King James Version KJV
Good News Translation GNT
1 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.
1
About that time Judah left his brothers and went to stay with a man named Hirah, who was from the town of Adullam.
2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
2
There Judah met a young Canaanite woman whose father was named Shua. He married her,
3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
3
and she bore him a son, whom he named Er.
4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
4
She became pregnant again and bore another son and named him Onan.
5 And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.
5
Again she had a son and named him Shelah. Judah was at Achzib when the boy was born.
6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
6
For his first son Er, Judah got a wife whose name was Tamar.
7 And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
7
Er's conduct was evil, and it displeased the Lord, so the Lord killed him.
8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
8
Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan, "Go and sleep with your brother's widow. Fulfill your obligation to her as her husband's brother, so that your brother may have descendants."
9 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.
9
But Onan knew that the children would not belong to him, so when he had intercourse with his brother's widow, he let the semen spill on the ground, so that there would be no children for his brother.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
10
What he did displeased the Lord, and the Lord killed him also.
11 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.
11
Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Return to your father's house and remain a widow until my son Shelah grows up." He said this because he was afraid that Shelah would be killed, as his brothers had been. So Tamar went back home.
12 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.
12
After some time Judah's wife died. When he had finished the time of mourning, he and his friend Hirah of Adullam went to Timnah, where his sheep were being sheared.
13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
13
Someone told Tamar that her father-in-law was going to Timnah to shear his sheep.
14 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.
14
So she changed from the widow's clothes she had been wearing, covered her face with a veil, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, a town on the road to Timnah. As she well knew, Judah's youngest son Shelah was now grown up, and yet she had not been given to him in marriage.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
15
When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, because she had her face covered.
16 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?
16
He went over to her at the side of the road and said, "All right, how much do you charge?" (He did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.) She said, "What will you give me?"
17 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?
17
He answered, "I will send you a young goat from my flock." She said, "All right, if you will give me something to keep as a pledge until you send the goat."
18 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.
18
"What shall I give you as a pledge?" he asked. She answered, "Your seal with its cord and the walking stick you are carrying." He gave them to her. Then they had intercourse, and she became pregnant.
19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
19
Tamar went home, took off her veil, and put her widow's clothes back on.
20 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.
20
Judah sent his friend Hirah to take the goat and get back from the woman the articles he had pledged, but Hirah could not find her.
21 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.
21
He asked some men at Enaim, "Where is the prostitute who was here by the road?" "There has never been a prostitute here," they answered.
22 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.
22
He returned to Judah and said, "I couldn't find her. The men of the place said that there had never been a prostitute there."
23 And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
23
Judah said, "Let her keep the things. We don't want people to laugh at us. I did try to pay her, but you couldn't find her."
24 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.
24
About three months later someone told Judah, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has been acting like a whore, and now she is pregnant." Judah ordered, "Take her out and burn her to death."
25 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.
25
As she was being taken out, she sent word to her father-in-law: "I am pregnant by the man who owns these things. Look at them and see whose they are - this seal with its cord and this walking stick."
26 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.
26
Judah recognized them and said, "She is in the right. I have failed in my obligation to her - I should have given her to my son Shelah in marriage." And Judah never had intercourse with her again.
27 And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
27
When the time came for her to give birth, it was discovered that she was going to have twins.
28 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.
28
While she was in labor, one of them put out an arm; the midwife caught it, tied a red thread around it, and said, "This one was born first."
29 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.
29
But he pulled his arm back, and his brother was born first. Then the midwife said, "So this is how you break your way out!" So he was named Perez.
30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
30
Then his brother was born with the red thread on his arm, and he was named Zerah.
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.