Gênesis 38

¹ And it came to pass at that time, thatMoses describes the genealogy of Judah, because the Messiah should come from him.Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name [was] Hirah.

² And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name [was] Shuah;A relationship which nonetheless was condemned by God.and he took her, and went in unto her.

³ So she conceiued and bare a sonne, and he called his name Er.

⁴ And she conceiued againe, & bare a sonne, and she called his name Onan.

⁵ Moreouer she bare yet a sonne, whome she called Shelah: and Iudah was at Chezib when she bare him.

⁶ Then Iudah tooke a wife to Er his first borne sonne whose name was Tamar.

⁷ Now Er the first borne of Iudah was wicked in the sight of the Lord: therefore the Lord slewe him.

⁸ And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raiseThis order was for the preservation of the stock, since the child begotten by the second brother would have the name and inheritance of the first: a practice which is abolished in the New Testament.up seed to thy brother.

⁹ And Onan knewe that the seede should not be his: therefore when he went in vnto his brothers wife, he spilled it on the grounde, least he should giue seede vnto his brother.

¹⁰ And it was wicked in the eyes of the Lord, which he did: wherefore he slewe him also.

¹¹ Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law,For she could not marry in any other family so long as Judah would retain her in his.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 And in processe of time also the daughter of Shuah Iudahs wife dyed. Then Iudah, when he had left mourning, went vp to his sheepe sherers to Timnah, he, and his neighbour Hirah the Adullamite.

¹³ And it was tolde Tamar, saying, beholde, thy father in lawe goeth vp to Timnah, to shere his sheepe.

¹⁴ Then she put her widowes garments off from her, and couered her with a vaile, and wrapped her selfe, and sate downe in Pethah-enaim, which is by the way to Timnah, because she sawe that Shelah was growen, and she was not giuen vnto him to wife.

¹⁵ When Iudah sawe her, he iudged her an whore: for she had couered her face.

¹⁶ And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for heGod miraculously blinded him so that he could not know her by her voice.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 Then said he, I will sende thee a kid of the goates from the flocke; she said, Well, if thou wilt giue me a pledge, till thou sende it.

¹⁸ Then he saide, What is the pledge that I shall giue thee? And she answered, Thy signet, and thy cloke, and thy staffe that is in thine hande. So he gaue it her, and lay by her, and she was with childe by him.

¹⁹ Then she rose, and went and put her vaile from her and put on her widowes raiment.

²⁰ And Judah sent the kid by the hand of hisThat his wickedness might not be known to others.friend the Adullamite, to receive [his] pledge from the woman's hand: but he found her not.

²¹ Then asked he the men of that place, saying, Where is ye whore, that sate in Enaim by the way side? And they answered, There was no whore here.

²² He came therefore to Iudah againe, and said, I can not finde her, and also the men of the place said, There was no whore there.

²³ And Judah said, Let her take [it] to her, lest we beHe fears man more than God.shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

²⁴ 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 beWe see that the Law, which was written in man's heart, taught them that adultery should be punished with death, even though no law had been given yet.burnt.

²⁵ When she was brought foorth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, vnto whom these things pertaine, am I with childe: and saide also, Looke, I pray thee, whose these are, the seale, and the cloke, and the staffe.

²⁶ And Judah acknowledged [them], and said, She hath beenThat is, she ought rather to accuse me than I her.more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her againfor the horror of the sin condemned him.no more.

²⁷ Now, when the time was come that she should be deliuered, beholde, there were twinnes in her wombe.

²⁸ And when she was in trauell, the one put out his hand: and the midwife tooke and bound a red threde about his hand, saying, This is come out first.

²⁹ And it came to pass, as heTheir heinous sin was signified by this monstrous birth.drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, HowOr the separation between you and your brother.hast thou broken forth? [this] breach [be] upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.

³⁰ And afterward came out his brother that had the red threde about his hande, and his name was called Zarah.