Genesis 34

Simeon and Levi Kill the Men of Shechem

1Dinah was the daughter Leah had by Jacob. Dinah went out to visit the women of the land. 2Hamor, the Hivite, was the ruler of that area. When his son Shechem saw Dinah, he took her and raped her. 3Then he longed for Jacob’s daughter Dinah. He fell in love with her and spoke tenderly to her. 4Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me that young woman. I want her to be my wife.”

5Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been raped. His sons were in the fields with his livestock. So he did nothing about it until they came home.

6Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. 7Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields. They came as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and very angry. Shechem had done a very terrible thing. He had forced Jacob’s daughter to have sex with him. He had done something that should never be done in Israel.

8But Hamor said to Jacob and his sons, “My son Shechem wants your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. 9Let your people and ours get married to each other. Give us your daughters as our wives. You can have our daughters as your wives. 10You can live among us. Here is the land. Live in it. Trade in it. Buy property in it.”

11Then Shechem spoke to Dinah’s father and brothers. He said, “I want to please you. I’ll give you anything you ask for. 12Make the price for the bride as high as you want to. I’ll pay you whatever you ask. Just give me the young woman. I want to marry her.”

13Their sister Dinah had been raped. So Jacob’s sons lied to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14They said to them, “We can’t do it. We can’t give our sister to a man who isn’t circumcised. That would bring shame on us. 15We’ll agree, but only on one condition. You will have to become like us. You will have to circumcise all your males. 16Then we’ll give you our daughters as your wives. And we’ll take your daughters as our wives. We’ll live among you and become one big family with you. 17But if you won’t agree to be circumcised, then we’ll take our sister and go.”

18Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19The young man was the most honored of all his father’s family. He didn’t lose any time in doing what Dinah’s father and brothers had said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. 20Hamor and his son Shechem went to the city gate. They spoke to the other men there. 21“These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land. Let them trade in it. The land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters. And they can marry ours. 22But they will agree to live with us as one big family only on one condition. All our males must be circumcised, just as they are. 23Won’t their livestock and their property belong to us? Won’t all their animals become ours? So let’s say yes to them. Then they’ll live among us.”

24All the men who went out through the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem. So every male in the city was circumcised.

25Three days later, all of them were still in pain. Then Simeon and Levi took their swords. They were Jacob’s sons and Dinah’s brothers. They attacked the city when the people didn’t expect it. They killed every male. 26They also used their swords to kill Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. 27Jacob’s other sons found the dead bodies. They robbed the city where their sister had been raped. 28They took the flocks and herds and donkeys. They took everything in the city and in the fields. 29They carried everything away. And they took all the women and children. They took away everything in the houses.

30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me. Now I’m like a very bad smell to the Canaanites and Perizzites who live in this land. There aren’t many of us. They may join together against me and attack me. Then I and my family will be destroyed.”

31But they replied, “Should Shechem have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

Genesis 34

1And Dinah (judgment) the daughter of Le’ah (weary; grieved), which she bore unto Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of), went out to see the daughters of the land.

2And when Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion] the son of Hamor [male-donkey (ass)] (a donkey) the Hivi (villagers), prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

3And his soul clave unto Dinah (judgment) the daughter of Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of), and he loved the girl, and spoke kindly unto the girl.

4And Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion] spoke unto his father Hamor [male-donkey (ass)] (a donkey) saying, Get me this girl to wife.

5And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) heard that he had defiled Dinah (judgment) his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) held his peace until they were come.

6And Hamor [male-donkey (ass)] (a donkey) the father of Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion] went out unto Ya’akov to commune with him.

7And the sons of Ya’akov came out of the field when they heard [it]: and the men were grieved, and they were very exceedingly angry, because he had wrought folly in Isra’el in lying with Ya’akov’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

8And Hamor [male-donkey (ass)] (a donkey) communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion] longs for youri daughter: I pray youi give her him to wife.

9And make youf marriages with us, [and] give youri daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.

10And you1sf shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade you1sf in it, and get youri possessions in it.

11And Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion] said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in youri eyes, and what youf shall say unto me I will give.

12Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as youf shall say unto me: but give me the girl to wife.

13And the sons of Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) answered Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion] and Hamor [male-donkey (ass)] (a donkey) his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah (judgment) their sister:

14And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that [were] a reproach (disgrace; shame) unto us:

15But in this will we consent unto you: If youf will be as we [be], that every male of youi be circumcised;

16Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take youri daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

17But if youf will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

18And their words pleased Hamor [male-donkey (ass)] (a donkey), and Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion] Hamor [male-donkey (ass)]’s son.

19And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Ya’akov’s daughter: and he [was] more honorable than all the house of his father.

20And Hamor [male-donkey (ass)] (a donkey) and Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion] his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,

21These men [are] peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade in it; for the land, behold, [it is] large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.

22Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they [are] circumcised.

23 [Shall] not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs [be] ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.

24And unto Hamor [male-donkey (ass)] (a donkey) and unto Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion] his son listened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

25And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Ya’akov, Shim’on (heard; he who hears; man of hearing) and Levi (Levite) [Joined to] (joined), Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and killed all the males.

26And they killed Hamor [male-donkey (ass)] (a donkey) and Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion] his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Sh’khem’s [back or shoulder] house, and went out.

27The sons of Ya’akov came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.

28They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their donkeys, and that which [was] in the city, and that which [was] in the field,

29And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that [was] in the house.

30And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) said to Shim’on (heard; he who hears; man of hearing) and Levi (Levite) [Joined to] (joined), Youf have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Kena’ani (low/humbled ones; merchants) and the P’rizi (rustic or belonging to a village): and I [being] few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

31And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an prostitute?

Choose your language

Genesis 34

Genesis 34