1At that time Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man whose name was Shua; he took her and came in to her.3She conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.4She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.5She bore still another son and called his name Shelah. He was at Chezib when she bore him.6Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.7Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and the LORD put him to death.8Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up seed for your brother."9Onan knew that the seed would not be his; so whenever he went in to his brother's wife he ruined it on the ground, lest he give seed to his brother.10What he did was evil in the eyes of the LORD, and he also put him to death.11Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house until my son Shelah grows up," for he thought, "Lest he also die like his brothers." So Tamar went and lived in her father's house.12After many days the daughter of Shua, Judah's wife, died. Judah was comforted and went up to the shearers of his flock, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite, to Timnah.13When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his flock,"14she removed her widow's garments, covered herself with a shawl, wrapped herself, and sat at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah, because she saw that Shelah had grown up and she had not been given to him as a wife.15When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a fornicating woman, for she had covered her face.16He turned aside to her by the road and said, "Come now, 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 come in to me?"17He said, "I will send a kid of the goats from the flock." She said, "If you give a pledge until you send it."18He said, "What pledge shall I give you?" 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.19Then she arose and went away, removed her shawl from her, and put on her widow's garments.20Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite to receive the pledge from the woman, but he did not find her.21He asked the men of her place, saying, "Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim on the way?" They said, "There has been no cult prostitute here."22He returned to Judah and said, "I did not find her, and the men of the place also said, 'There has been no cult prostitute here.'"23Judah said, "Let her keep them for herself, lest we become a contempt. Behold, I sent this kid, and you did not find her."24About three months later Judah was told, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has fornicated, and moreover, behold, she is pregnant by fornications." Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned."25As she was being brought out, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, "By the man to whom these belong I am pregnant." And she said, "Please identify whose these are—the signet and the cords and the staff."26Judah recognized them and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not know her again.27When the time came for her to give birth, behold, there were twins in her womb.28During her giving birth one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied scarlet on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."29When he drew back his hand, his brother came out; and she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" So he called his name Perez.30Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet on his hand, and he called his name Zerah.