創世記 34
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
底娜受辱
34 一天，利亞給雅各所生的女兒底娜到外面去見當地的女子。 2 當地首領希未人哈抹的兒子示劍看到她，就抓住她，強行玷污了她。 3 他戀慕雅各的女兒底娜，就用甜言蜜語討她歡心。 4 他求父親哈抹為他說親，把底娜娶過來。 5 消息傳到雅各耳中時，他的兒子們正在田野放牧。他只好忍氣吞聲，等兒子們回來再作打算。 6 示劍的父親哈抹來和雅各商議。 7 雅各的兒子們一聽說這事，就從田野趕回來。大家都非常憤怒，因為示劍不該對以色列家做這醜事——玷污雅各的女兒。
8 哈抹跟他們商議說：「我兒子示劍愛慕你們家的女兒，請你們把女兒嫁給他吧！ 9 我們可以互相通婚，你們可以把女兒嫁給我們的兒子，也可以娶我們的女兒為妻。 10 你們可以在我們這裡安頓下來，這片土地就在你們面前，住在這裡做買賣、置產業吧。」 11 示劍對底娜的父親和她的弟兄們說：「請你們恩待我，你們要什麼，我都給你們。 12 只要你們答應把女兒嫁給我，無論你們要多少聘金和禮物，我必如數奉上。」
雅各之子計殺示劍人
13 雅各的兒子們因為示劍玷污了他們的妹妹底娜，就假意對示劍和他的父親哈抹說： 14 「我們不能把妹妹嫁給沒有受過割禮的人，這對我們是一種羞辱。 15 除非你們所有的男子都跟我們一樣受割禮， 16 我們才能答應和你們通婚，共同生活，結成一個民族。 17 如果你們不肯這樣做，我們就把妹妹帶走。」
18 哈抹父子欣然答應。 19 示劍毫不遲延地照辦，因為他熱戀底娜。在哈抹家族中，他最受人尊重。 20 哈抹父子來到城門口，對那城的居民說： 21 「這些人跟我們相處和睦，就讓他們在這裡定居、做買賣吧。我們這裡有足夠的地方可以容納他們，我們可以和他們通婚。 22 可是，他們有一個條件，就是要我們所有的男子和他們一樣接受割禮，他們才答應和我們一起生活，結成一個民族。 23 到時候，他們的財產和牛羊等所有牲畜不全歸我們了嗎？我們同意他們吧，這樣他們就會在我們這裡定居。」 24 在城門進出的人聽了哈抹父子的話，都表示贊同。於是，城裡的男子都接受了割禮。
25 到了第三天，他們傷口正疼痛的時候，雅各的兩個兒子——底娜的哥哥西緬和利未拿著利劍，乘眾人沒有防備，潛入城中，殺掉了所有的男子， 26 包括哈抹和示劍，從示劍家裡帶走了底娜。 27 雅各的兒子又到城裡擄掠，因為他們的妹妹在那裡被人玷污。 28 他們搶走牛群、羊群、驢群和城裡城外所有的東西， 29 並帶走所有財物、婦孺以及房屋裡的一切。 30 雅各責備西緬和利未說：「你們為什麼要給我惹麻煩，使我在當地的迦南人和比利洗人中留下臭名呢？我們人數很少，要是他們聯手來攻擊我們，我們全家必遭滅門之禍。」 31 他們說：「他怎麼能把我們的妹妹當妓女對待？」
Genesis 34
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 34
The Incident at Shechem.[a] 1 Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne for Jacob, went out to see the young women of the country. 2 When Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and laid with her and defiled her. 3 He was deeply attracted to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke comforting words to her. 4 Then he said to Hamor, his father, “Arrange for me to take this woman as a wife.”
5 When Jacob learned that Dinah, his daughter, had been defiled, his sons were in the countryside with the animals. So he remained silent until they returned.
6 Hamor, the father of Shechem, came to Jacob to speak to him. 7 When the sons of Jacob returned from the countryside, they heard what had happened. They were furious and very indignant because he had done this outrage in Israel, sleeping with a daughter of Jacob. One did not do these things!
8 Hamor said to them, “Shechem, my son, is in love with your daughter. Please give her to him in marriage. 9 Why not intermarry with us?[b] You give us your daughters, and you can take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can live with us, and the land will be at your disposal. Reside here, move about freely, and buy property.”
11 Shechem said to Dinah’s father and her brothers, “Tell me what I can give you in order to find favor in your sight. 12 You can even raise my bridal price greatly and the value of the due gifts. I will give you whatever you ask. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, for they had dishonored their sister Dinah. 14 They told them, “We cannot do this; we cannot give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. This would dishonor us. 15 We will only grant your request if you become like us, if all of you circumcise your male members. 16 Then we will give you our daughters, and you can give us yours. We will live with you, and we can become a single people. 17 But if you will not listen to our proposal concerning circumcising yourselves, then we will take our daughter and go away.”
18 Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, the son of Hamor. 19 The young man did not waste any time in doing this thing, for he loved the daughter of Jacob. He was also the most honored member of the household of his father. 20 Hamor and his son Shechem therefore went to the gate of the city and spoke to the men of the city, saying, 21 “These men are peaceful. Let them live with us in the land and move about freely. There is ample space in every direction. We can take their daughters for wives and we can give them ours. 22 But there is one condition before these men will agree to live with us to become a single people: that we circumcise each of our males as they themselves are circumcised. 23 Would not their herds, their riches, and all their animals then be ours? Let us agree to their proposal, and they will then live with us.”
24 All those who were near the gate of the city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem. All the men, everyone who had access to the gate of the city, had themselves circumcised.
25 On the third day, when they were still sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi,[c] the brothers of Dinah, took swords, entered the city boldly, and killed all the men. 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword, took Dinah out of the house of Shechem, and left. 27 The other sons of Jacob came upon the bodies and sacked the city because their sister had been dishonored. 28 They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys and whatever they had in the city and in the countryside. 29 They carried off all their possessions as booty, sacking whatever was in their houses.
30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have placed me in a very difficult situation, making me hateful to the inhabitants of this land, to the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and I only have a few men with me. They will unite against me, and defeat me, and annihilate me and my household.”
31 But they answered, “Should our sister be treated as a harlot?”
Footnotes
- Genesis 34:1 The incident does serious harm to the clan, which may in its turn suffer a harsh vendetta or be expelled from the Promised Land. For this reason, Simeon and Levi will suffer the consequences when Jacob decides on his successors (Gen 49:5-7). The story combines the Yahwist and Elohist traditions.
- Genesis 34:9 Intermarry with us: the Canaanites wanted to absorb Israel (see v. 16) in order to benefit from the blessings Jacob had received from the Lord (both his offspring and his possessions—vv. 21-23). This was a danger Israel constantly faced from other peoples and nations—either absorption or hostility, both of which are perpetual threats to the people of God.
- Genesis 34:25 Simeon and Levi: because they slaughtered the men of Shechem, their own descendants would be scattered far and wide. Brothers of Dinah: all three were children of Leah (Gen 29:33-34; 30:21). Killed all the men: Shechem’s crime, serious as it was, hardly warranted such brutal and extensive retaliation (see vv. 27-29).
Genesis 34
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 34
The Rape of Dinah. 1 [a]Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit some of the women of the land. 2 When Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite,[b] the leader of the region, saw her, he seized her and lay with her by force. 3 He was strongly attracted to Dinah, daughter of Jacob, and was in love with the young woman. So he spoke affectionately to her. 4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this young woman for a wife.”
5 Meanwhile, Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah; but since his sons were out in the field with his livestock, Jacob kept quiet until they came home. 6 Now Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out to discuss the matter with Jacob, 7 just as Jacob’s sons were coming in from the field. When they heard the news, the men were indignant and extremely angry. Shechem had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter; such a thing is not done.(A) 8 Hamor appealed to them, saying: “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 Thus you can live among us. The land is open before you. Settle and move about freely in it and acquire holdings here.”[c] 11 Then Shechem appealed to Dinah’s father and brothers: “Do me this favor, and whatever you ask from me, I will give. 12 No matter how high you set the bridal price and gift, I will give you whatever you ask from me; only give me the young woman as a wife.”
Revenge of Jacob’s Sons. 13 Jacob’s sons replied to Shechem and his father Hamor with guile, speaking as they did because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14 They said to them, “We are not able to do this thing: to give our sister to an uncircumcised man. For that would be a disgrace for us. 15 Only on this condition will we agree to that: that you become like us by having every male among you circumcised. 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters in marriage; we will settle among you and become one people. 17 But if you do not listen to us and be circumcised, we will take our daughter and go.”
18 Their proposal pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man lost no time in acting on the proposal, since he wanted Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more highly regarded than anyone else in his father’s house. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and said to the men of their city: 21 “These men are friendly toward us. Let them settle in the land and move about in it freely; there is ample room in the land for them. We can take their daughters in marriage and give our daughters to them. 22 But only on this condition will the men agree to live with us and form one people with us: that every male among us be circumcised as they themselves are. 23 Would not their livestock, their property, and all their animals then be ours? Let us just agree with them, so that they will settle among us.”
24 All who went out of the gate of the city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and all the males, all those who went out of the gate of the city,[d] were circumcised. 25 On the third day, while they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dinah, each took his sword, advanced against the unsuspecting city and massacred all the males.(B) 26 After they had killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, they took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left.(C) 27 Then the other sons of Jacob followed up the slaughter and sacked the city because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took their sheep, cattle and donkeys, whatever was in the city and in the surrounding country. 29 They carried off all their wealth, their children, and their women, and looted whatever was in the houses.(D)
30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: “You have brought trouble upon me by making me repugnant to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I have so few men that, if these people unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be wiped out.” 31 But they retorted, “Should our sister be treated like a prostitute?”
Footnotes
- 34:1–31 The story of the rape of Dinah and the revenge of Jacob’s sons on the men of the city of Shechem may reflect the relations of the tribes of Simeon and Levi to their Canaanite neighbors around Shechem; the tribes are represented by their eponymous ancestors. Jacob’s farewell testament (49:5–7) cites this incident as the reason for the decline of the tribes of Simeon and Levi. Ominously, vv. 30–31 leave the situation unresolved, with Jacob concerned about the welfare of the whole family, and Simeon and Levi concerned only about the honor of their full sister. The danger to the family from narrow self-interest will continue in the Joseph story.
- 34:2 Hivite: the Greek text has “Horite”; the terms were apparently used indiscriminately to designate the Hurrian or other non-Semitic elements in Palestine.
- 34:10 Hamor seems to be making concessions to Jacob’s family in the hope of avoiding warfare between the two families.
- 34:24 All those who went out of the gate of the city: apparently meaning all the residents. By temporarily crippling the men through circumcision, Jacob’s sons deprived the city of its defenders.
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