they said, "No cult prostitute has been here." 22 So he returned to Judah and said, "I have not found her. Also, the men of the place said, 'No cult prostitute has been here.'" 23 And Judah replied, "Let her keep the things as her own, or we shall be laughed at. You see, I sent this young goat, and you did not find her."

24 About three months later Judah was told, "Tamar your daughter-in-law f has been immoral. 3 Moreover, she is pregnant by immorality." 4 And Judah said, "Bring her out, and g let her be burned." 25 As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, "By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant." And she said, "Please identify whose these are, h the signet and the cord and the staff." 26 Then Judah identified them and said, i "She is more righteous than I, since j I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not know her again.

27 When the time of her labor came, there were twins in her womb. 28 And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This one came out first." 29 But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" Therefore his name was called k Perez. 5 30 Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called k Zerah.

  1. Cross References
    Genesis 38:16
    He turned to her at the roadside and said, "Come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?
    Genesis 19:3
    But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
    2 Kings 4:8
    One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food.
  2. Cross References
    1 Samuel 22:1
    David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.
    2 Samuel 23:13
    And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
    1 Chronicles 11:15
    Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, when the army of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
    Micah 1:15
    I will again bring a conqueror to you, inhabitants of Mareshah; the glory of Israel shall come to Adullam.
  3. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 2:3
    The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death.
  4. Cross References
    Genesis 46:12
    The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
    Numbers 26:19 - 20
    The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
  5. Cross References
    Genesis 38:3
    And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.
  6. Cross References
    Genesis 38:3
    And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.
  7. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 2:3
    The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death.
  8. Cross References
    Matthew 22:24
    Saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.
    Mark 12:19
    Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
    Luke 20:28
    And they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.
  9. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 25:5 - 10
    If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her.
  10. Cross References
    Ruth 1:12 - 13
    Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons.
  11. Cross References
    Leviticus 22:13
    But if a priest's daughter is widowed or divorced and has no child and returns to her father's house, as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food; yet no lay person shall eat of it.
  12. Cross References
    Genesis 24:67
    Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.
    Genesis 37:35
    All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father wept for him.
    2 Samuel 13:39
    And the spirit of the king longed to go out to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.
  13. Cross References
    Judges 14:1
    Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines.
  14. Cross References
    Genesis 38:19
    Then she arose and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.
    Genesis 24:65
    And said to the servant, "Who is that man, walking in the field to meet us?" The servant said, "It is my master." So she took her veil and covered herself.
  15. Cross References
    Genesis 38:21
    And he asked the men of the place, "Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim at the roadside?" And they said, "No cult prostitute has been here.
  16. Cross References
    Genesis 38:26
    Then Judah identified them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not know her again.
  17. Cross References
    Genesis 38:25
    As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, "By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant." And she said, "Please identify whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff.
  18. Cross References
    Genesis 38:14
    She took off her widow's garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage.
  19. Cross References
    Genesis 38:14
    She took off her widow's garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage.
  20. Cross References
    Judges 19:2
    And his concubine was unfaithful to him, and she went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there some four months.
  21. Cross References
    Leviticus 21:9
    And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.
    Deuteronomy 22:21
    Then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done an outrageous thing in Israel by whoring in her father's house. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
    John 8:5
    Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?
  22. Cross References
    Genesis 38:18
    He said, "What pledge shall 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 went in to her, and she conceived by him.
  23. Cross References
    1 Samuel 24:17
    He said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.
  24. Cross References
    Genesis 38:14
    She took off her widow's garments and covered herself with a veil, wrapping herself up, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she had not been given to him in marriage.
  25. Cross References
    Genesis 46:12
    The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
    Numbers 26:20
    And the sons of Judah according to their clans were: of Shelah, the clan of the Shelanites; of Perez, the clan of the Perezites; of Zerah, the clan of the Zerahites.
    1 Chronicles 2:4
    His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
    Matthew 1:3
    And Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.
  26. Cross References
    Genesis 38:29
    But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" Therefore his name was called Perez.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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