At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to the house of an Adullamite named Helah.

Judah saw a daughter of a Canaanite named Shua there, and he married her and slept with her,

She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and Judah named him Er.

She became pregnant again and gave birth to a son, and her mother named him Onan.

She gave birth to a son again and named him Shelah. When she gave birth to Shelah, Judah was in Gizer.

Judah married his eldest son Er and his name was Tamar.

Judah’s eldest son Er was evil in the eyes of the Lord, and the Lord caused him to die.

Judah said to Onan, “Go in with your brother’s wife and fulfill your brotherly duties to her, and give birth to a son for your brother.”.

Onan knew that having a son did not belong to him, so he left it on the ground during sexual intercourse to avoid leaving it for his brother.

What Onan did was evil in the eyes of the Lord, and the Lord caused him to die.

Judah thought to himself, “I’m afraid Shillah will also die, just like his two brothers.” So he said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Go and be a widow in your father’s house until my son Shillah grows up.”. Tama went back and stayed at her father’s house.

After a long time, the daughter of Shua, Judah’s wife, died. Judah was comforted and went up to Timnah with his friend Hirah the Adullamite to his shearers.

Someone told Tamar, “Your father-in-law has gone to Tingna to shear the sheep’s wool.”.

When Tamar saw that Shelah had grown up and had not yet married her, she took off her widow’s clothes, covered her face with a handkerchief, and covered her body. She sat at the entrance of the city of Inaim on the road to Timnah.

Judah saw her and thought she was a prostitute, because she covered her face.

Judah turned to her and said, Come. Let me sleep with you. He didn’t know it was his daughter-in-law. Tamar said, “What will you give me to sleep with me?”?

Judah said, I will take a young goat from the flock and send someone to bring it to you. Tama said, are you willing to give me a pledge before it is delivered?

He said, what pledge should I give you? Tamar said, Your seal, your belt, and the staff in your hand. Judah gave it to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant from Judah.

Tamar got up and walked away, removing her handkerchief and still putting on her widow’s clothes.

Judah sent a young goat to his friend Adullamite to retrieve the pledge from the woman’s hand, but he couldn’t find her.

Just ask the people in that place where the prostitutes by the road of Inayin are, and they say there are no prostitutes here.

He went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her, and the people of that place said, ‘There are no prostitutes here.'”.

Judah said, I have sent this young goat, but you cannot find her. Let her take it, lest we be humiliated.

After about three months, someone told Judah, ‘Your daughter-in-law Tamar has become a prostitute and has become pregnant due to sexual intercourse.’. Judah said, Bring her out and burn her.

When Tamar was pulled out, she sent someone to see her father-in-law and said to him, ‘Whoever these things are, I became pregnant from whom.’. Please recognize who this seal, strap, and staff belong to,

Judah admitted, ‘She is more righteous than me, because I did not give her to my son Shelah.’. From then on, Judah no longer slept with her.

Tama was about to give birth, but unexpectedly she had twins in her womb.

At the time of production, a child extends a hand. The midwife tied a red thread around his hand and said, “This is the first child.”.

Then the child withdrew his hand and his brother gave birth. The midwife said, “Why are you rushing here?”? Therefore, he was named Pharus.

Later, his brother also gave birth to the one with the red thread on his hand, so he named him Shira.