Listening A1: Genesis Chapter 1 - Genesis 38

At that time Judah went away from his brothers and went to a man named Hirah from Adullam.

Judah saw a woman from the people of Canaan named Shua, and he took her as his wife.

She had a baby boy and Judah named him Er.

Later she had another son and she named him Onan.

Then she had a third son and she called him Shelah, and she was at Chezib when Shelah was born.

Judah found a wife for Er, his first son, and her name was Tamar.

But Er did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and the Lord made him die.

Judah said to Onan, "Sleep with your brother's wife and do what a brother should do, and give your brother a child."

Onan knew the child would not be his own, so when he went in to his brother's wife he let his seed fall on the ground so that he would not give a child to his brother.

The Lord saw that this was wrong, and He made Onan die too.

Then Judah said to Tamar, "Stay in your father's house and live as a widow until my son Shelah grows up, for I fear he may die like his brothers."

Tamar went and lived in her father's house.

Later Judah's wife, the daughter of Shua, died, and Judah was sad and went to his men who cut sheep in Timnah with his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

Tamar heard, "Your father-in-law is going to Timnah to cut his sheep."

She took off her widow clothes, put on a veil, and sat at the gate of Enaim on the road to Timnah, because she saw Shelah was grown but Judah had not given her to him.

When Judah saw her, he thought she was a woman who worked by the gate, because her face was covered.

He went to her and said, "Please let me come in with you," for he did not know she was his daughter-in-law.

She said, "What will you give me if you do this?"

He said, "I will send you a young goat from my flock."

She said, "Will you give me a pledge until you send it?"

He asked, "What pledge shall I give you?" She said, "Give me your ring, your cord, and your staff."

He gave them to her, and he slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

She got up, went away, took off her veil, and put back on her widow clothes.

Judah sent the young goat with Hirah to get the pledge from the woman, but he could not find her.

He asked the people there, "Where is the woman who was by the road at Enaim?" They said, "There has not been such a woman here."

He went back to Judah and said, "I did not find her, and the people said there has not been such a woman here."

Judah said, "Let her keep it so we are not shamed; I sent this goat and you could not find her."

About three months later someone said to Judah, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has slept with another man and she is now with child."

Judah said, "Bring her out and let her die by fire."

When she was brought out, she sent a word to him, "The man who owns these is the father of my child; please see whose ring, cord, and staff these are."

Judah saw them and said, "She is more right than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son." From that day he did not sleep with her again.

When she had pain to give birth, it was seen that twins were in her belly.

The woman helping with the birth saw one child put out his hand and tied a red thread on his hand, saying, "This one came out first."

As he pulled his hand back, his brother came out, and she said, "Why did you give yourself a place to come out?" so she called him Perez.

Then the brother with the red thread came out, and his name was Zerah.