Jubilees 41

The Deaths of Er and Onan

41 And in the forty-fifth jubilee, in the second week and in the second year, Judah took a wife for Er, his first-born, from among the daughters of Aram, and her name was Tamar. 2And he hated her and did not lie with her, because his mother was from among the daughters of Canaan, and he desired to take a wife to himself from the relatives of his mother, but his father Judah would not permit him.

3And this his first-born was wicked, and the Lord slew him.

4And Judah said to his son Onan: "Go in to the wife of thy brother, and make her thy wife and raise up seed for thy brother." 5And Onan knew that the seed would not be his, but rather his brother's, and he went to the house of the wife of his brother, and poured the seed upon the ground, and was wicked before the eyes of the Lord, and he slew him.

Judah Does Not Fulfill His Promise

6And Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Abide in the house of thy father as a widow until my son Shelah has grown, and I will give thee to him for a wife." 7And he grew up; but Bedsuel, the wife of Judah, would not permit her son Shelah to marry her. 8And Bedsuel, the wife of Judah, died in the fifth year of this week.

9And in the sixth year thereof Judah went up to shear his sheep at Timnath. 10And she laid aside her widow's garments and clothed herself with a vail, and beautified herself, and sat down at the gate on the way to Timnath. 11And when Judah came, he found her, and thought her a harlot, and said to her: "I will go in to thee."

12And she said to him, "Come in", and he came in unto her.

13And she said to him, "Give me my pay."

14And he said to her, "I have nothing in my hand except my ring on my finger and my bracelet and my staff, which is in my hand."

15And she said to him, "Give me these until thou sendest me my pay."

16And he said to her, "I will send thee a young kid", and he gave them to her.

17And she conceived from him; and Judah went to his sheep, but she went to the house of her father. 18And Judah sent a young kid through a shepherd of Adullam, and he did not find her, and asked the people of the place, saying, "Where is the harlot which was here?"

19And they said, "There has been ho harlot here, and there is no harlot among us.

20And he returned and told him that he had not found her, and said, "I asked the people of the place and they said to me that there was no harlot there."

21And he said, "Arise, let us go that we do not become a laughing stock."

22And when three months were over she learned that she was pregnant, and they told Judah, saying, "Behold, thy daughter-in-law Tamar has conceived by whoredom."

23And Judah went to the house of her father, and said to her father and mother and brothers: "Bring her out that she be burned, for she has done an unclean thing in Israel."

24And it happened when they brought her out to burn her, she sent to her father-in-law the ring and the bracelets and the staff, saying, "Dost thou recognize whose these are, for from him have I conceived?"

25And Judah recognized them and said, "Tamar is more just than I." 26And they did not burn her.

27And on this account she was not given to Shelah; and he did not again approach her.

The Children of Judah and Tamar

28And after that she gave birth to two male children, Pharez and Zarah, in the seventh year of this second week.

29And three more completed the seven years of fruitfulness of which Joseph had said to Pharoah.

Judah Forgiven His Sin

30And Judah knew than it was an evil deed which he had done, for he had lain with his daughter-in-law, and regarded it as a sin before his eyes, and he knew that he had sinned and erred, because he had uncovered the skirt of his son. 31And he began to lament it and ask for mercy before the Lord on account of his sin. 32And he told him in a dream, that it would be forgiven him, because he begged exceedingly for mercy and lamented, and did not repeat it.

33And he obtained forgiveness, for he turned from his sin and ignorance, for it was a great transgression before the Lord our God; and every one that does thus, and lies with his daughter-in-law shall be burned with fire, that he may burn therein, for it is uncleaness and defilement upon them: with fire they shall be burnt. 34And thou, Moses, command the children of Israel, that there be no uncleanness among them, for every one that lieth with his mother-in-law or his daughter-in-law does an unclean thing: with fire shall be burnt the man who lies with her, and the woman also, and he God shall remove the anger and punishment from Israel.

35But to Judah he said that because his two sons did not lie with her, on that account his seed stands for a second generation, and should not be rooted out; for in the innocence of his eyes he had gone and sought punishment, namely, according to. the judgment of Abraham which he commanded his children, that Judah should be burned with fire.