Judah and Tamar (1 Chronicles 2:3–4)
1 UDB At that time, Judah left his older and younger brothers and went down from the hill country and stayed with a man who lived in Adullam. His name was Hiram. BSB BSB: About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.
2 UDB There he met a woman who was the daughter of a man from the land of Canaan named Shua. He married her and slept with her. BSB BSB: There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.
3 UDB She became pregnant and later gave birth to a son. His father named him Er. BSB BSB: So she conceived and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er.
4 UDB Later she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son, whom she named Onan. BSB BSB: Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Onan.
5 UDB Many years later, when Judah and his family went to live in Kezib, Judah's wife gave birth to another son, and she named him Shelah. BSB BSB: Then she gave birth to another son and named him Shelah; it was at Chezib that she gave birth to him.
6 UDB When Judah's oldest son Er grew up, Judah got a wife for him, a woman named Tamar. BSB BSB: Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
7 UDB But Er did something that Yahweh considered to be very wicked, so Yahweh caused him to die. BSB BSB: But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.
8 UDB Then Judah said to Onan, "Your older brother died without having any sons. So marry his widow and sleep with her. That is what our customs require that you should do." BSB BSB: Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”
9 UDB But Onan knew if he did that, any children who would be born would not be considered to be his. So every time he slept with his brother's widow, he spilled his semen on the ground, so that she would not get pregnant and produce children for his older brother. BSB BSB: But Onan knew that the offspring would not belong to him; so whenever he would sleep with his brother’s wife, he would spill his seed on the ground so that he would not produce offspring for his brother.
10 UDB Yahweh considered that what he did was wicked, so he caused him to die also. BSB BSB: What he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, so He put Onan to death as well.
11 UDB Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Return to your father's house, but do not marry anyone else. When my youngest son Shelah grows up, he can marry you." But Judah really did not want Shelah to marry her, because he was afraid that then Shelah would die too, just as his older brothers had died. So Tamar obeyed Judah and went back to live in her father's house again. BSB BSB: Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.
12 UDB Several years later, Judah's wife, who was the daughter of Shua, died. When the time of mourning for her was finished, Judah decided to go up to Timnah, to the place where his men were shearing his sheep. His friend Hiram, from Adullam, went with him. BSB BSB: After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah.
13 UDB Someone said to Tamar, "Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to help the men who are shearing his sheep." BSB BSB: When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
14 UDB She realized that now Shelah was grown up, but Judah had not given her to him to be his wife. So she took off her widow's clothes and covered her head with a veil, so that people would not recognize her. Then she sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. BSB BSB: she removed her widow’s garments, covered her face with a veil to disguise herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that although Shelah had grown up, she had not been given to him as a wife.
15 UDB When Judah came along and saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute because she had covered her head and sat where prostitutes often sat. BSB BSB: When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.
16 UDB Judah did not realize that she was his daughter-in-law. So he said to her, "Let me sleep with you." She replied, "What will you give me in exchange?" BSB BSB: Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “What will you give me for sleeping with you?” she inquired.
17 UDB He replied, "I will send you a young goat from my flock of goats." She asked, "Will you give me something now for me to keep until you send the goat?" BSB BSB: “I will send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah answered. But she replied, “Only if you leave me something as a pledge until you send it.”
18 UDB He replied, "What do you want me to give to you?" She replied, "Give me the ring that has your name on it that is tied by a cord around your neck, and give me the walking stick that you are holding in your hand." So he gave them to her. Then he slept with her, and she became pregnant. BSB BSB: “What pledge should I give you?” he asked. She answered, “Your seal and your cord, and the staff in your hand.” So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
19 UDB After she left, she took off the veil and put her widow's clothes on again. BSB BSB: Then Tamar got up and departed. And she removed her veil and put on her widow’s garments again.
20 UDB Judah gave a young goat to his friend from Adullam, for him to take back to the woman, as he had promised. But his friend could not find the woman. BSB BSB: Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.
21 UDB So his friend asked the men who lived there, "Where is the prostitute who was sitting by the road at Enaim?" They replied, "There has never been a prostitute here!" BSB BSB: He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “No shrine prostitute has been here,” they answered.
22 UDB So he went back to Judah and said, "I did not find her. Furthermore, the men who live in that town said, 'There has never been a prostitute here.'" BSB BSB: So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’”
23 UDB Judah said, "She can keep the things that I gave to her. If we continued to search for her, people would ridicule us. I tried to send this young goat to her, but you could not find her to give it to her." BSB BSB: “Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”
24 UDB About three months later, someone told Judah, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has become a prostitute, and now she is pregnant!" Judah said, "Drag her outside of the city and burn her to death!" BSB BSB: About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”
25 UDB But as they were taking her outside of the city, she gave the ring and walking stick to someone, and told him to take them to Judah, and say to him, "The man who owns these things is the one who caused me to become pregnant." She also said to tell him, "Look at this ring, and the cord that is attached to it, and this walking stick. Whose are they?" BSB BSB: As she was being brought out, Tamar sent a message to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these items belong.” And she added, “Please examine them. Whose seal and cord and staff are these?”
26 UDB When the man did that, Judah recognized the ring and the stick. He said, "She is more right than I am. I did not tell my son Shelah to marry her, as I promised that I would." And Judah did not sleep with her again. BSB BSB: Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.
The Birth of Perez and Zerah 27 UDB When it was time for her to give birth, she was surprised that there were twin boys in her womb. BSB BSB: When the time came for Tamar to give birth, there were twins in her womb.
28 UDB As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand. So the midwife fastened a scarlet thread around his wrist, saying, "This one came out first." BSB BSB: And as she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it around his wrist. “This one came out first,” she announced.
29 UDB But he pulled his hand back inside the womb, and his brother came out first. So she said, "So this is how you break your way out first!" So she named him Perez, which sounds like the Hebrew word that means "breaking out." BSB BSB: But when he pulled his hand back and his brother came out, she said, “You have broken out first!” So he was named Perez.
30 UDB Then his younger brother, the one who had the scarlet thread around his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah, which sounds like the Hebrew word that means "redness of dawn." BSB BSB: Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.