We'll take a time out of Joseph's life right here to chat a bit about Judah, the brother who came up with the great idea of selling him to the Egyptians...
Judah leaves his brothers and goes to stay with a man names Hirah. He meets a lovely Canaanite girl, marries her and they have three sons together.
The first son, Er, marries a woman named Tamar. However, "Er's conduct was evil, and it displeased the Lord, so the Lord killed him." [Genesis 38:7]
Um... okay. I guess we aren't getting any more details on that one.
So, Judah tells his second son, Onan, to go sleep with Tamar and "fulfill your obligation to her as her husband's brother, so that your brother may have descendants." [Genesis 38:8] (Not sure it really works that way, but whatever.)
But Onan knew that the children wouldn't belong to him, so when they do it, he lets his semen fall on the ground, so Tamar won't get pregnant.
This displeases the Lord, so the Lord kills Onan too.
So, Judah tells Tamar to go home and stay there until his last son, Shelah, grows up and can be with her. Judah (not surprisingly) is worried that Shelah will be killed too.
Time goes by and Shelah grows up, but Tamar is never given to him in marriage.
She gets pissed and takes her mourning clothes off and covers her face like a prostitute. She sits on the side of the road until Judah comes by and solicits her (obviously, not knowing that it's her).
Tamar agrees to sleep with Judah in exchange for a goat from his flock, but makes him leave his walking stick and seal with her until she is paid.
They have intercourse, she gets pregnant and returns home.
Later, Judah sends Hirah to take the prostitute the goat, but he can't find her.
Three months later, Judah finds out that Tamar is pregnant. Judah orders her to be burnt to death.
As she is being taken away, she whips out Judah's seal and walking stick and says "I am pregnant by the man who owns these things." [Genesis 38:25]
Judah recognizes them and says, "She is in the right. I have failed in my obligation to her - I should have given her to my son Shelah in marriage."
She has twins and a bit of a rough childbirth and this story is over. Not sure what the point was.
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