Genesis · King James Version (with Apocrypha)
Genesis 38 King James Version (with Apocrypha)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name [was] Hirah.
1 Y ACONTECIÓ en aquel tiempo, que Judá descendió de con sus hermanos, y fuése á un varón Adullamita, que se llamaba Hira.
2 And Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name [was] Shuah; and he took her, and went in unto her.
2 Y vió allí Judá la hija de un hombre Cananeo, el cual se llamaba Súa; y tomóla, y entró á ella:
3 And she conceived, and bare a son; and he called his name Er.
3 La cual concibió, y parió un hijo; y llamó su nombre Er.
4 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and she called his name Onan.
4 Y concibió otra vez, y parió un hijo, y llamó su nombre Onán.
5 And she yet again conceived, and bare a son; and called his name Shelah: and he was at Chezib, when she bare him.
5 Y volvió á concebir, y parió un hijo, y llamó su nombre Sela. Y estaba en Chezib cuando lo parió.
6 And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name [was] Tamar.
6 Y Judá tomó mujer para su primogénito Er, la cual se llamaba Thamar.
7 And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
7 Y Er, el primogénito de Judá, fué malo á los ojos de Jehová, y quitóle Jehová la vida.
8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
8 Entonces Judá dijo á Onán: Entra á la mujer de tu hermano, y despósate con ella, y suscita simiente á tu hermano.
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled [it] on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
9 Y sabiendo Onán que la simiente no había de ser suya, sucedía que cuando entraba á la mujer de su hermano vertía en tierra, por no dar simiente á su hermano.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
10 Y desagradó en ojos de Jehová lo que hacía, y también quitó á él la vida.
11 Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren [did]. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
11 Y Judá dijo á Thamar su nuera: Estáte viuda en casa de tu padre, hasta que crezca Sela mi hijo; porque dijo: Que quizá no muera él también como sus hermanos. Y fuése Thamar, y estúvose en casa de su padre.
12 ¶ And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheepshearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
12 Y pasaron muchos días, y murió la hija de Súa, mujer de Judá; y Judá se consoló, y subía á los trasquiladores de sus ovejas á Timnath, él y su amigo Hira el Adullamita.
13 And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
13 Y fué dado aviso á Thamar, diciendo: He aquí tu suegro sube á Timnath á trasquilar sus ovejas.
14 And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and covered her with a vail, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place, which [is] by the way to Timnath; for she saw that Shelah was grown, and she was not given unto him to wife.
14 Entonces quitó ella de sobre sí los vestidos de su viudez, y cubrióse con un velo, y arrebozóse, y se puso á la puerta de las aguas que están junto al camino de Timnath; porque veía que había crecido Sela, y ella no era dada á él por mujer.
15 When Judah saw her, he thought her [to be] an harlot; because she had covered her face.
15 Y vióla Judá, y túvola por ramera, porque había ella cubierto su rostro.
16 And he turned unto her by the way, and said, Go to, I pray thee, let me come in unto thee; (for he knew not that she [was] his daughter in law.) And she said, What wilt thou give me, that thou mayest come in unto me?
16 Y apartóse del camino hacia ella, y díjole: Ea, pues, ahora entraré á ti; porque no sabía que era su nuera; y ella dijo: ¿Qué me has de dar, si entrares á mí?
17 And he said, I will send [thee] a kid from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou give [me] a pledge, till thou send [it]?
17 El respondió: Yo te enviaré del ganado un cabrito de las cabras. Y ella dijo: Hasme de dar prenda hasta que lo envíes.
18 And he said, What pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet, and thy bracelets, and thy staff that [is] in thine hand. And he gave [it] her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him.
18 Entonces él dijo: ¿Qué prenda te daré? Ella respondió: Tu anillo, y tu manto, y tu bordón que tienes en tu mano. Y él se los dió, y entró á ella, la cual concibió de él.
19 And she arose, and went away, and laid by her vail from her, and put on the garments of her widowhood.
19 Y levantóse, y fuése: y quitóse el velo de sobre sí, y vistióse las ropas de su viudez.
20 And Judah sent the kid by the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive [his] pledge from the woman’s hand: but he found her not.
20 Y Judá envió el cabrito de las cabras por mano de su amigo el Adullamita, para que tomase la prenda de mano de la mujer; mas no la halló.
21 Then he asked the men of that place, saying, Where [is] the harlot, that [was] openly by the way side? And they said, There was no harlot in this [place].
21 Y preguntó á los hombres de aquel lugar, diciendo: ¿Dónde está la ramera de las aguas junto al camino? Y ellos le dijeron: No ha estado aquí ramera.
22 And he returned to Judah, and said, I cannot find her; and also the men of the place said, [that] there was no harlot in this [place].
22 Entonces él se volvió á Judá, y dijo: No la he hallado; y también los hombres del lugar dijeron: Aquí no ha estado ramera.
23 And Judah said, Let her take [it] to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
23 Y Judá dijo: Tómeselo para sí, porque no seamos menospreciados: he aquí yo he enviado este cabrito, y tú no la hallaste.
24 ¶ And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she [is] with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.
24 Y acaeció que al cabo de unos tres meses fué dado aviso á Judá, diciendo: Thamar tu nuera ha fornicado, y aun cierto está preñada de las fornicaciones. Y Judá dijo: Sacadla, y sea quemada.
25 When she [was] brought forth, she sent to her father in law, saying, By the man, whose these [are, am] I with child: and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose [are] these, the signet, and bracelets, and staff.
25 Y ella, cuando la sacaban, envió á decir á su suegro: Del varón cuyas son estas cosas, estoy preñada: y dijo más: Mira ahora cúyas son estas cosas, el anillo, y el manto, y el bordón.
26 And Judah acknowledged [them], and said, She hath been more righteous than I; because that I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew her again no more.
26 Entonces Judá los reconoció, y dijo: Más justa es que yo, por cuanto no la he dado á Sela mi hijo. Y nunca más la conoció.
27 ¶ And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins [were] in her womb.
27 Y aconteció que al tiempo del parir, he aquí había dos en su vientre.
28 And it came to pass, when she travailed, that [the one] put out [his] hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first.
28 Y sucedió, cuando paría, que sacó la mano el uno, y la partera tomó y ató á su mano un hilo de grana, diciendo: Este salió primero.
29 And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? [this] breach [be] upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez.
29 Empero fué que tornando él á meter la mano, he aquí su hermano salió; y ella dijo: ¿Por qué has hecho sobre ti rotura? Y llamó su nombre Phares.
30 And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
30 Y después salió su hermano, el que tenía en su mano el hilo de grana, y llamó su nombre Zara.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Er
Judah's firstborn, who was wicked in the LORD's sight and died young; first husband of Tamar.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:3-7
Hirah
Judah's friend, an Adullamite near whom Judah settled, who went with Judah to the sheepshearing at Timnah and later took the young goat to Enaim but could not find the woman.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:1; Genesis 38:12; Genesis 38:20
Judah
The lion of the tribes, from whom kings and the Messiah would come.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 29:35; 38; 49:8–12
Onan
Judah's second son, who died for refusing to raise up offspring for his late brother.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:4-10
Shelah
Judah's third son, withheld from Tamar until she took matters into her own hands.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 38:5, 11; Numbers 26:20
Tamar
Judah's daughter-in-law who, denied justice, became the mother of Perez.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 38; Matthew 1:3
Cross references (25)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 2 Kings 4:8; 1 Samuel 22:1; Proverbs 13:20; Micah 1:15; Genesis 19:2–3
- 2 1 Chronicles 2:3; Genesis 24:3; 2 Corinthians 6:14; Judges 16:1; Genesis 3:6
- 3 Numbers 26:19; Genesis 46:12
- 4 Genesis 46:12; Numbers 26:19
- 5 Numbers 26:20; Genesis 46:12; Genesis 38:26; Genesis 38:11; 1 Chronicles 4:21
- 6 Genesis 21:21; Genesis 24:3; Matthew 1:3
- 7 1 Chronicles 2:3; Genesis 46:12; Numbers 26:19; Genesis 13:13; Genesis 19:13
- 8 Deuteronomy 25:5–10; Matthew 22:23–27; Ruth 4:5–11; Ruth 1:11; Leviticus 18:16
- 9 James 4:5; Deuteronomy 25:6; James 3:16; Titus 3:3; Job 5:2
- 10 Numbers 11:1; Genesis 46:12; Proverbs 14:32; 1 Chronicles 21:7; Numbers 26:19
- 11 Leviticus 22:13; Ruth 1:11–13
- 12 Joshua 15:10; 2 Samuel 13:39; Judges 14:1; Genesis 24:67; Genesis 31:19
- 14 Genesis 38:26; Genesis 38:11–13; Proverbs 7:12; Jeremiah 3:2; Genesis 24:65
- 16 1 Timothy 6:10; Matthew 26:15; 2 Samuel 13:11; Ezekiel 16:33; Deuteronomy 23:18
- 17 Genesis 38:20; Ezekiel 16:33; Luke 16:8; Proverbs 20:16; Genesis 38:24–25
- 18 Genesis 38:25–26; Luke 15:22; Jeremiah 22:24; Hosea 4:11
- 19 Genesis 38:14; 2 Samuel 14:2; 2 Samuel 14:5
- 20 Genesis 20:9; 2 Samuel 13:3; Luke 23:12; Leviticus 19:17; Judges 14:20
- 23 Ephesians 5:12; 2 Samuel 12:9; Proverbs 6:33; Romans 6:21; 2 Corinthians 4:2
- 24 Leviticus 21:9; Judges 19:2; Ezekiel 23:44; Hosea 2:5; Ezekiel 23:19
- 25 Genesis 37:32; Genesis 38:18; Psalm 50:21; Jeremiah 2:26; Revelation 20:12
- 26 1 Samuel 24:17; 1 Peter 4:2–3; John 8:9; Titus 2:11–12; 2 Samuel 24:17
- 27 Genesis 25:24
- 29 Genesis 46:12; Matthew 1:3; 1 Chronicles 2:4; Numbers 26:20; Nehemiah 11:6
- 30 1 Chronicles 9:6; 1 Chronicles 2:4; Matthew 1:3
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
This fact is indeed set forth by many other [occurrences], but typically by [the history of] Thamar, Judah's daughter-in-law. For when she had conceived twins, one of them put forth his hand first; and as the midwife supposed that he was the first-born, she bound a scarlet token on his hand.