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The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.
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It was at this time that Y'hudah went off from his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah who was an 'Adulami.
2 There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and made love to her;
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There Y'hudah saw one of the daughters of a certain Kena'ani whose name was Shua, and he took her and slept with her.
3 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.
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She conceived and had a son, whom he named 'Er.
4 She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.
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She conceived again and had a son, and she called him Onan.
5 She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
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Then she conceived yet again and had a son whom she called Shelah; he was in K'ziv when she gave birth to him.
6 Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
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Y'hudah took a wife for 'Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death.
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But 'Er, Y'hudah's firstborn, was evil from ADONAI's perspective, so ADONAI killed him.
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.”
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Y'hudah said to Onan, "Go and sleep with your brother's wife - perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and preserve your brother's line of descent."
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.
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However, Onan knew that the child would not count as his; so whenever he had intercourse with his brother's wife, he spilled the semen on the ground, so as not to give his brother offspring.
10 What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also.
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What he did was evil from ADONAI's perspective, so he killed him too.
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.
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Then Y'hudah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Stay a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up"; for he thought, "I don't want him to die too, like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived at home with her father.
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.
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In due time, Shua's daughter, the wife of Y'hudah, died. After Y'hudah had been comforted, he went up to be with his sheep-shearers in Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the 'Adulami.
13 When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
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Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law has gone up 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.
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So she took off her widow's clothes, completely covered her face with her veil, and sat at the entrance to 'Einayim, which is on the way to Timnah. For she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she still was not being given to him as his wife.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
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When Y'hudah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, because 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.
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So he went over to her where she was sitting and said, not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, "Come, let me sleep with you." She answered, "What will you pay to sleep with me?"
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.
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He said, "I will send you a kid from the flock of goats." She said, "Will you also give me something as a guarantee until you send it"
18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?” “Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.
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He answered, "What should I give you as a guarantee?" She said, "Your seal, with its cord, and the staff you're carrying in your hand." So he gave them to her, then went and slept with her; and she conceived by him.
19 After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes again.
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She got up and went away, took off her veil and put on her widow's clothes.
20 Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her.
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Y'hudah sent the kid with his friend the 'Adulami to receive the guarantee items back from the woman, but he couldn't find her.
21 He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?” “There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.
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He asked the people near where she had been, "Where is the prostitute who was on the road at 'Einayim?" But they answered,"There hasn't been any prostitute here."
22 So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’ ”
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So he returned to Y'hudah and said, "I couldn't find her; also the people there said, 'There hasn't been any prostitute here.'"
23 Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”
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Y'hudah said, "All right, let her keep the things, so that we won't be publicly shamed. I sent the kid, but you didn't find her."
24 About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.” Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”
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About three months later Y'hudah was told, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has been acting like a whore; moreover, she is pregnant as a result of her prostitution."Y'hudah said, "Bring her out, and let her be burned alive!"
25 As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”
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When she was brought out, she sent this message to her father-in-law: "I am pregnant by the man to whom these things belong. Determine, I beg you, whose these are - the signet, the cords and the staff."
26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again.
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Then Y'hudah acknowledged owning them. He said, "She is more righteous than I, because I didn't let her become the wife of my son Shelah." And he never slept with her again.
27 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.
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When she went into labor, it became evident that she was going to have twins.
28 As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, “This one came out first.”
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As she was in labor, one of them put out his hand; and the midwife took his hand and tied a scarlet thread on it, saying, "This one came out first."
29 But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.
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But then he withdrew his hand, and his brother came out; so she said, "How did you manage to break out first?"Therefore he was named Peretz [breaking out].
30 Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah.
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Then out came his brother, with the scarlet thread on his hand, and he was given the name Zerach [scarlet].
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.