Study Desk

Now then, come, let us kill him and throw him in one of the pits. Then we will say a wild animal devoured him. Then we will see what his dreams become."

And Reuben heard it and delivered him from their hand and said, "We must not take his life."

And Reuben said to them, "You must not shed blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the desert, but do not lay a hand on him"—so that he might rescue him from their hand to return him to his father.

And it happened that as Joseph came to his brothers they stripped Joseph of his robe, the robe with long sleeves, that was upon him.

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

Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, but our hand shall not be against him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers agreed.

Then Reuben returned to the pit and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit. And he tore his clothes.

And he returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone! Now I, what can I do?"

And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.

And all his sons and daughters tried to console him, but he refused to be consoled. And he said, "No, I shall go down to my son, to Sheol, mourning." And his father wept for him.

And it happened that at that time Judah went down from his brothers and pitched his tent near a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah.

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

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

And once again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. And he 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 for him, so whenever he went in to the wife of his brother he would waste it on the ground so as not to give offspring to his brother.

Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Stay a widow in your father's house until Shelah my son grows up," for he feared he would also die like his brother. So Tamar went and stayed in the house of her father.

And in the course of time the daughter of Shua, the wife of Judah, died. When Judah was consoled he went up to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite, to Timnah.

And it was told to Tamar, saying, "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."

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