The First Book of Moses: Genesis

⭑ Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 34 -

And Dinah, daughter of Leah, whom she has borne to Jacob, goes out to look on the daughters of the land,

and Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, a prince of the land, sees her, and takes her, and lies with her, and humbles her;

and his soul cleaves to Dinah, daughter of Jacob, and he loves the young person, and speaks to the heart of the young person.

And Shechem speaks to his father Hamor, saying, “Take for me this girl for a wife.”

And Jacob has heard that he has defiled his daughter Dinah, and his sons were with his livestock in the field, and Jacob kept silent until their coming.

And Hamor, father of Shechem, goes out to Jacob to speak with him;

and the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard, and the men grieve themselves, and it [is] very displeasing to them, for folly he has done against Israel, to lie with the daughter of Jacob—and so it is not done.

And Hamor speaks with them, saying, “Shechem, my son, his soul has cleaved to your daughter; please give her to him for a wife,

and join in marriage with us; you give your daughters to us, and you take our daughters for yourselves,

and you dwell with us, and the land is before you; dwell and trade [in] it, and have possessions in it.”

And Shechem says to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find grace in your eyes, and that which you say to me, I give;

multiply on me dowry and gift exceedingly, and I give as you say to me, and give to me the young person for a wife.”

The Revenge of Dinah’s Brothers

And the sons of Jacob answer Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, and they speak (because he defiled their sister Dinah),

and say to them, “We are not able to do this thing, to give our sister to one who has a foreskin, for it [is] a reproach to us.

Only for this we consent to you: if you are as we, to have every male of you circumcised,

then we have given our daughters to you, and we take your daughters for ourselves, and we have dwelt with you, and have become one people;

and if you do not listen to us to be circumcised, then we have taken our daughter, and have gone.”

And their words are good in the eyes of Hamor, and in the eyes of Shechem, Hamor’s son;

and the young man did not delay to do the thing, for he had delight in Jacob’s daughter, and he is honorable above all the house of his father.

And Hamor comes—his son Shechem also—to the gate of their city, and they speak to the men of their city, saying,

“These men are peaceable with us; then let them dwell in the land, and trade [in] it; and the land, behold, [is] wide before them; their daughters let us take to ourselves for wives, and our daughters give to them.

Only for this do the men consent to us, to dwell with us, to become one people, in every male of us being circumcised, as they are circumcised;

their livestock, and their substance, and all their beasts—are they not ours? Only let us consent to them, and they dwell with us.”

And to Hamor, and to his son Shechem, do all those going out of the gate of his city listen, and every male is circumcised, all those going out of the gate of his city.

And it comes to pass, on the third day, in their being pained, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, take each his sword, and come in against the city confidently, and slay every male;

and Hamor, and his son Shechem, they have slain by the mouth of the sword, and they take Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and go out.

Jacob’s sons have come in on the wounded, and they spoil the city, because they had defiled their sister;

their flock and their herd, and their donkeys, and that which [is] in the city, and that which [is] in the field, have they taken;

and all their wealth, and all their infants, and their wives they have taken captive, and they spoil also all that [is] in the house.

And Jacob says to Simeon and to Levi, “You have troubled me, by causing me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanite, and among the Perizzite: and I [am] few in number, and they have been gathered against me, and have struck me, and I have been destroyed, I and my house.”

And they say, “Does he make our sister as a harlot?”

Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, lay with her, and humbled her.

His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.

Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor, saying, “Get me this young lady as a wife.”

Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah, his daughter; and his sons were with his livestock in the field. Jacob held his peace until they came.

Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to talk with him.

The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing that ought not to be done.

Hamor talked with them, saying, “The soul of my son, Shechem, longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.

Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.

You shall dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Live and trade in it, and get possessions in it.”

Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you will tell me I will give.

Ask me a great amount for a dowry, and I will give whatever you ask of me, but give me the young lady as a wife.”

The Revenge of Dinah’s Brothers

The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit when they spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister,

and said to them, “We can’t do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach to us.

Only on this condition will we consent to you. If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised,

then will we give our daughters to you; and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our sister,(a) and we will be gone.”

Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son.

The young man didn’t wait to do this thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter, and he was honored above all the house of his father.

Hamor and Shechem, his son, came to the gate of their city, and talked with the men of their city, saying,

“These men are peaceful with us. Therefore let them live in the land and trade in it. For behold, the land is large enough for them. Let’s take their daughters to us for wives, and let’s give them our daughters.

Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people, if every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised.

Won’t their livestock and their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let’s give our consent to them, and they will dwell with us.”

All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor, and to Shechem his son; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

On the third day, when they were sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword, came upon the unsuspecting city, and killed all the males.

They killed Hamor and Shechem, his son, with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.

Jacob’s sons came on the dead, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.

They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, that which was in the city, that which was in the field,

and all their wealth. They took captive all their little ones and their wives, and took as plunder everything that was in the house.

Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.”

They said, “Should he deal with our sister as with a prostitute?”

Footnotes

(a)34:17 Hebrew has, literally, “daughter”