And it was at that time, that Yehudah descended from his brothers. He turned away [from them], until [he came to] a man, an Adullamite, whose name was Chirah.

There Yehudah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man [merchant] whose name was Shu’a. He took her and consummated a marriage with her.

She conceived and gave birth to a son. He named him Er.

She conceived again and gave birth to a son. She named him Onan.

She conceived once again and gave birth to a son. She named him Sheilah. He [Yehudah] was in Keziv when she gave birth to him.

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

Er, Yehudah’s firstborn was wicked in the eyes of [before] Adonoy, and Adonoy put him to death.

Yehudah said to Onan, Consummate marriage with your brother’s wife, and fulfill the yibum rite with her, and establish seed for your brother.

Onan knew that the descendants would not be his [called by his name]. Whenever he cohabited with his brother’s wife, he let it go to waste [destroyed his way] on the ground, in order not to give [establish] progeny to his brother.

What he did was evil in the eyes of [before] Adonoy, and He also put him to death.

Yehudah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Sheilah is of age. He said, Lest he also die like his brothers. Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

Many days passed, and Shu’a’s daughter, the wife of Yehudah died. Yehudah sought consolation, and went up to his sheep-shearers—he and his friend, Chirah the Adullamite—to Timnah.

Tamar was told, Behold your father-in-law has come to Timnah, to shear his sheep.

She took off her widow’s garb, covered herself with a veil, and disguised [adorned] herself. She sat at the crossroads which is on the road to Timnah, for she saw that Sheilah had come of age and she had not been given to him for a wife.

Yehudah saw her and thought she was a harlot [like one who goes outside], because she had covered her face.

He turned aside to her on the road, and said, Please [Now], let me be with you, for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, What will you give me for the privilege of being with me?

He said, I will send you a kid from the flock. She said, [Only] if you give me some security until you send it.

He said, What security shall I give you? She said, Your signet ring, your wrap, and your staff that is in your hand. He gave them to her and was with her, and she became pregnant by him.

She got up and went away. She took off her veil, and put on her widow’s garb.

Yehudah sent the goat-kid with his friend the Adullamite, to retrieve the security from the woman, but he could not find her.

He asked the men of her place, Where is the harlot that was at the junction, on the road? They said, There was [is] no harlot here.

He returned to Yehudah and said, I did not find her, and the men of her place also said that there was [is] no harlot there [here].

Yehudah said, Let her take it, lest we are humiliated [become a laughingstock]. Behold I sent her this kid, and you could not find her.

About three months later, Yehudah was told, Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has been promiscuous, moreover, her promiscuity has resulted in pregnancy. Yehudah said, Take her out and let her be burned.

She was being taken out, and she sent [word] to her father-in-law saying, By the man to whom these belong [from him] am I pregnant. She said, Please [Now] recognize to whom this signet, wrap and staff belong.

Yehudah recognized them and said, She is righteous, [it is] from me [that she conceived], inasmuch that I did not give her to my son Sheilah. He was not intimate with her any more.

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb.

As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand. The midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, This one emerged first.

When he put back his hand, behold his brother emerged, and she said, With what [great] strength you have pushed yourself. He named him Peretz.

Then his brother emerged—the one upon whose hand was the scarlet thread. He named him Zorach.