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?”
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Genesis 34
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?
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