DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible - Flipbook - Page 72
G enesis 38
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11 Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Go back to your parents’ home and remain a widow until my son Shelah is old enough to marry
you.” (But Judah didn’t really intend to do this because he was afraid She
lah would also die, like his two brothers.) So Tamar went back to live in her
father’s home.
12 Some years later Judah’s wife died. After the time of mourning was over,
Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to supervise
the shearing of his sheep. 13 Someone told Tamar, “Look, your father-in-law
is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.”
14 Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but no arrangements had
been made for her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow’s
clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat
beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the road
to Timnah. 15 Judah noticed her and thought she was a prostitute, since she
had covered her face. 16 So he stopped and propositioned her. “Let me have
sex with you,” he said, not realizing that she was his own daughter-in-law.
“How much will you pay to have sex with me?” Tamar asked.
17 “I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah promised.
“But what will you give me to guarantee that you will send the goat?”
she asked.
18 “What kind of guarantee do you want?” he replied.
She answered, “Leave me your identification seal and its cord and the
walking stick you are carrying.” So Judah gave them to her. Then he had
intercourse with her, and she became pregnant. 19 Afterward she went back
home, took off her veil, and put on her widow’s clothing as usual.
20 Later Judah asked his friend Hirah the Adullamite to take the young
goat to the woman and to pick up the things he had given her as his guarantee. But Hirah couldn’t find her. 21 So he asked the men who lived there,
“Where can I find the shrine prostitute who was sitting beside the road at
the entrance to Enaim?”
“We’ve never had a shrine prostitute here,” they replied.
22 So Hirah returned to Judah and told him, “I couldn’t find her anywhere,
and the men of the village claim they’ve never had a shrine prostitute there.”
23 “Then let her keep the things I gave her,” Judah said. “I sent the young
goat as we agreed, but you couldn’t find her. We’d be the laughingstock of
the village if we went back again to look for her.”
24 About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-
law, has acted like a prostitute. And now, because of this, she’s pregnant.”
“Bring her out, and let her be burned!” Judah demanded.
25 But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her
father-in-law: “The man who owns these things made me pregnant. Look
closely. Whose seal and cord and walking stick are these?”
26 Judah recognized them immediately and said, “She is more righteous
than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.” And
Judah never slept with Tamar again.
27 When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she
was carrying twins. 28 While she was in labor, one of the babies reached out
his hand. The midwife grabbed it and tied a scarlet string around the child’s
wrist, announcing, “This one came out first.” 29 But then he pulled back his
hand, and out came his brother! “What!” the midwife exclaimed. “How did
