1. About that time, Judah left his brothers. He went to stay with a man named Hirah. Hirah was from the town of Adullam.
2. Judah met a Canaanite girl there and married her. Her father was named Shua. And Judah had intimate relations with her.
3. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Judah named him Er.
4. Later she gave birth to another son. She named him Onan.
5. Later she had another son. She named him Shelah. She was at Kezib when this third son was born.
6. Judah chose a girl named Tamar to be the wife of his first son Er.
7. Er was Judah’s oldest son. But he did what the Lord said was evil. So the Lord killed him.
8. Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and have physical relations with your dead brother’s wife. It is your duty to provide children for your brother in this way.”
9. But Onan knew that the children would not belong to him. Onan was supposed to have physical relations with Tamar. But he did not complete the physical act. This made it impossible for Tamar to become pregnant. So Er could not have descendants.
10. The Lord was displeased by this wicked thing Onan had done. So the Lord killed Onan also.
11. Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Go back to live in your father’s house. And don’t marry until my young son Shelah grows up.” Judah was afraid that Shelah also would die like his brothers. So Tamar returned to her father’s home.
12. After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah had gotten over his sorrow, he went to Timnah. He went to his men who were cutting the wool from his sheep. His friend Hirah from Adullam went with him.
13. Tamar learned that Judah, her father-in-law, was going to Timnah to cut the wool from his sheep.
14. So she took off the clothes that showed she was a widow. Then she covered her face with a veil to hide who she was. She sat down by the gate of Enaim. It was on the road to Timnah. She did this because Judah’s younger son Shelah had grown up. But Judah had not made plans for her to marry him.