Tamar

1At that time Judah went down away from his brothers. He went to stay with a man named Hirah, who was from the town of Adullam.

And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

NoteAdullam was a town in Canaan. Judah left his own family to live near people who were not his relatives.

2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shuah. He married her and slept with her.

And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.

NoteThe Canaanites were the people already living in that land. Judah's family had come there from far away.

3She became pregnant and had a son. Judah named him Er.

And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.

4She became pregnant again and had a son. She named him Onan.

And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.

5She became pregnant once more and had a son. She named him Shelah. This son was born at a place called Chezib.

And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.

6Judah chose a wife for Er, his oldest son. Her name was Tamar.

And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.

NoteBack then parents chose who their children would marry. The oldest son mattered most. He got the biggest share of the family's things when his father died.

7But Er, Judah's oldest son, was wicked in the LORD's sight. And the LORD put him to death.

And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.

Note"The LORD" in big letters stands for God's own special name. To be wicked "in the LORD's sight" means God saw what the man did.

8Then Judah said to Onan, "Sleep with your brother's wife. Marry her, as a brother should. Have a child who will count as your brother's child."

And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.

NoteThis was a rule families followed long ago. If a man died with no children, his brother married the widow. Their first baby was counted as the dead brother's child. That way the dead man's name and land were not lost.

9Onan knew the child would not be counted as his own. So when he slept with his brother's wife, he spilled his seed on the ground. He did this so his brother would not have a child.

And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.

Note"Seed" here means the tiny part from a father that helps start a baby.

10What Onan did displeased the LORD. So the LORD put him to death too.

And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

11Then Judah spoke to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son. He said, "Go live at your father's house. Stay a widow there until my son Shelah is grown up." Judah thought, "Shelah might die too, the way his brothers did." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.

Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.

NoteA widow is a woman whose husband has died. A widow with no husband and no children had no one to take care of her. She usually went back to live with her own father.

12After a long time, Judah's wife died. She was the daughter of Shuah. When Judah was done grieving, he went up to Timnath. His workers were cutting the wool off his sheep there. His friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.

And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

NoteOnce a year workers cut the thick wool off the sheep. The wool was made into cloth. It was a busy, happy time with lots of food and friends. Timnath was a town some miles away.

13Someone told Tamar, "Look, your husband's father is going up to Timnath to cut the wool off his sheep."

And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.

14So she took off her widow's clothes. She covered her face with a veil, a cloth that hides the face. She wrapped herself up and sat in an open place beside the road to Timnath. She did this because she saw that Shelah was grown up. She had not been given to him as a wife.

And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which is by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.

NoteWidows wore special clothes. Anyone who saw them knew that woman's husband had died. A veil is a thin cloth worn over the face, so no one can tell who you are.

15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute. He thought this because her face was covered.

When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.

NoteA prostitute is a woman who is paid by men to sleep with them.

16He turned off the road and went to her. He said, "Come now, please let me sleep with you." He did not know she was his son's wife. She said, "What will you give me if I do?"

And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she was his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?

17He said, "I will send you a young goat from my flock." She said, "Will you give me something to keep until you send it?"

And he said, I will send thee a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?

NoteThere were no coins yet. People paid each other with animals and food. A young goat was worth quite a lot.

18He said, "What should I give you to keep?" She said, "Your seal, your cord, and the walking stick in your hand." He gave them to her. He slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that is in thine hand. And he gave it her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.

NoteA seal was a small carved stone worn on a cord around the neck. A man pressed it into soft clay to sign his name. His walking stick had his own marks on it too. Everyone who saw these things knew exactly whose they were. Leaving them behind was like leaving your name as a promise.

19Then she got up and went away. She took off her veil and put her widow's clothes back on.

And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

20Judah sent the young goat with his friend from Adullam. The friend was to get back the things Judah had left with the woman. But he could not find her.

And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive his pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.

21So he asked the men of that place, "Where is the prostitute who was out by the roadside?" They said, "There has been no prostitute in this place."

Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where is the harlot, that was openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this place.

22He went back to Judah and said, "I cannot find her. The men of that place said there was no prostitute there."

And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, that there was no harlot in this place.

23Judah said, "Let her keep the things, or we will be shamed. I did send this young goat, and you could not find her."

And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

NoteJudah means that people would laugh at him. He had given his own name-stone to a stranger and could not get it back.

24About three months later, someone told Judah, "Tamar, your son's wife, has acted like a prostitute. Look, she is pregnant from it." Judah said, "Bring her out. Let her be burned."

And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

NoteThe father was the head of the whole family. He decided what should happen when someone in his family did wrong. That is why the news was brought to Judah.

25As she was brought out, she sent a message to her husband's father. She said, "I am pregnant by the man who owns these things." She also said, "Please look and see. Whose seal and cord and walking stick are these?"

When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.

26Judah knew they were his. He said, "She has done right, more than I have. I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he never slept with her again.

And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

NoteThe old words say she was "more righteous" than Judah. He means that she kept her part of the family rule and he did not.

27When it was time for her baby to be born, there were twins inside her.

And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.

28While she was giving birth, one baby put out his hand. The midwife, the woman who helps babies be born, tied a red thread on his hand. She said, "This one came out first."

And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

NoteA midwife is a woman whose job is helping mothers when a baby is born. The red thread marked which twin came out first. That mattered, because the first son born had the special place in the family.

29But he pulled his hand back, and his brother came out. She said, "How you have broken your way out! This breaking out is yours." So he was named Pharez.

And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.

NoteIn their language the name Pharez sounds like the words "breaking out." People often gave babies names that sounded like something that happened that day.

30Then his brother came out, with the red thread on his hand. He was named Zarah.

And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

NoteThe name Zarah sounds like a word for a bright red shine, like the sky at sunrise. It matched the red thread on his hand.