Genesis 38 :: Darby Translation (DBY)

Judah and Tamar

Gen 38:1And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a man of Adullam whose name was Hirah.

Gen 38:2

Gen 38:2And Judah saw there the daughter of a Canaanitish man whose name was Shua; and he took her, and went in to her.

Gen 38:3

Gen 38:3And she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name Er.

Gen 38:4

Gen 38:4And she again conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.

Gen 38:5

Gen 38:5And again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah; and he was at Chezib when she bore him.

Gen 38:6

Gen 38:6And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.

Gen 38:7

Gen 38:7And Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah, and Jehovah slew him.

Gen 38:8

Gen 38:8Then Judah said to Onan, Go in to thy brother's wife, and fulfil to her the brother-in-law's duty, and raise up seed to thy brother.

Gen 38:9

Gen 38:9But when Onan knew that the seed should not be his own, it came to pass when he went in to his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, in order to give no seed to his brother.

Gen 38:10

Gen 38:10And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and he slew him also.

Gen 38:11

Gen 38:11And Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, Remain a widow in thy father's house, until Shelah my son is grown; for he said, Lest he die also, as his brethren. And Tamar went and remained in her father's house.

Gen 38:12

Gen 38:12And as the days were multiplied, Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died. And Judah was comforted, and he went up to his sheep-shearers, to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

Gen 38:13

Gen 38:13And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.

Gen 38:14

Gen 38:14And she put the garments of her widowhood off from her, and covered herself with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in the entry of Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given to him as wife.

Gen 38:15

Gen 38:15And Judah saw her, and took her for a harlot; because she had covered her face.

Gen 38:16

Gen 38:16And he turned aside to her by the way, and said, Come, I pray thee, let me go in to thee; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in to me?

Gen 38:17

Gen 38:17And he said, I will send thee a kid of the goats from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give me a pledge, until thou send it?

Gen 38:18

Gen 38:18And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy lace, and thy staff which is in thy hand. And he gave it her, and went in to her; and she conceived by him.

Gen 38:19

Gen 38:19And she arose and went away; and she laid by her veil from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.

Gen 38:20

Gen 38:20And Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand; but he found her not.

Gen 38:21

Gen 38:21And he asked the men of her place, saying, Where is the prostitute that was at Enaim, by the way-side? And they said, There was no prostitute here.

Gen 38:22

Gen 38:22And he returned to Judah, and said, I have not found her; and also the men of the place said, No prostitute has been here.

Gen 38:23

Gen 38:23Then Judah said, Let her take it for herself, lest we be put to shame. Behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.

Gen 38:24

Gen 38:24And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law has committed fornication, and behold, she is also with child by fornication. And Judah said, Bring her forth, that she may be burned.

Gen 38:25

Gen 38:25When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying, By the man to whom these belong am I with child; and she said, Acknowledge, I pray thee, whose are this signet, and this lace, and this staff.

Gen 38:26

Gen 38:26And Judah acknowledged them, and said, She is more righteous than I, because I have not given her to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.

Gen 38:27

Gen 38:27And it came to pass at the time of her delivery, that behold, twins were in her womb.

Gen 38:28

Gen 38:28And it came to pass when she brought forth, that one stretched out his hand, and the midwife took it and bound round his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.

Gen 38:29

Gen 38:29And it came to pass as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out; and she said, How hast thou broken forth! on thee be the breach! And they called his name Pherez.

Gen 38:30

Gen 38:30And afterwards came out his brother, round whose hand was the scarlet thread; and they called his name Zerah.

In 1867, John Nelson Darby translated the New Testament from Greek into English. Further revisions were done in 1872 and 1884. Darby’s work was first published as The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation from the Original Languages by J. N. Darby. After Darby’s death in 1882, some of his students worked together to produce the complete Darby Bible based on the Masoretic Hebrew text, Darby’s German (Elberfelder), and the French (Pau) translations. In 1890, the first complete Darby Bible was published in English. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.

Genesis 38 :: Darby Translation (DBY)

Judah and Tamar

Pericope