And Iudas gaue Er his eldest sonne/ a wife whose name was Thamar. But this Er Iudas eldest sonne was wicked in the syghte of the LORde/ wherfore the LORde slewe him. Than sayde Iudas vnto Onan: goo in to thi brothers wyfe and Marie her/ and styrre vp seed vnto thy brother. And when Onan perceaued that the seed shulde not be his: therfore when he went in to his brothers wife/ he spylled it on the grounde/ because he wold not geue seed vnto his brother. And the thinge which he dyd/ displeased the LORde/ wherfore he slew him also. Than sayde Iudas to Thamar his doughter in lawe: remayne a wydow at thi fathers house/ tyll Sela my sonne be growne: for he feared lest he shulde haue dyed also/ as his brethren did. Thus went Thamar & dwelt in hir fathers house.

And in processe of tyme/ the doughter of Sua Iudas wife dyed. Than Iudas when he had left mornynge/ went vnto his shepe sherers to Thimnath with his frende Hira of Odollam. And one told Thamar saynge: beholde/ thy father inlawe goth vp to Thimnath/ to shere his shepe. And she put hyr wydows garm?tes of from her and couered her with a clooke/ and disgyssed herself: and sat her downe at the entrynge of Enaim which is by the hye wayes syde to Thimnath/ for because she sawe that Sela was growne/ and she was not geu? vnto him to wife.

When Iuda sawe her/ he thought it had bene an hoore/ because she had couered hyr face. And turned to her vnto the waye and sayde/ come I praye the/ let me lye with the/ for he knewe not that it was his doughter in lawe. And she sayde what wylt thou gyue me/ for to lye with me? Thà sayde he/ I will sende the a kydd frÕ the flocke. She answered/ Than geue me a pledge till thou sende it. Than sayde he/ what pledge shall I geue the? And she sayde: thy sygnett/ thy neckelace/ and thy staffe that is in thy hande. And he gaue it her and lay by her/ and she was with child by him. And she gatt her vp and went and put her mantell from her/ Ãd put on hir widowes rayment agayne.

And Iudas send the kydd by his neybure of Odollam/ for to fetch out his pledge agayne from the wifes hande. But he fownde her not. Than asked he the men of the same place saynge: where is the whoore that satt at Enaim in the waye? And they sayde: there was no whoore here. And he came to Iuda agayne saynge: I can not fynde her/ and also the men of the place sayde: that there was no whoore there. And Iuda sayde: let her take it to her/ lest we be shamed: for I sente the kydd & thou coudest not fynde her.

And it came to passe that after .iij. monethes/ one tolde Iuda saynge: Thamar thy doughter in lawe hath played the whoore/ and with playnge the whoore is become great with childe. And Iuda sayde: brynge her forth Ãd let her be brente. And when they brought her forth/ she sent to her father in lawe saynge: by the mà vnto whome these thinges pertayne/ am I with childe. And sayd also: loke whose are this seall necklace/ and staffe. And Iuda knewe them saynge: she is more rightwes thà I/ because I gaue her not to Sela my sÕne. But he laye with her nomore.

When tyme was come that she shulde be delyuered/ beholde there was .ij. twynnes in hyr wÕbe. And as she traveled/ the one put out his hande and the mydwife toke and bownde a reed threde aboute it saynge: this wyll come out fyrst. But he plucked his hande backe agayne/ and his brother came out. And she sayde: wherfore hast thou rent a rent vppon the? and called him Pharez. And afterward came out his brother that had the reade threde about his hÃde/ which was called Zarah.