Study Desk

Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him.

When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes

and returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?"

Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.

All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father wept for him.

It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and turned aside to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.

She conceived again and bore a son, and she called his name Onan.

Yet again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. Judah was in Chezib when she bore him.

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

But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother's wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother.

Then Judah said to Tamar his daughter-in-law, "Remain a widow in your father's house, till Shelah my son grows up"—for he feared that he would die, like his brothers. So Tamar went and remained in her father's house.

In the course of time the wife of Judah, Shua's daughter, died. When Judah was comforted, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

And when Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,"

He turned to her at the roadside and said, "Come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, "What will you give me, that you may come in to me?"

When Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite to take back the pledge from the woman's hand, he did not find her.

And when she was in labor, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."

But as he drew back his hand, behold, his brother came out. And she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" Therefore his name was called Perez.

Afterward his brother came out with the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.