bible_study/Bible/Genesis/Gen 38.md

## Judah and Tamar 

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Now it happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 

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And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her. 

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So she conceived and bore a son, and he named him Er. 

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Then she conceived again and bore a son, and she named him Onan. 

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And she bore still another son, and she named him Shelah; and it was at Chezib that she bore him. 

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Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name _was_ Tamar. 

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But Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so Yahweh put him to death. 

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Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up a seed for your brother." 

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And Onan knew that the seed would not be his; and it happened that when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted it on the ground in order not to give seed to his brother. 

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But what he did was displeasing in the sight of Yahweh; so He put him to death also. 

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Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Live as a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up"; for he thought, "_I am afraid_ lest he also die like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house. 

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And after a considerable time, Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Then Judah was comforted, and he went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 

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Then it was told to Tamar, "Behold, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep." 

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So she removed her widow's garments from herself and covered _herself_ with a veil and wrapped herself. And she sat at the entrance of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife. 

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Then Judah saw her, and he thought she _was_ a harlot, for she had covered her face. 

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So he turned aside to her by the road and said, "Here now, let me come in to you"; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?" 

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He said, therefore, "I will send you a young goat from the flock." She said, moreover, "Will you give a pledge until you send _it_?" 

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Then he said, "What pledge shall I give you?" And she said, "Your signet and your cord and your 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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Then she arose and went. And she removed her veil from herself and put on her widow's garments. 

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Then Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take the pledge from the woman's hand, but he did not find her. 

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So he asked the men of her place, saying, "Where is the cult prostitute who was by the road at Enaim?" But they said, "There has been no cult prostitute here." 

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So he returned to Judah and said, "I did not find her; and furthermore, the men of the place said, 'There has been no cult prostitute here.'" 

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Then Judah said, "Let her keep them, lest we become a laughingstock. Behold, I sent this young goat, but you did not find her." 

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Now it happened about three months later that it was told to Judah saying, "Your daughter-in-law Tamar has played the harlot, and behold, she is also with child by harlotry." Then Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned!" 

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It was while she was being brought out that she sent to her father-in-law, saying, "I am with child by the man to whom these things belong." And she said, "Please recognize _this_ and see, whose signet ring and cords and staff are these?" 

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And Judah recognized _them_ and said, "She is more righteous than I, inasmuch as I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not know her again. 

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Now it happened at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb. 

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And it happened, while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet _thread_ on his hand, saying, "This one came out first." 

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And then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. So she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" So he was named Perez. 

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Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet _thread_ on his hand; and he was named Zerah.