¹ויהי בעת ההוא וירד יהודה מאת אחיו ויט עד איש עדלמי ושמו חירה׃

¹And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a man of Adullam whose name was Hirah.

²וירא שם יהודה בת איש כנעני ושמו שוע ויקחה ויבא אליה׃

²And Judah saw there the daughter of a Canaanitish man whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in to her.

³ותהר ותלד בן ויקרא את שמו ער׃

³And she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name Er.

⁴ותהר עוד ותלד בן ותקרא את שמו אונן׃

⁴And she again conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.

⁵ותסף עוד ותלד בן ותקרא את שמו שלה והיה בכזיב בלדתה אתו׃

⁵And again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah; and he was at Chezib when she bore him.

⁶ויקח יהודה אשה לער בכורו ושמה תמר׃

⁶And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

⁷ויהי ער בכור יהודה רע בעיני יהוה וימתהו יהוה׃

⁷And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah, and Jehovah slew him.

⁸ויאמר יהודה לאונן בא אל אשת אחיך ויבם אתה והקם זרע לאחיך׃

⁸Then Judah said to Onan, Go in to thy brother's wife, and fulfil to her the brother-in-law's duty, and raise up seed to thy brother.

⁹וידע אונן כי לא לו יהיה הזרע והיה אם בא אל אשת אחיו ושחת ארצה לבלתי נתן זרע לאחיו׃

⁹But when Onan knew that the seed should not be his own, it came to pass when he went in to his brother's wife, that he spilled [it] on the ground, in order to give no seed to his brother.

¹⁰וירע בעיני יהוה אשר עשה וימת גם אתו׃

¹⁰And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and he slew him also.

¹¹ויאמר יהודה לתמר כלתו שבי אלמנה בית אביך עד יגדל שלה בני כי אמר פן ימות גם הוא כאחיו ותלך תמר ותשב בית אביה׃

¹¹And Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow in thy father's house, until Shelah my son is grown; for he said, Lest he die also, as his brethren. And Tamar went and remained in her father's house.

¹²וירבו הימים ותמת בת שוע אשת יהודה וינחם יהודה ויעל על גזזי צאנו הוא וחירה רעהו העדלמי תמנתה׃

¹²And as the days were multiplied, Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. And Judah was comforted, and he went up to his sheep-shearers, to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

¹³ויגד לתמר לאמר הנה חמיך עלה תמנתה לגז צאנו׃

¹³And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.

¹⁴ותסר בגדי אלמנותה מעליה ותכס בצעיף ותתעלף ותשב בפתח עינים אשר על דרך תמנתה כי ראתה כי גדל שלה והוא לא נתנה לו לאשה׃

¹⁴And she put the garments of her widowhood off from her, and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the entry of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as wife.

¹⁵ויראה יהודה ויחשבה לזונה כי כסתה פניה׃

¹⁵And Judah saw her, and took her for a harlot; because she had covered her face.

¹⁶ויט אליה אל הדרך ויאמר הבה נא אבוא אליך כי לא ידע כי כלתו הוא ותאמר מה תתן לי כי תבוא אלי׃

¹⁶And he turned aside to her by the way, and said, Come, I pray thee, let me go in to thee; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in to me?

¹⁷ויאמר אנכי אשלח גדי עזים מן הצאן ותאמר אם תתן ערבון עד שלחך׃

¹⁷And he said, I will send [thee] a kid of the goats from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give [me] a pledge, until thou send it?

¹⁸ויאמר מה הערבון אשר אתן לך ותאמר חתמך ופתילך ומטך אשר בידך ויתן לה ויבא אליה ותהר לו׃

¹⁸And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy lace, and thy staff which is in thy hand. And he gave [it] her, and went in to her; and she conceived by him.

¹⁹ותקם ותלך ותסר צעיפה מעליה ותלבש בגדי אלמנותה׃

¹⁹And she arose and went away; and she laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

²⁰וישלח יהודה את גדי העזים ביד רעהו העדלמי לקחת הערבון מיד האשה ולא מצאה׃

²⁰And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand; but he found her not.

²¹וישאל את אנשי מקמה לאמר איה הקדשה הוא בעינים על הדרך ויאמרו לא היתה בזה קדשה׃

²¹And he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the prostitute that was at Enaim, by the way-side? And they said, There was no prostitute here.

²²וישב אל יהודה ויאמר לא מצאתיה וגם אנשי המקום אמרו לא היתה בזה קדשה׃

²²And he returned to Judah, and said, I have not found her; and also the men of the place said, No prostitute has been here.

²³ויאמר יהודה תקח לה פן נהיה לבוז הנה שלחתי הגדי הזה ואתה לא מצאתה׃

²³Then Judah said, Let her take [it] for herself, lest we be put to shame. Behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

²⁴ויהי כמשלש חדשים ויגד ליהודה לאמר זנתה תמר כלתך וגם הנה הרה לזנונים ויאמר יהודה הוציאוה ותשרף׃

²⁴And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law has committed fornication, and behold, she is also with child by fornication. And Judah said, Bring her forth, that she may be burned.

²⁵הוא מוצאת והיא שלחה אל חמיה לאמר לאיש אשר אלה לו אנכי הרה ותאמר הכר נא למי החתמת והפתילים והמטה האלה׃

²⁵When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man to whom these [belong] am I with child; and she said, Acknowledge, I pray thee, whose are this signet, and this lace, and this staff.

²⁶ויכר יהודה ויאמר צדקה ממני כי על כן לא נתתיה לשלה בני ולא יסף עוד לדעתה׃

²⁶And Judah acknowledged [them], and said, She is more righteous than I, because I have not given her to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

²⁷ויהי בעת לדתה והנה תאומים בבטנה׃

²⁷And it came to pass at the time of her delivery, that behold, twins were in her womb.

²⁸ויהי בלדתה ויתן יד ותקח המילדת ותקשר על ידו שני לאמר זה יצא ראשנה׃

²⁸And it came to pass when she brought forth, that one stretched out [his] hand, and the midwife took it and bound round his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

²⁹ויהי כמשיב ידו והנה יצא אחיו ותאמר מה פרצת עליך פרץ ויקרא שמו פרץ׃

²⁹And it came to pass as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out; and she said, How hast thou broken forth! on thee be the breach! And they called his name Pherez.

³⁰ואחר יצא אחיו אשר על ידו השני ויקרא שמו זרח׃

³⁰And afterwards came out his brother, round whose hand was the scarlet thread; and they called his name Zerah.