The Bible - 6 Short stories

Judah and Tamar

Tamar is just told the news: "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."

Tamar sighs. She has no child. Her father-in-law had given her his son in marriage, Er. But for some reason he died. Then Judah gave her his second son, Onan. But Onan refused to let Tamar conceive. Then he also died!

That's when Judah said to her, "Live as a widow in your father's house until Shelah my son grows up." Now, this Shelah is all grown up (it's been years), in the right age - and, no arrangements made for them to marry!

But how come? Then she thought, Perhaps Judah NEVER meant to give Shelah to me! He must think there is some problem in ME, and that I have caused the deaths of his first two sons!

So she has to think fast. She has this weird idea, but she's certain it will work. Anything will do. ANYTHING!

+ + +

Not in her widow garments anymore; no, no more. Now Tamar has different garments, and to top it off, she places a veil over her face. Surely this plan will work. Surely...

She sits at the gateway to this town named Enaim, which is on the way to Timnah, where Judah is heading.

Just then, she sees two men walking towards Enaim. They are... Judah! There he is! My, how has he aged! Of course, now he's with a staff in his hand! And he is walking with his friend, Hirah the Adullamite. Judah had been away from his family (he had said his father turned all-sorrowing and all-sobbing, but Judah didn't want to talk about it) and is living as a neighbor to Hirah.

Judah is speaking with Hirah about his sheep-shearers when he turns and notices a woman whose head and face are covered in a veil. "Could that be some prostitute?" he murmurs. "My wife has recently died."

Judah tells Hirah, "Well, you go ahead."

"Huh? How come?"

"You see her?" he says, pointing to the woman, not realizing she is his daughter-in-law. "I need some time with her."

"O- okay, whatever you say, Judah," says the Adullamite, knowing about Judah's stage of mourning. It has ended just recently, though. Perhaps he... AH, whatever.

Hirah goes ahead into the city. Now Judah heads over to the "prostitute" along the road. "Come, please, I want to sleep with you."

"Oh?" says Tamar, apparently indifferent. "What will you give me so that you may sleep with me?" She is thinking, Oh, I know this will work! The veil is working!

"I'll send you a young goat from the flock," says Judah.

Perhaps something can go wrong! I have to have something from him! Now Tamar proposes, "Will you give me a pledge until you send it?"

"Like what?" questions Judah. "What pledge should I give you?"

"How about..." - Tamar turns to his seal with that cord around Judah's neck, then the staff - "your seal, your cord, and the staff that's in your hand."

"Well, sure," Judah finally agrees.

Tamar, of course, has a rented place here. She has everything prepared! And they both go.

+ + +

Tamar, the woman, is back at home. Her mission is done. She throws off her scarf. No need for it. She puts on her widow clothing - for she had two dead husbands.

She gives a chuckle when she thinks of how Judah is going to try to give her the goat. It will not be easy, haha! Of course, of course, the truth will come out in time.

In time, indeed.

+ + +

Meanwhile, Hiram - who is doing this goat-giving thing for Judah - is about at Enaim, trying to find that "prostitute". Problem is, Hiram couldn't find her.

Then he asks the local people: "Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?" (It turns out Hiram assumes it was a cult prostitute.)

He gets the response: "There has been no cult prostitute here."

So Hiram returns to Judah with the goat. He explains, "I couldn't find her. Moreover, the men of the place said, 'There has been no cult prostitute here.' "

Sigh. "You didn't? Cult prostitute?"

Finally, Judah just accepts it. "Let her keep the things for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn't find her."

+ + +

Three months have passed. Now some people are speaking together. Judah passes by. He knows these people. But why are they speaking among themselves? He heads over to them.

"Hey there, what's going on?" asks Judah, curious.

"Oh, Judah, you haven't heard, huh?" says one. "You know Tamar, right?"

"Why, yes," answers Judah.

"Sir, she's his daughter-in-law," says another to the first who asked Judah. Now this person turns to Judah, "Well, your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, and as a result she has become pregnant."

"Prostitution?" asks Judah, forgetting what he had done three months ago.

"Yes," replies that person. "Nothing has so far been done about this."

"That's a crime punishable by death! Since I'm in charge here, I say: Bring her out and let her be burned!"

"Very well," they say.

+ + +

Yells and shouts fill the air. "Prostitute!" "Prepare to die!" "You're getting what's coming to you!" "Pregnant harlot!" "You deserve this!" "Burn the traitor!" "Say goodbye to this world!"

Tamar, getting dragged out, gets led away to the place of execution. But on the way there, she asks the people around to stop. "Halt, halt! Stop! I have to send a message to my father-in-law! Please!"

She is still pressing on to the seal, cord, and staff; for she had them in hand whenever she be. She guessed something like this would happen. It's just that she never expected Judah to be so mean-hearted. She takes the items and says, "Tell this to Judah: I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong. Identify the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong. I know you know."

There is the thick pole to which Tamar would get bound, and when the order is given by Judah, she would get set ablaze. Right ahead! Tamar is overwhelmed at the thought she would die here. But she knows Judah would consider the things she sent to Judah.

Judah gets the message and sees the things. "I recognize them," he says to himself, startled. "Oh, it's Tamar! It was her the whole time! Oh, I... I understand her motive." Then he expresses plainly, "Release her. She is more upright than I am, because I wouldn't give her to Shelah my son."

Tamar is freed. In six months, she would give birth to her babies, for she had twins. One would be named Perez and the other Zerah.

(Genesis 38; New English Translation)