Genesis 38 : 1 (NCV)
About that time, Judah left his brothers and went to stay with a man named Hirah in the town of Adullam.
Genesis 38 : 2 (NCV)
There Judah met a Canaanite girl, the daughter of a man named Shua, and married her. Judah had sexual relations with her,
Genesis 38 : 3 (NCV)
and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom Judah named Er.
Genesis 38 : 4 (NCV)
Later she gave birth to another son and named him Onan.
Genesis 38 : 5 (NCV)
Still later she had another son and named him Shelah. She was at Kezib when this third son was born.
Genesis 38 : 6 (NCV)
Judah chose a girl named Tamar to be the wife of his first son Er.
Genesis 38 : 7 (NCV)
But Er, Judah's oldest son, did what the Lord said was evil, so the Lord killed him.
Genesis 38 : 8 (NCV)
Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan, "Go and have sexual relations with your dead brother's wife. It is your duty to provide children for your brother in this way."
Genesis 38 : 9 (NCV)
But Onan knew that the children would not belong to him, so when he was supposed to have sexual relations with Tamar he did not complete the sex act. This made it impossible for Tamar to become pregnant and for Er to have descendants.
Genesis 38 : 10 (NCV)
The Lord was displeased by this wicked thing Onan had done, so the Lord killed Onan also.
Genesis 38 : 11 (NCV)
Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Go back to live in your father's house, and don't marry until my young son Shelah grows up." Judah was afraid that Shelah also would die like his brothers. So Tamar returned to her father's home.
Genesis 38 : 12 (NCV)
After a long time Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah had gotten over his sorrow, he went to Timnah to his men who were cutting the wool from his sheep. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him.
Genesis 38 : 13 (NCV)
Tamar learned that Judah, her father-in-law, was going to Timnah to cut the wool from his sheep.
Genesis 38 : 14 (NCV)
So she took off the clothes that showed she was a widow and covered her face with a veil to hide who she was. Then she sat down by the gate of Enaim on the road to Timnah. She did this because Judah's younger son Shelah had grown up, but Judah had not made plans for her to marry him.
Genesis 38 : 15 (NCV)
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because she had covered her face with a veil.
Genesis 38 : 16 (NCV)
So Judah went to her and said, "Let me have sexual relations with you." He did not know that she was Tamar, his daughter-in-law. She asked, "What will you give me if I let you have sexual relations with me?"
Genesis 38 : 17 (NCV)
Judah answered, "I will send you a young goat from my flock." She answered, "First give me something to keep as a deposit until you send the goat."
Genesis 38 : 18 (NCV)
Judah asked, "What do you want me to give you as a deposit?" Tamar answered, "Give me your seal and its cord, and give me your walking stick." So Judah gave these things to her. Then Judah and Tamar had sexual relations, and Tamar became pregnant.
Genesis 38 : 19 (NCV)
When Tamar went home, she took off the veil that covered her face and put on the clothes that showed she was a widow.
Genesis 38 : 20 (NCV)
Judah sent his friend Hirah with the young goat to find the woman and get back his seal and the walking stick he had given her, but Hirah could not find her.
Genesis 38 : 21 (NCV)
He asked some of the people at the town of Enaim, "Where is the prostitute who was here by the road?" They answered, "There has never been a prostitute here."
Genesis 38 : 22 (NCV)
So he went back to Judah and said, "I could not find the woman, and the people who lived there said, 'There has never been a prostitute here.'"
Genesis 38 : 23 (NCV)
Judah said, "Let her keep the things. I don't want people to laugh at us. I sent her the goat as I promised, but you could not find her."
Genesis 38 : 24 (NCV)
About three months later someone told Judah, "Tamar, your daughter-in-law, is guilty of acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant." Then Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned to death."
Genesis 38 : 25 (NCV)
When the people went to bring Tamar out, she sent a message to her father-in-law that said, "The man who owns these things has made me pregnant. Look at this seal and its cord and this walking stick, and tell me whose they are."
Genesis 38 : 26 (NCV)
Judah recognized them and said, "She is more in the right than I. She did this because I did not give her to my son Shelah as I promised." And Judah did not have sexual relations with her again.
Genesis 38 : 27 (NCV)
When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her body.
Genesis 38 : 28 (NCV)
While she was giving birth, one baby put his hand out. The nurse tied a red string on his hand and said, "This baby came out first."
Genesis 38 : 29 (NCV)
But he pulled his hand back in, so the other baby was born first. The nurse said, "So you are able to break out first," and they named him Perez.
Genesis 38 : 30 (NCV)
After this, the baby with the red string on his hand was born, and they named him Zerah.
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