Genesis 34

The Treachery of Jacob’s Sons

1Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to #34:1 Lit seevisit 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 #34:3 Lit His soul clunghe was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and #34:3 Lit spoke to the heart of the girlspoke tenderly to her. 4So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young woman as a wife.” 5Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah; but his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob said nothing until they came in. 6Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard about it; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry because he had done a #34:7 Lit senselessdisgraceful thing in Israel by #34:7 I.e., violating hersleeping with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.

8But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him #34:8 Lit for a wifein marriage. 9And intermarry with us; give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves. 10So you will live with us, and the land shall be #34:10 Lit before youopen to you; live and trade in it and acquire property in it.” 11Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and I will give whatever you tell me. 12Demand of me ever so much bridal payment and gift, and I will give whatever you tell me; but give me the girl #34:12 Lit for a wifein marriage.”

13But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with deceit, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, that is, give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. 15Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you will become like us, in that every male of you will be circumcised, 16then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people. 17But if you do not listen to us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”

18Now their words seemed #34:18 Lit goodreasonable to Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son. 19The young man did not delay to do #34:19 Lit the thingthis, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more respected than all the household of his father. 20So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the people of their city, saying, 21“These men are #34:21 Lit peacefulfriendly to us; therefore let them live in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is #34:21 Lit wide of hands before themlarge enough for them. We will take their daughters #34:21 Lit to us for wivesin marriage, and give our daughters to them. 22Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 23Will their livestock and their property and all their animals not be ours? Let’s just consent to them, and they will live with us.” 24All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

25Now it came about on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob’s sons—Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers—each took his sword and came upon the city undetected, and killed every male. 26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. 27Jacob’s sons came upon those killed and looted the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28They took their flocks, their herds, and their donkeys, and that which was in the city and that which was in the field; 29and they captured and looted all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives, even everything that was in the houses. 30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me repulsive among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and #34:30 Lit I, few in numbersince my men are few in number, they will band together against me and #34:30 Lit strikeattack me, and I will be destroyed, I and my household!” 31But they said, “Should he #34:31 Or maketreat our sister like a prostitute?”

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Genesis 34

Dinah Is Attacked

1At this time Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of the land, saw her, he took her and forced her to have sexual relations with him. 3Shechem fell in love with Dinah, and he spoke kindly to her. 4He told his father, Hamor, “Please get this girl for me so I can marry her.”

5Jacob learned how Shechem had disgraced his daughter, but since his sons were out in the field with the cattle, Jacob said nothing until they came home. 6While he waited, Hamor father of Shechem went to talk with Jacob.

7When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they came in from the field. They were very angry that Shechem had done such a wicked thing to Israel. It was wrong for him to have sexual relations with Jacob’s daughter; a thing like this should not be done.

8But Hamor talked to Dinah’s brothers and said, “My son Shechem is deeply in love with Dinah. Please let him marry her. 9Marry our people. Give your women to our men as wives and take our women for your men as wives. 10You can live in the same land with us. You will be free to own land and to trade here.”

11Shechem also talked to Jacob and to Dinah’s brothers and said, “Please accept my offer. I will give anything you ask. 12Ask as much as you want for the payment for the bride, and I will give it to you. Just let me marry Dinah.”

13Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father with lies, because Shechem had disgraced their sister Dinah. 14The brothers said to them, “We cannot allow you to marry our sister, because you are not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15But we will allow you to marry her if you do this one thing: Every man in your town must be circumcised like us. 16Then your men can marry our women, and our men can marry your women, and we will live in your land and become one people. 17If you refuse to be circumcised, we will take Dinah and leave.”

18What they asked seemed fair to Hamor and Shechem. 19So Shechem quickly went to be circumcised because he loved Jacob’s daughter.

Now Shechem was the most respected man in his family. 20So Hamor and Shechem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21“These people want to be friends with us. So let them live in our land and trade here. There is enough land for all of us. Let us marry their women, and we can let them marry our women. 22But we must agree to one thing: All our men must be circumcised as they are. Then they will agree to live in our land, and we will be one people. 23If we do this, their cattle and their animals will belong to us. Let us do what they say, and they will stay in our land.” 24All the people who had come to the city gate heard this. They agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every man was circumcised.

25Three days later the men who were circumcised were still in pain. Two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi (Dinah’s brothers), took their swords and made a surprise attack on the city, killing all the men there. 26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem and then took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and left. 27Jacob’s sons came upon the dead bodies and stole everything that was in the city, to pay them back for what Shechem had done to their sister. 28So the brothers took the flocks, herds, and donkeys, and everything in the city and in the fields. 29They took every valuable thing the people owned, even their wives and children and everything in the houses.

30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have caused me a lot of trouble. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites who live in the land will hate me. Since there are only a few of us, if they join together to attack us, my people and I will be destroyed.”

31But the brothers said, “We will not allow our sister to be treated like a prostitute.”

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