Genesis 38:16-18

Contemporary English Version

¹⁶and asked her to sleep with him. She asked, “What will you give me if I do?”

¹⁷“One of my young goats,” he answered.

“What will you give me to keep until you send the goat?” she asked.

¹⁸“What do you want?” he asked in return.

“The ring on that cord around your neck,” was her reply. “I also want the special walking stick^[a] you have with you.” He gave them to her, they slept together, and she became pregnant.

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Footnotes

38.18 ring … walking stick: The ring was shaped like a cylinder and could be rolled over soft clay as a way of sealing special documents. The walking stick was probably a symbol of power and the sign of leadership in the tribe, though it may have been a shepherd's rod.