THE STORY OF TAMAR, GENESIS 38:1-26
1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers
and settled near a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah. 2 There Judah saw
the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; he married her and
went in to her. 3 She conceived and bore a son; and he named him Er. 4 Again
she conceived and bore a son whom she named Onan. 5 Yet again she bore a son,
and she named him Shelah. She was in Chezib when she bore him. 6 Judah took
a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn,
was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death. 8 Then Judah
said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law
to her; raise up offspring for your brother." 9 But since Onan knew that
the offspring would not be his, he spilled his semen on the ground whenever
he went in to his brother's wife, so that he would not give offspring to his
brother. 10 What he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD, and he put
him to death also. 11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain
a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up"-for he feared
that he too would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went to live in her father's
house.
12 In course of time the wife of Judah, Shua's daughter, died; when Judah's
time of mourning was over, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and
his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law
is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep," 14 she put off her widow's garments,
put on a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which
is on the road to Timnah. She saw that Shelah was grown up, yet she had not
been given to him in marriage. 15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a
prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16 He went over to her at the road
side, 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 kid from
the flock." And she said, "Only if you give me a pledge, until you
send it." 18 He said, "What pledge shall I give you?" She replied,
"Your signet and your cord, and the 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
got up and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her
widowhood.
20 When Judah sent the kid by his friend the Adullamite, to recover the pledge
from the woman, he could not find her. 21 He asked the townspeople, "Where
is the temple prostitute who was at Enaim by the wayside?" But they said,
"No prostitute has been here." 22 So he returned to Judah, and said,
"I have not found her; moreover the townspeople said, 'No prostitute has
been here.' " 23 Judah replied, "Let her keep the things as her own,
otherwise we will be laughed at; you see, I sent this kid, and you could not
find her."
24 About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar
has played the whore; moreover she is pregnant as a result of whoredom."
And Judah said, "Bring her out, and let her be burned." 25 As she
was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, "It was the
owner of these who made me pregnant." And she said, "Take note, please,
whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff." 26 Then Judah
acknowledged them and said, "She is more in the right than I, since I did
not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not lie with her again.
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