Jubilees

In the forty-fifth jubilee, in the second week, in the second year, Judah took for his firstborn Er a wife from the daughters of Haran called Tamar.

But he despised her and did not lie with her, because his mother was from the daughters of Canaan, and he wanted to take for himself a wife from his mother's kindred, but Judah, his father, did not allow it.

And this Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil, and the Lord killed him.

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 raise up descendants for your brother."

But Onan knew that the descendants would not be his, but only his brother's, and he went to his brother's wife's house and spilled the seed on the ground, and he was evil in the eyes of the Lord, and He killed him.

And Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law: "Remain in your father's house as a widow until Shelah, my son, grows up, and I will give you to him as a wife."

And he grew up, but Bedsuel, Judah's wife, did not allow her son Shelah to marry. And Bedsuel, Judah's wife, died in the fifth year of this week.

And in the sixth year Judah arose to shear his sheep in Timnah.

And they said to Tamar: "Behold, your father-in-law goes to Timnah to shear his sheep." And she took off her widow's clothes, and put on a veil, and adorned herself, and sat down at the gate by the side of the road to Timnah.

And when Judah was going, he met her, and thought that she was a prostitute, and he said to her: "Let me come in to you"; and she said to him to come in, and he came in.

And she said to him: "Give me my payment." and he said to her: "I have nothing in my hands except my ring which is on my finger, and my necklace, and my staff which is in my hand."

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 kid." And he gave them to her, and she conceived by him.

And Judah went to his flock, and she went to her father's house.

And Judah sent a kid by the hand of his shepherd, an Adullamite, and he did not find her; and he asked the people of the place saying: "Where is the prostitute that was here?" And they said to him: "There is no prostitute here with us."

And he returned and told 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 cause of scorn."

And when she had completed three months it became manifest that she was pregnant, and they said to Judah saying: "Behold, Tamar, your daughter-in-law, is pregnant with adultery!"

And Judah went to her father's house and said to her father and to her brothers: "Bring her out and let us burn her, because she has brought filthiness upon Israel!"

And it came to pass when they brought her out that she sent to her father-in-law the ring, the necklace and the staff saying: "Discern whose these are, because I am pregnant by him."

And Judah perceived and said: "Tamar is more righteous than I, therefore we will not burn her."

And for this reason she was not given to Shelah, and he did not approach her again.

And after this she gave birth to two sons, Perez and Zerah, in the seventh year of this second week.

And then the seven years of abundance were completed, of which Joseph spoke to Pharaoh.

And Judah perceived that the work he had done was evil, because he had lain with his daughter-in-law, and he esteemed it hateful in his eyes, and he perceived that he had transgressed and turned aside, because he had uncovered the skirt of his son, and he began to lament and to supplicate before the Lord for his transgression.

And we told him in a dream that this was forgiven him because he supplicated fervently, and did not commit it again.

And he received forgiveness because he turned from his sin and his ignorance, because he transgressed greatly before our God; and everyone who does so, everyone who lies with his daughter-in-law, let him be burned in the fire and let him burn in it, because it is filthiness and pollution upon him, let them burn him in the fire.

And you command the children of Israel that there be no filthiness among them, because everyone who lies with his daughter-in-law or with his mother-in-law has practiced filthiness; let them burn in the fire the man who lay with her, and likewise the woman, and He will turn away wrath and punishment from Israel.

And concerning Judah we said that his two sons did not lie with her, and for this reason his descendants were established by the opposite sex, and will not be exterminated.

Because in a singularity of sight he sought for punishment, namely, according to the Law of Abraham, which he had commanded his sons, Judah had sought to burn her with fire.