Judah and Tamar

1 And in the forty-fifth jubilee, in the second week, (and) in the second year, [2165] Judah took for his firstborn Er, a wife from the daughters of Aram, named Tamar.⁠a 2 But he hated her, and did not lie with her, because his mother was of the daughters of Canaan, and he wished to marry a woman from among the relatives of his mother, but Judah, his father, would not permit him. 3 And this Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked, and the Lord killed him. 4 And Judah said to Onan, his brother 'Go in to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her, and produce offspring for your brother.' 5 And Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, (but) his brother's only, and he went into the house of his brother's wife, and spilled his semen on the ground, and he was wicked in the eyes of the Lord, and He killed him. 6 And Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law: 'Remain in your father's house as a widow until Shelah my son is grown up, and I shall give you to him as wife.' 7 And he grew up; but Bedsu'el, the wife of Judah, did not permit her son Shelah to marry. And Bedsu'el, the wife of Judah, died in the fifth year of this week [2168]. 8 And in the sixth year Judah went up to shear his sheep at Timnah [2169]. And they told Tamar: 'Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.' 9 And she took off her widow's clothes, and put on a veil, and dressed herself up, and sat in the gate adjoining the way to Timnah. 10 And as Judah was going along he found her, and thought her to be a prostitute, and he said to her: 'Let me come in to you'; and she said to him: 'Come in,' and he went in. 11 And she said to him: 'Give me my payment'; and he said to her: 'I have nothing in my hand except my ring that is on my finger, and my necklace, and my staff which is in my hand.' 12 And she said to him: 'Give them to me until you send me my payment', and he said to her: 'I will send you a young goat'; and he gave them to her, and he went in to her, and she conceived by him. 13 And Judah went to his sheep, and she went to her father's house. 14 And Judah sent a young goat with his shepherd, an Adullamite, and he did not find her; and he asked the people of the place, saying: 'Where is the prostitute who was here?' And they said to him: 'There is no prostitute here with us.' 15 And he returned and informed him, and said to him that he had not found her: 'I asked the people of the place, and they said to me: "There is no prostitute here." ' And he said: 'Let her keep (them) so that we do not become a laughingstock.' 16 And when she had completed three months, it became clear that she was pregnant, and they told Judah, saying: 'Look, Tamar, your daughter-in-law, is pregnant by prostitution.' 17 And Judah went to the house of her father, and said to her father and her brothers: 'Bring her out, and let them burn her, for she has committed impurity in Israel.' 18 And when they brought her out to burn her, she sent to her father-in-law the ring and the necklace, and the staff, saying: 'Identify whose these are, for by him I am pregnant.' 19 And Judah acknowledged, and said: 'Tamar is more righteous than I am. 20 And therefore do not let them burn her.' And for that reason she was not given to Shelah, and he did not again approach her. 21 And after that she bore two sons, Perez and Zerah, in the seventh year of this second week [2170]. 22 And then the seven years of fruitfulness came to an end, of which Joseph spoke to Pharaoh.

Judah’s Pardon and the Commandment for Israel

23 And Judah acknowledged that the deed which he had done was evil, for he had slept with his daughter-in-law, and he considered it hateful, and he acknowledged that he had transgressed and gone astray, for he had uncovered the skirt of his son, and he began to lament and to plead before the Lord because of his transgression. 24 And we told him in a dream that it was forgiven him because he pleaded earnestly, and lamented, and did not again commit it. 25 And he received forgiveness because he turned from his sin and from his ignorance, for he transgressed greatly before our God; and everyone that acts this way, everyone who lies with his mother-in-law, let them burn him with fire that he may burn in it, for there is impurity and pollution upon them, with fire let them burn them. 26 And command the children of Israel that there be no impurity among them, for everyone who lies with his daughter-in-law or with his mother-in-law has committed impurity; with fire let them burn the man who has slept with her, and likewise the woman, and He will turn away anger and punishment from Israel. 27 And to Judah we said that his two sons had not slept with her, and for this reason his descendants were established for a second generation, and would not be rooted out. 28 For with sincere intent he had gone and sought for punishment, namely, according to the judgment of Abraham, which he had commanded his sons, Judah had sought to burn her with fire.