New Revised Standard NRS
King James Version KJV
1 It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and settled near a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.
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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.
2 There Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; he married her and went in to her.
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And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
3 She conceived and bore a son; and he named him Er.
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And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
4 Again she conceived and bore a son whom she named Onan.
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And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
5 Yet again she bore a son, and she named him Shelah. She was in Chezib when she bore him.
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And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.
6 Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar.
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And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar.
7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death.
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And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
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."
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And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
9 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.
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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.
10 What he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also.
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And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
11 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.
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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.
12 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.
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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.
13 When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,"
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And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
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.
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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.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
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When Judah saw her, he thought her to be an harlot; because she had covered her face.
16 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?"
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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?
17 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."
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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?
18 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.
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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.
19 Then she got up and went away, and taking off her veil she put on the garments of her widowhood.
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And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
20 When Judah sent the kid by his friend the Adullamite, to recover the pledge from the woman, he could not find her.
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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.
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."
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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.
22 So he returned to Judah, and said, "I have not found her; moreover the townspeople said, "No prostitute has been here.' "
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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.
23 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."
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And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
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."
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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.
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."
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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.
26 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.
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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.
27 When the time of her delivery came, there were twins in her womb.
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And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
28 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."
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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.
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.
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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.
30 Afterward his brother came out with the crimson thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.
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And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
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.
The King James Version is in the public domain.