Genesis 34

CHAPTER 34

1Forsooth Dinah, the daughter of Leah, went out to see the women of that country.

2And when Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of that land, had seen her, he loved her, and he ravished her, and slept with her, and oppressed the virgin by violence.

3And his soul was bound fast with her, and he pleased her sorry with flatterings.

4And he went to Hamor, his father, and said, Take to me this damsel for a wife.

5And when Jacob had heard this thing, while his sons were absent, and occupied in the feeding or the pasturing of [the] sheep, he was still, till they came again.

6Soothly when Hamor, the father of Shechem, was gone out to speak to Jacob,

7lo! his sons came from the field. And when this thing that befelled was heard, they were wroth greatly; for he had wrought a foul thing in Israel, and he had done a thing unleaveful in the defouling of the daughter of Jacob.

8And so Hamor spake to them, The soul of my son Shechem hath cleaved to your daughter; give ye her a wife to him,

9and join we weddings together; give ye your daughters to us, and take ye our daughters,

10and dwell ye with us; the land is in your power; till ye, and make ye merchandise, and wield ye it.

11But also Shechem said to the father and brethren of her, Find I grace before you, and whatever things ye ordain I shall give;

12increase ye the dower, and ask ye for gifts, and I shall give willfully that that ye ask; only give ye this damsel a wife to me.

13The sons of Jacob answered in guile to Shechem and to Hamor, his father, and they were made fierce for the defouling of the maidenhood of their sister,

14We may not do this that ye ask, neither we may give our sister to a man uncircumcised, which thing is unleaveful and abominable with us.

15But in this we shall be able to be bound in peace, if ye will be like us, and each of male kind be circumcised in you;

16then we shall give and take together our daughters and yours; and we shall dwell with you, and we shall be one people.

17Forsooth if ye will not be cir-cumcised, we shall take our daughter, and we shall go away.

18The proffering of them pleased Hamor, and Shechem, his son,

19and the young waxing man delayed not, that not he fulfilled anon that that was asked; for he loved the damsel greatly, and he was the most noble in all the house of his father.

20And they entered into the gate of the city, and spake to the people,

21These men be peaceable, and will dwell with us; make they merchandise in the land, and till they it, which is large and broad, and hath need to tillers; we shall take their daughters to wives, and we shall give our daughters to them.

22One thing is, for which so great good is delayed; if we circumcise our males, and follow the custom of the folk,

23both their substance, and sheep, and all things which they wield, shall be ours; only assent we in this, that we dwell together, and make one people.

24And all men assented, and all [the] males were circumcised.

25And lo! in the third day, when the sorrow of [the] wounds was most grievous, two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, [the] brethren of Dinah, took swords, and entered into the city boldly; and when all [the] males were slain,

26they killed Hamor and Shechem together, and took Dinah, their sister, from the house of Shechem. And when they were gone out,

27 [the] other sons of Jacob felled in on the slain men, and rifled the city, for the vengeance of [the] defouling of the virgin.

28And they wasted the sheep of those men, and droves of oxen, and asses, and all things that were in the houses and fields,

29and led away as prisoners the little children, and [the] wives of those men. And when these things were done hardily,

30Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, and have made me hateful to Canaanites and Perizzites, [the] dwellers of this land; we be few, [and] they shall be gathered together against me, and shall slay me, and I shall be done away, and mine house.

31Simeon and Levi answered, Whether they ought to mis-use our sister as a whore?

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Berĕshith (Genesis) 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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