Genesis 34
34
Dinah and the Shechemites
1Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob; he loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. 4And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”
5When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, 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. 7Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious, because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in#34:7 Or against Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.
8But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. 9Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 10You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade#34:10 Or move about freely; also in verse 21 in it, and acquire property in it.”
11Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”
13Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. 16Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We’ll settle among you and become one people with you. 17But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”
18Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19The young man, who was the most honored of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. 20So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to the men of their city. 21“These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it; the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours. 22But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised, as they themselves are. 23Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.”
24All the men who went out of the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.
25Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. 26They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. 27The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where#34:27 Or because their sister had been defiled. 28They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. 29They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses.
30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
31But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”
The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Genesis 34
34
1Then Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare vnto Iaakob, went out to see the daughters of that countrey. 2Whome when Shechem the sonne of Hamor the Hiuite lorde of that countrey sawe, hee tooke her, and lay with her, and defiled her. 3So his heart claue vnto Dinah the daughter of Iaakob: and he loued the maide, and spake kindely vnto the maide. 4Then said Shechem to his father Hamor, saying, Get me this maide to wife. 5(Nowe Iaakob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter, and his sonnes were with his cattell in the fielde: therefore Iaakob helde his peace, vntill they were come.) 6Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out vnto Iaakob to commune with him. 7And whe the sonnes of Iaakob were come out of the fielde and heard it, it grieued the men, and they were very angry, because he had wrought villenie in Israel, in that he had lyen with Iaakobs daughter: which thing ought not to be done. 8And Hamor communed with them, saying, the soule of my sonne Shechem longeth for your daughter: giue her him to wife, I pray you. 9So make affinitie with vs: giue your daughters vnto vs, and take our daughters vnto you, 10And ye shall dwell with vs, and the lande shalbe before you: dwell, and doe your businesse in it, and haue your possessions therein. 11Shechem also said vnto her father and vnto her brethren, Let me finde fauour in your eyes, and I will giue whatsoeuer ye shall appoint me. 12Aske of me abundantly both dowrie and giftes, and I will giue as ye appoint me, so that ye giue me the maide to wife. 13Then the sonnes of Iaakob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, talking deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister, 14And they said vnto them, We can not do this thing, to giue our sister to an vncircumcised man: for that were a reproofe vnto vs. 15But in this will we consent vnto you, if ye will be as we are, that euery man childe among you be circumcised: 16Then will we giue our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to vs, and will dwell with you, and be one people. 17But if ye will not hearken vnto vs to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter and depart. 18Nowe their wordes pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamors sonne. 19And the yong man deferd not to doe the thing because he loued Iaakobs daughter: he was also the most set by of all his fathers house. 20Then Hamor and Shechem his Sonne went vnto the gate of their citie, and communed with the men of their citie, saying, 21These men are peaceable with vs: and that they may dwell in the land, and doe their affaires therin (for behold, the land hath roume ynough for them) let vs take their daughters to wiues, and giue them our daughters. 22Onely herein will the men consent vnto vs for to dwell with vs, and to be one people, if all the men children among vs be circumcised as they are circumcised. 23Shall not their flockes and their substance and all their cattell be ours? onely let vs consent herein vnto them, and they will dwell with vs. 24And vnto Hamor, and Shechem his sonne hearkened all that went out of the gate of his citie: and all the men children were circumcised, euen all that went out of the gate of his citie. 25And on the thirde day (when they were sore) two of the sonnes of Iaakob, Simeon and Leui, Dinahs brethren tooke either of them his sworde and went into the citie boldly, and slue euery male. 26They slewe also Hamor and Shechem his sonne with the edge of the sword, and tooke Dinah out of Shechems house, and went their way. 27Againe the other sonnes of Iaakob came vpon the dead, and spoyled the citie, because they had defiled their sister. 28They tooke their sheepe and their beeues, and their asses, and whatsoeuer was in the citie, and in the fieldes. 29Also they caryed away captiue and spoyled all their goods, and all their children and their wiues, and all that was in the houses. 30Then Iaakob said to Simeon and Leui, Ye haue troubled me, and made me stinke among the inhabitats of the land, aswell the Canaanites, as the Perizzites, and and I being few in nomber, they shall gather theselues together against me, and slay me, and so shall I, and my house be destroied. 31And they answered, Shoulde hee abuse our sister as a whore?
PUBLIC DOMAIN