Genesis 34
34
1 Then Dinah, the daughter of Leah, went out to see the women of that region.
2 And when Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the leader of that land, had seen her, he fell in love with her. And so he seized her and slept with her, overwhelming the virgin by force.
3 And his soul was closely bound to her, and, since she was sorrowful, he soothed her with flattery.
4 And going on to Hamor, his father, he said, "Obtain this girl for me as a mate."
5 But when Jacob had heard this, since his sons were absent and he was occupied in pasturing the cattle, he remained silent until they came back.
6 Then, when Hamor, the father of Shechem, had gone out to speak to Jacob,
7 behold, his sons arrived from the field. And hearing what had happened, they were very angry, because he had done a filthy thing in Israel and, in violating a daughter of Jacob, had perpetrated an unlawful act.
8 And so Hamor spoke to them: "The soul of my son Shechem has become attached to your daughter. Give her to him as a wife.
9 And let us celebrate marriages with one with another. Give us your daughters, and receive our daughters.
10 And live with us. The land is in your power: cultivate, trade, and possess it."
11 And Shechem even said to her father and to her brothers: "May I find favor in your sight, and whatever you will appoint, I will give.
12 Increase the dowry, and request gifts, and I will freely bestow what you will ask. Only give me this girl as a wife."
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father with deceit, being enraged at the rape of their sister:
14 "We are not able to do what you ask, nor to give our sister to an uncircumcised man. For us, this is unlawful and abominable.
15 But we may succeed in this, so as to be allied with you, if you are willing to become like us, and if all the male sex among you will be circumcised.
16 Then we will mutually give and receive your daughters as well as ours; and we will live with you, and we will become one people.
17 But if you will not be circumcised, we will take our daughter and withdraw."
18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem.
19 Neither did the young man cause any delay; in fact he immediately fulfilled what was requested. For he loved the girl very much, and he was well-known throughout his father's house.
20 And entering at the gate of the city, they spoke to the people:
21 "These men are peaceful, and they want to live among us. Let them trade in the land and cultivate it, for, being spacious and broad, it is in need of cultivation. We will receive their daughters as wives, and we will give them ours.
22 There is one thing that prevents so great a good: whether we will circumcise our males, imitating the ritual of their nation.
23 And their substance, and cattle, and all that they possess, will be ours, if only we will acquiesce to this, and so, in living together, will form one people."
24 And they all agreed to circumcise every one of the males.
25 And behold, on the third day, when the pain of the wound was greatest, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, boldly entered the city with swords. And they put to death all of the males.
26 They killed Hamor and Shechem together, taking their sister Dinah from the house of Shechem.
27 And when they had departed, the other sons of Jacob rushed over the slain, and they plundered the city in vengeance for the rape.
28 Taking their sheep, and herds, and donkeys, and laying waste to everything else that was in their houses and in their fields,
29 they also took their little ones and their wives captive.
30 When they had boldly completed these acts, Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: "You have troubled me, and you have made me hateful to the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the inhabitants of this land. We are few. They, gathering themselves together, may strike me down, and then both I and my house will be wiped away."
31 They responded, "Should they abuse our sister like a prostitute?"
Genesis 34
34
The Treachery of Jacob’s Sons
1Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out [unescorted] to visit the girls of the land. 2When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince (sheik) of the land, saw her, he kidnapped her and lay [intimately] with her by force [humbling and offending her]. 3But 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. 4So Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this young woman as a wife.” 5Now Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled (violated) Dinah his daughter; but his sons were in the field with his livestock, so Jacob said nothing until they came in. 6But Shechem’s father Hamor went to Jacob to talk with him. 7Now when Jacob’s sons heard of it they came in from the field; they were deeply grieved, and they were very angry, for Shechem had done a disgraceful thing to #This use of the word “Israel” implies that the family of Israel (Jacob) was developing into a distinct people or nation. They are recognized by Pharaoh as a separate nation in Ex 1:9.Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing is not to be done.
8But Hamor conferred with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem [deeply] longs for your daughter [and sister]. Please give her to him as his wife. 9And [beyond that] intermarry with us; give your daughters to us [as wives] and take our daughters for yourselves. 10In this way you shall live with us; the country will be open to you; live and do business in it and acquire property and possessions in it.” 11Shechem also said to Dinah’s father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and I will give you whatever you ask of me. 12Demand of me a very large bridal payment and gift [as compensation for giving up your daughter and sister], and I will give you whatever you tell me; only give me the girl to be my wife.”
13Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, because Shechem had defiled and disgraced their sister Dinah. 14They said to them, “We cannot do this thing and give our sister [in marriage] to one who is not circumcised, because that would be a disgrace to us. 15But we will consent to you only on this condition: if you will become like us, in that every male among you consents to be circumcised, 16then we will give our daughters to you [in marriage], 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 and refuse to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter [Dinah] and go.”
18Their words seemed reasonable to Hamor and his son Shechem, 19and the young man did not hesitate to do the [required] thing, for he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more respected and honored than all [others] in the household of his father. 20Then Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their [walled] city [where the leading men would meet] and spoke with the men of the city, saying, 21“These men are peaceful and friendly with us; so let them live in the land and do business 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 [in marriage]. 22But only on this condition will the men consent to our request that they live among us and become one people: that every male among us become circumcised just as they are circumcised. 23Will not their cattle and their possessions and all their animals be ours [if we do this]? Let us consent [to do as they ask], and they will live here with us.” 24And every [Canaanite] man who went out of the city gate listened and considered what Hamor and Shechem said; and every male who #Lit went out of the gate of his city.was a resident of that city was circumcised.
25Now on the third day [after the circumcision], when all the men were [terribly] sore and in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s [full] brothers, took their swords, boldly entered the city [without anyone suspecting them of evil intent], and they killed every male. 26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house [where she was staying], and left. 27Then Jacob’s [other] sons came upon those who were killed and looted the town, because their sister had been defiled and disgraced. 28They took the Canaanites’ flocks and their herds and their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field; 29they looted all their wealth, and [took captive] all their children and their wives, even everything that was in the houses. 30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me, making me a stench to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites! My men are few in number, and the men of the land will band together against me and attack me; I shall be destroyed, I and my household.” 31But they said, “Should he [be permitted to] treat our sister as a prostitute?”
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