Common English Bible CEB
New Revised Standard NRS
1 At that time, Judah moved away from his brothers and settled near an Adullamite named Hirah.
1
It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and settled near a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.
2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite whose name was Shua, and he married her. After he slept with her,
2
There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; he married her and went in to her.
3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom she named Er.
3
She conceived and bore a son; and he named him Er.
4 She became pregnant again, gave birth to a son, and named him Onan.
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Again she conceived and bore a son whom she named Onan.
5 Then she gave birth to one more son and named him Shelah. She was in Chezib when she gave birth to him.
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Yet again she bore a son, and she named him Shelah. She was in Chezib when she bore him.
6 Judah married his oldest son Er to a woman named Tamar.
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Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar.
7 But the LORD considered Judah's oldest son Er immoral, and the LORD put him to death.
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But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death.
8 Judah said to Onan, "Go to your brother's wife, do your duty as her brother-in-law, and provide children for your brother."
8
Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her; raise up offspring for your brother."
9 Onan knew the children wouldn't be his so when he slept with his brother's wife, he wasted his semen on the ground, so he wouldn't give his brother children.
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But since Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, he spilled his semen on the ground whenever he went in to his brother's wife, so that he would not give offspring to his brother.
10 The LORD considered what he did as wrong and put him to death too.
10
What he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also.
11 Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Stay as a widow in your father's household until my son Shelah grows up." He thought Shelah would die like his brothers had. So Tamar went and lived in her father's household.
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Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up"—for he feared that he too would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went to live in her father's house.
12 After a long time, Judah's wife the daughter of Shua died. Then, after a period of mourning, he and his neighbor Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah, to those who were shearing his sheep.
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In course of time the wife of Judah, Shua's daughter, died; when Judah's time of mourning was over, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
13 Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is now on his way up to Timnah to shear his sheep."
13
When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,"
14 So Tamar took off the clothing she wore as a widow, covered herself with a veil, put on makeup, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim on the road to Timnah, since she realized that although Shelah had already grown up, she hadn't been given to him as a wife.
14
she put off her widow's garments, put on a veil, wrapped herself up, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. She saw that Shelah was grown up, yet she had not been given to him in marriage.
15 Judah saw her and thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.
15
When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
16 He turned to her beside the road and said, "Let me sleep with you," because he didn't know she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me for sleeping with you?"
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He went over to her at the roadside, and said, "Come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"
17 He said, "I will give you a kid goat from my flock." She said, "Only if you give me some deposit, as security to guarantee that you will send it."
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He answered, "I will send you a kid from the flock." And she said, "Only if you give me a pledge, until you send it."
18 He said, "What kind of deposit should I give you?" And she said, "Your seal, its cord, and the staff in your hand." He gave these to her, slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
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He said, "What pledge shall I give you?" She replied, "Your signet and your cord, and the staff that is in your hand." So he gave them to her, and went in to her, and she conceived by him.
19 Then she got up, left, and took off her veil, dressing once again in the clothing she wore as a widow.
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Then she got up and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 Judah sent the kid goat with his neighbor the Adullamite so he could take back the deposits from the woman, but he couldn't find her.
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When Judah sent the kid by his friend the Adullamite, to recover the pledge from the woman, he could not find her.
21 He asked the locals of that place, "Where's the consecrated worker who was at Enaim on the road?" But they said, "There's no consecrated worker here."
21
He asked the townspeople, "Where is the temple prostitute who was at Enaim by the wayside?" But they said, "No prostitute has been here."
22 So he went back to Judah and said, "I couldn't find her. The locals even said, ‘There's no holy woman here.'"
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So he returned to Judah, and said, "I have not found her; moreover the townspeople said, "No prostitute has been here.' "
23 Judah said, "Let her keep everything so we aren't laughed at. I did send this kid goat, but you couldn't find her."
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Judah replied, "Let her keep the things as her own, otherwise we will be laughed at; you see, I sent this kid, and you could not find her."
24 About three months later, Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has become a prostitute and is now pregnant because of it." And Judah said, "Bring her out so that she may be burned."
24
About three months later Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the whore; moreover she is pregnant as a result of whoredom." And Judah said, "Bring her out, and let her be burned."
25 When she was brought out, she sent this message to her father-in-law, "I'm pregnant by the man who owns these things. See if you recognize whose seal, cord, and staff these are."
25
As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law, "It was the owner of these who made me pregnant." And she said, "Take note, please, whose these are, the signet and the cord and the staff."
26 Judah recognized them and said, "She's more righteous than I am, because I didn't allow her to marry my son Shelah." Judah never knew her intimately again.
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Then Judah acknowledged them and said, "She is more in the right than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not lie with her again.
27 When she gave birth, she discovered she had twins in her womb.
27
When the time of her delivery came, there were twins in her womb.
28 At birth, one boy put out his hand, and the midwife took it and tied a red thread on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."
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While she was in labor, one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound on his hand a crimson thread, saying, "This one came out first."
29 As soon as he pulled his hand back, his brother came out, and she said, "You've burst out on your own." So he was named Perez.
29
But just then he drew back his hand, and out came his brother; and she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" Therefore he was named Perez.
30 Afterward, his brother with the red thread on his hand came out, and he was named Zerah.
30
Afterward his brother came out with the crimson thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.