Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

Judah went down from his brothers to visit a certain Adullamite named Hirah. While there, he saw a daughter of a Canaanite man whose name was Shuah, and he took her as his wife.

She became pregnant and gave birth to a son; Judah named him Er. She conceived again and had another son, whom she named Onan. And once more, she gave birth to a son, naming him Shelah, but he was actually born in the town of Chezib.

Judah took a wife for his firstborn son, Er, whose name was Tamar. But God saw that Judah's firstborn son, Er, was wicked, and He put him to death. Then Judah said to Onan, "Go and have children with your brother's widow, Tamar," so he could secure the family line for his brother.

However, when Onan realized that the child would not be considered his own, he spilled his seed on the ground whenever he had relations with Tamar, rather than giving her a child. This was detestable to the Lord, and He took Onan's life as well.

Judah told Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Live in your father's house until Shelah grows up," but Judah didn't give her to Shelah as his wife because he feared that she might die like his other sons. So Tamar moved back to her father's house.

Time passed, and Judah's wife from Shuah died; then Judah went to the town of Timnath to shear his sheep with Hirah, the Adullamite. Meanwhile, Tamar was told that Judah, her father-in-law, was going up to Timnath for the shearing.

She removed her widow's garments and put on a veil to disguise herself as a prostitute, then sat in an open place along the road to Timnath, hoping that someone would notice her. Her reason for doing this was that Shelah had grown old enough but Judah still hadn't given him to her as his son.

When Judah saw Tamar sitting by the roadside, he thought she was a prostitute because of her veil and approached her with an offer of money. She asked if he would give her something to secure his promise to pay her later, so he offered to send a young goat from his flock.

Tamar requested a pledge from him as security until he sent the animal; Judah agreed and gave her his signet ring, bracelets, and staff as a guarantee. Then Judah slept with Tamar, who became pregnant by him.

Later, Judah sent his friend Hirah to give Tamar the young goat, but when Hirah arrived at the place where they had met, he couldn't find her anywhere. He asked some men in the area if they knew anything about a prostitute who might have been there, and they replied that no such person was known to them.

Judah returned home and told his friends about the young goat, but they informed him that Tamar wasn't there either. Judah then said, "Let her keep what she has; we can't possibly be shamed by this," so he let her have the goat as her own.

Months passed before anyone discovered Tamar's pregnancy and accused her of adultery. When this news reached Judah, he ordered that Tamar be brought out to him and punished according to the law. However, before facing her father-in-law, Tamar sent word saying, "I am with child by the man whose these items belong," referring to the signet ring, bracelets, and staff that Judah had given her as a pledge.

Judah examined the objects and realized his mistake; he acknowledged that Tamar was more righteous than he because he hadn't given Shelah to her in marriage. From then on, he never again slept with her.

When the time came for Tamar to give birth, she had twins inside her womb. As one of them extended his hand during delivery, a midwife tied a scarlet thread around it and declared that this child was born first. However, as soon as the other twin emerged, she exclaimed, "How have you burst forth? This breach will be upon you," so he was named Pharez.

The second twin had the scarlet thread still wrapped around his hand, so they called him Zarah.