Genesis 34
34
The Rape of Dinah
1One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the Canaanite women. 2When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of that region, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3But he found the young woman so attractive that he fell in love with her and tried to win her affection.#34.3 tried to win her affection; or comforted her. 4He said to his father, “I want you to get this woman for me as my wife.”
5Jacob learnt that his daughter had been disgraced, but because his sons were out in the fields with his livestock, he did nothing until they came back. 6Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob, 7just as Jacob's sons were coming in from the fields. When they heard about it, they were shocked and furious that Shechem had done such a thing and had insulted the people of Israel by raping Jacob's daughter. 8Hamor said to him, “My son Shechem has fallen in love with your daughter; please let him marry her. 9Let us make an agreement that there will be intermarriage between our people and yours. 10Then you may stay here in our country with us; you may live anywhere you wish, trade freely, and own property.”
11Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, “Do me this favour, and I will give you whatever you want. 12Tell me what presents you want, and set the payment for the bride as high as you wish; I will give you whatever you ask, if you will only let me marry her.”
13Because Shechem had disgraced their sister Dinah, Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor in a deceitful way. 14They said to him, “We cannot let our sister marry a man who is not circumcised; that would be a disgrace for us. 15We can agree only on the condition that you become like us by circumcising all your males. 16Then we will agree to intermarriage. We will settle among you and become one people with you. 17But if you will not accept our terms and be circumcised, we will take her and leave.”
18These terms seemed fair to Hamor and his son Shechem, 19and the young man lost no time in doing what was suggested, because he was in love with Jacob's daughter. He was the most important member of his family.
20Hamor and his son Shechem went to the meeting place at the city gate and spoke to the people of the town: 21“These men are friendly; let them live in the land with us and travel freely. The land is large enough for them also. Let us marry their daughters and give them ours in marriage. 22But these men will agree to live among us and be one people with us only on condition that we circumcise all our males, as they are circumcised. 23Won't all their livestock and everything else they own be ours? So let us agree that they can live among us.” 24All the citizens of the city agreed with what Hamor and Shechem proposed, and all the males were circumcised.
25Three days later, when the men were still sore from their circumcision, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dinah, took their swords, went into the city without arousing suspicion, and killed all the men, 26including Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah from Shechem's house and left. 27After the slaughter Jacob's other sons looted the town to take revenge for their sister's disgrace. 28They took the flocks, the cattle, the donkeys, and everything else in the city and in the fields. 29They took everything of value, captured all the women and children, and carried off everything in the houses.
30Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me; now the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and everybody else in the land will hate me. I haven't many men; if they all band together against me and attack me, our whole family will be destroyed.”
31But they answered, “We cannot let our sister be treated like a common whore.”
Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Genesis 34
34
1Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to meet the women of that country. 2When Shechem the son of the Hivite Hamor and the country’s prince saw her, he took her, slept with her, and humiliated her. 3He was drawn to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He loved the young woman and tried to win her heart. 4Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get this girl for me as my wife.” 5Now Jacob heard that Shechem defiled his daughter Dinah; but his sons were with the animals in the countryside, so he decided to keep quiet until they got back. 6Meanwhile, Hamor, Shechem’s father, went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7Just then, Jacob’s sons got back from the countryside. When they heard what had happened, they were deeply offended and very angry, because Shechem had disgraced Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter. Such things are simply not done.
8Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem’s heart is set on your daughter. Please let him marry her. 9Arrange marriages with us: give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 10Live with us. The land is available to you: settle down, travel through it, and buy property in it.”
11Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “If you approve of me, tell me what you want, and I will give it to you. 12Make the bride price and marriage gifts as large as you like, and I will pay whatever you tell me. Then let me marry the young woman.”
13Jacob’s sons responded deviously to Shechem and his father Hamor because Shechem defiled their sister Dinah. 14They said to them, “We can’t do this, allowing our sisters to marry uncircumcised men, because it’s disgraceful to us. 15We can only agree to do this if you circumcise every male as we do. 16Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves. We will live with you and be one people. 17But if you don’t listen to us and become circumcised, we will take our daughter and leave.”
18Their idea seemed like a good one to Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. 19The young man didn’t waste any time doing this because he liked Jacob’s daughter so much. He was more respected than anyone else in his father’s household. 20Hamor and his son Shechem went to their city’s gate and spoke to the men of their city: 21“These men want peace with us. Let them live in the land and travel through it; there’s plenty of land for them. We will marry their daughters and give them our daughters. 22But the men will agree to live with us and become one people only if we circumcise every male just as they do. 23Their livestock, their property, and all of their animals—won’t they be ours? Let’s agree with them and let them live with us.” 24Everyone at the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, so every able-bodied male in the city was circumcised.
25On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons and Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi took their swords, came into the city, which suspected nothing, and killed every male. 26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem’s household, and left. 27When Jacob’s other sons discovered the dead, they looted the city that had defiled their sister. 28They took their flocks, their cattle, and their donkeys, whether in the city or in the fields nearby. 29They carried off their property, their children, and their wives. They looted the entire place. 30Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You’ve put me in danger by making me offensive to those who live here in the land, to the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I have only a few men. They may join forces, attack me, and destroy me, me and my household.”
31They said, “But didn’t he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
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