7
But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death.
8
Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.”
9
But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother.
10
What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also.
11
Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s household until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.
12
After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him.
13
When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
14
she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
15
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
16
Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “And what will you give me to sleep with you?” she asked.
17
“I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” he said. “Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?” she asked.