Judah and Tamar
(1 Chronicles 2:3–4)

1About that tyme Iudas went downe from his brethren, and gate him to a man called Hirah of Adulam. 2And there he saw ye daughter of a man called Sua, a Chanaanite: and he toke her, and went in to her. 3And she conceaued, and bare a sonne, and called his name Er. 4And she conceaued agayne, and bare a sonne, and called hym Onan. 5And she conceaued agayne, and bare yet a sonne, whom she called Selah: & he was at Chezib whe she bare him.

6And Iudas gaue Er his first borne sonne a wyfe, whose name was Thamar. 7And Er Iudas first borne sonne was wicked in the syght of the Lorde, and the Lorde slewe hym. 8And Iudas sayde vnto Onan: Go in to thy brothers wyfe, and marrie her, that thou mayest stirre vp seede vnto thy brother. 9And when Onan perceaued that the seede shoulde not be his, therfore when he wet in to his brothers wyfe, he spylled it on the grounde, & gaue not seede vnto his brother. 10And the thyng which he dyd, displeased the Lorde: wherfore he slewe hym also. 11Then sayde Iudas to Thamar his daughter in lawe: Remayne a wydowe at thy fathers house, tyll Selah my sonne be growen. (For he sayde, lest peraduenture he dye also as his brethren dyd.) And Thamar went & dwelt in her fathers house.

12And in processe of tyme, the daughter of Sua Iudas wyfe dyed: Then Iudas when he had left mournyng, went vnto his sheepe shearers to Thinmath, he and his friende Hirah of Adulam. 13And one tolde Thamar, saying: beholde, thy father in lawe goeth vp to Thimnath to sheare his sheepe. 14And she put her widowes garmentes of from her, and couered her with a vayle, and disguysed her selfe, and sate her downe in an open place, whiche is by the way syde to Thimnath, for because that she sawe Selah was growen, and she was not geuen vnto hym to wyfe. 15When Iuda sawe her, he thought it had ben an harlot, because she had couered her face. 16And he turned to her vnto the way, & sayde, Come I praye thee, let me lye with thee. (For he knewe not that it was his daughter in law.) And she answered: What wylt thou geue me for to lye with thee? 17Then sayde he: I wyll sende thee a kyd from the flocke. She sayde: Then geue me a pledge tyll thou sende it. 18He sayde: What pledge shall I geue thee? She sayde: Thy signet, thy bracelet, and thy staffe that is in thyne hande. And he gaue it her, and laye by her: and she was with chylde by hym. 19And she gate her vp, and went, and put her vayle from her, and put on her wydowes rayment.

20And Iudas sent the kyd by his friende Adulam, for to receaue his pledge againe from the womans hand: but he founde her not. 21Then asked he the men of the same place, saying: where is the harlot that sate openly by ye wayes syde? They aunswered: There is no harlot here. 22He came therfore to Iuda againe, and sayde vnto hym, I can not fynde her: and also the men of the place sayde, that there was no harlot there. 23And Iuda sayde: Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: beholde, I sent the kyd, & thou hast not found her.

24And it came to passe, after three monethes one tolde Iuda, saying: Thamar thy daughter in lawe hath played the harlot, and with playing the harlot is become great with chylde. And Iuda sayde: Bryng her foorth, that she may be brent. 25And when they brought her foorth, she sent to her father in lawe, saying: By the man vnto whom these thynges pertaine am I with chylde: And saide also, Loke I pray thee whose are these, this seale, and this bracelet, and this staffe. 26And Iuda acknowledged them, and saide: She hath ben more righteous then I, because I gaue her not Selah my sonne. And he lay with her no more.

The Birth of Perez and Zerah

27But when the tyme was come that she shoulde be deliuered, beholde there was two twynnes in her wombe. 28And when she trauayled, the one put out his hande, & the mydwyfe toke & bounde a red threede about it, saying: this is come out first. 29And he plucked his hand backe againe, and beholde, his brother came out. And she sayde: Wherefore hast thou rent a rent vppon thee? and called his name Phares. 30Afterward came out his brother, that had the red threede about his hande: and his name was called Zarah.