Genesis 34

1 NOW DINAH daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out [unattended] to see the girls of the place.

2 And when Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he seized her, lay with her, and humbled, defiled, and disgraced her.

3 But his soul longed for and clung to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke comfortingly to her young heart's wishes.

4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, Get me this girl to be my wife.

5 Jacob heard that [Shechem] had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field. So Jacob held his peace until they came.

6 But Hamor father of Shechem went out to Jacob to have a talk with him.

7 When Jacob's sons heard it, they came from the field; and they were distressed and grieved and very angry, for [Shechem] had done a vile thing to Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter, which ought not to be done.

8 And Hamor conferred with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem craves your daughter [and sister]. I beg of you give her to him to be his wife.

9 And make marriages with us and give your daughters to us and take our daughters to you.

10 You shall dwell with us; the country will be open to you; live and trade and get your possessions in it.

11 And Shechem said to [Dinah's] father and to her brothers, Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask of me.

12 Ask me ever so much dowry and [marriage] gift, and I will give according to what you tell me; only give me the girl to be my wife.

13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, [justifying their intended action by saying, in effect, we are going to do this] because Shechem had defiled and disgraced their sister Dinah.

14 They said to them, We cannot do this thing and give our sister to one who is not circumcised, for that would be a reproach and disgrace to us.

15 But we do consent to do this: if you will become as we are and every male among you be circumcised,

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

17 But if you will not listen to us and consent to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.

18 Their words pleased Hamor and his son Shechem.

19 And the young man did not delay to do the thing, for he delighted in Jacob's daughter. He was honored above all his family [so, ranking first, he acted first].

20 Then Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their [enclosed] town and discussed the matter with the citizens, saying,

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

22 But the men will consent to our request that they live among us and be one people only on condition that every male among us be circumcised, as they are.

23 Shall not their cattle and their possessions and all their beasts be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell here with us.

24 And all the people who went out of the town gate listened and heeded what Hamor and Shechem said; and every male was circumcised who was a resident of that town.

25 But on the third day [after the circumcision] when [all the men] were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's [full] brothers, took their swords, boldly entered the city [without danger], and slew all the males.

26 And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house [where she had been all this time] and departed.

27 [Then the rest of] Jacob's [eleven] sons came upon the slain and plundered the town, because there their sister had been defiled and disgraced.

28 They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the town and in the field;

29 All their wealth and all their little ones and their wives they took captive, making spoil even of all [they found] in the houses.

30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have ruined me, making me infamous and embroiling me with the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites! And we are few in number, and they will gather together against me and attack me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my household.

31 And they said, Should he [be permitted to] deal with our sister as with a harlot?

Genesis 34

Dinah Defiled by Shechem

1Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore for Jacob, went out to look at the daughters of the land.

2When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her and raped her.

3But his soul clung to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, and he loved the young woman and spoke reassuringly to the young woman.

4So Shechem said to his father Hamor saying, “Get me this girl for a wife.”

5Now Jacob had heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah while his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept quiet until they came in.

6Meanwhile Shechem’s father Hamor went out to Jacob in order to speak with him.

7Jacob’s sons had already come in from the field when they heard, and the men were deeply grieved and furious, because he had committed a vile deed in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, which ought never to be done.

8But Hamor spoke with them saying, “My son Shechem—he’s very attached to your daughter. Please give her to him for a wife.

9Intermarry with us. You can give your daughters to us, and you can take our daughters for yourselves.

10You can live with us, and the land will be open to you: live in it, move about freely in it, and settle down in it.”

11Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Would that I find favor in your eyes! Whatever you say to me I’ll give.

12Set the dowry and the presents as high as you like and I’ll give whatever you say to me. But give me the young woman as a wife.”

13But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully as they spoke, because he had defiled their sister Dinah.

14They said to them, “We can’t do this thing—give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised—for this is a disgrace to us.

15Only by this will we consent to you: if you will become like us, by circumcising every male.

16Then we’ll give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves, and live with you, and become one people.

17But if you don’t listen to us and be circumcised, we’ll take our daughter and leave.”

18Now their words seemed good to Hamor as well as Hamor’s son Shechem.

19So the young man did not hesitate to do it, since he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was honored above everyone else in his father’s house.

20So Hamor and his son Shechem came into the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying:

21“These men are enjoying a peaceful relationship with us and they are living in the land and moving about freely in it. As for the land, look, it’s spread out on both sides before us. We can take their daughters to be our wives, and we can give our daughters to them.

22But by this did these men consent to us, to live with us and to become one people—when all our males are circumcised as they are circumcised.

23Their livestock and their possessions: won’t they be ours? Only let us consent to them so that they’ll live with us.”

24Now everyone who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, every one who went out the gate of his city.

25Then on the third day while they were in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came against the city undisturbed and killed every male.

26Hamor and his son Shechem they killed with the sword, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left.

27Jacob’s sons came upon the slain and plundered the city because they defiled their sister.

28They took their flocks, their cattle and their donkeys, those that were in the city as well as those that were in the field.

29All their wealth, their little children, and their wives they captured and plundered, as well as everything that was in the houses.

30But Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You’ve brought trouble on me, making me a stench among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am but a few men—they’ll gather against me and strike me—then I’ll be destroyed, my household and I.”

31But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”

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Genesis 34

Genesis 34