Genesis 34
34
Dinah Defiled
1Leah’s daughter#Gn 30:21 Dinah, whom Leah bore to Jacob, went out to see some of the young women of the area. 2When Shechem — son of Hamor the Hivite, who was the region’s chieftain — saw her, he took her and raped her. 3He became infatuated with Jacob’s daughter Dinah. He loved the young girl and spoke tenderly to her.#34:3 Lit spoke to her heart 4“Get me this girl as a wife,”#Jdg 14:2 he told his father.
5Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent until they returned. 6Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob. 7Jacob’s sons returned from the field when they heard about the incident. They were deeply grieved and very angry, for Shechem had committed an outrage against Israel by raping Jacob’s daughter,#Dt 22:20–30; Jdg 20:6; 2Sm 13:12 and such a thing should not be done.
8Hamor said to Jacob’s sons, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your#34:8 The Hb word for your is pl, showing that Hamor is speaking to Jacob and his sons. daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. 9Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10Live with us. The land is before you. Settle here, move about, and acquire property in it.”
11Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Grant me this favor,#34:11 Lit “May I find favor in your eyes and I’ll give you whatever you say. 12Demand of me a high compensation#34:12 Or bride-price, or betrothal present and gift; I’ll give you whatever you ask me. Just give the girl to be my wife!”
13But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14“We cannot do this thing,” they said to them. “Giving our sister to an uncircumcised man is a disgrace to us. 15We will agree with you only on this condition: if all your males are circumcised as we are.#Gn 17:23–27 16Then we will give you our daughters, take your daughters for ourselves, live with you, and become one people. 17But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”
18Their words seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19The young man did not delay doing this, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most important in all his father’s family. 20So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city#Ru 4:1; 2Sm 15:2 and spoke to the men of their city.
21“These men are peaceful toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and move about in it, for indeed, the region is large enough for them. Let’s take their daughters as our wives and give our daughters to them. 22But the men will agree to live with us and be one people only on this condition: if all our men are circumcised as they are. 23Won’t their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let’s agree with them, and they will live with us.”
24All the men#Gn 23:10 who had come to the city gates listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and all those men were circumcised. 25On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi,#Gn 49:5–7 Dinah’s brothers, took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and killed every male. 26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went away. 27Jacob’s sons came to the slaughter and plundered the city because their sister had been defiled. 28They took their flocks, herds, donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. 29They captured all their possessions, dependents, and wives and plundered everything in the houses.
30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me,#Jos 7:25 making me odious to the inhabitants of the land,#Ex 5:21; 1Sm 13:4; 2Sm 10:6 the Canaanites and the Perizzites.#Gn 13:7; 34:2 We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”#Gn 46:26–27; Dt 4:27; 1Ch 16:19; Ps 105:12
31But they answered, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
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Genesis 34: CSB
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Berĕshith (Genesis) 34
34
1And Dinah, the daughter of Lĕ’ah, whom she had borne to Ya‛aqoḇ, went out to see the daughters of the land.
2And Sheḵem, son of Ḥamor the Ḥiwwite, prince of the land, saw her and took her and lay with her, and humbled her.
3And his being clung to Dinah the daughter of Ya‛aqoḇ, and he loved the girl and spoke kindly to the girl.
4And Sheḵem spoke to his father Ḥamor, saying, “Take this girl for me for a wife.”
5And Ya‛aqoḇ heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Ya‛aqoḇ kept silent until they came.
6And Ḥamor, the father of Sheḵem, went out to Ya‛aqoḇ to speak with him.
7And the sons of Ya‛aqoḇ came in from the field when they heard it. And the men were grieved and very wroth, because he had done a senseless deed in Yisra’ĕl by lying with Ya‛aqoḇ’s daughter, which should not be done.
8But Ḥamor spoke with them, saying, “My son Sheḵem’s being longs for your daughter. Please give her to him for a wife.
9“And intermarry with us, give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves,
10and dwell with us, and let the land be before you. Dwell and move about in it, and have possessions in it.”
11And Sheḵem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find favour in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I give.
12Ask of me a bride price and gift ever so high, and I give according to what you say to me, but give me the girl for a wife.
13But the sons of Ya‛aqoḇ answered Sheḵem and Ḥamor his father, and spoke with deceit, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.
14And they said to them, “We are not able to do this matter, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us.
15Only on this condition would we agree to you: If you become as we are, to have every male of you circumcised,
16then we shall give our daughters to you, and take your daughters to us. And we shall dwell with you, and shall become one people.
17But if you do not listen to us and be circumcised, we shall take our daughter and go.
18And their words pleased Ḥamor and Sheḵem, Ḥamor’s son.
19And the young man did not delay to do this because he delighted in Ya‛aqoḇ’s daughter. Now he was more respected than all the household of his father.
20And Ḥamor and Sheḵem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying,
21“These men are at peace with us, so let them dwell in the land and move about in it. And see, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters for us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
22“Only on this condition would the men agree to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.
23Their herds and their possessions, and all their beasts, should they not be ours? Only let us agree with them, and let them dwell with us.
24And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Ḥamor and Sheḵem his son; every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
25And it came to be on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Ya‛aqoḇ, Shim‛on and Lĕwi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males.
26And they killed Ḥamor and Sheḵem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Sheḵem’s house, and went out.
27The sons of Ya‛aqoḇ came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
28They took their flocks and their herds, 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 they took captive, and they plundered all that was in the houses.
30And Ya‛aqoḇ said to Shim‛on and Lĕwi, “You have troubled me by making me a stench among the inhabitants of the land, among the Kena‛anites and the Perizzites. And I am few in number, they shall gather themselves against me and shall strike me, and I shall be destroyed, my household and I.”
31But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a whore?”
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