17. “I’ll send you a young goat from the flock,” he answered.She said, “First give me something as a deposit until you send it.”
18. “What should I give you as a deposit?” he asked.“Your signet ring, its cord, and the shepherd’s staff that’s in your hand,” she answered.So he gave them to her. Then he slept with her, and she became pregnant.
19. After she got up and left, she took off her veil and put her widow’s clothes back on.
20. Judah sent his friend Hirah to deliver the young goat so that he could get back his deposit from the woman, but his friend couldn’t find her.
21. He asked the men of that area, “Where’s that prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?”“There’s no prostitute here,” they answered.
22. So he went back to Judah and said, “I couldn’t find her. Even the men of that area said, ‘There’s no prostitute here.’ ”
23. Then Judah said, “Let her keep what I gave her, or we’ll become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”
24. About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has been acting like a prostitute. What’s more, because of it she’s pregnant.”Judah ordered, “Bring her out to be burned.”
25. As she was brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law, “I’m pregnant by the man who owns these things. See if you recognize whose signet ring, cord, and shepherd’s staff these are.”
26. Judah recognized them and said, “She’s not guilty. I am! She did this because I haven’t given her my son Shelah.” Judah never made love to her again.
27. The time came for Tamar to give birth, and she had twin boys.
28. When she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand. The midwife took a piece of red yarn, tied it on his wrist, and said, “This one came out first.”
29. As he pulled back his hand, his brother was born. So she said, “Is this how you burst into the world!” He was named Perez [Bursting Into].