Dinah and the Shechemites

34 Now Dinah,^(A) the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. ² When Shechem^(B) son of Hamor^(C) the Hivite,^(D) the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.^{(E) 3} His heart was drawn to Dinah^(F) daughter of Jacob;^(G) he loved^(H) the young woman and spoke tenderly^(I) to her. ⁴ And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”^(J)

⁵ When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled,^(K) his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.

⁶ Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.^{(L) 7} Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked^(M) and furious,^(N) because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in^[a] Israel^(O) by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.^(P)

⁸ But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.^{(Q) 9} Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.^{(R) 10} You can settle among us;^(S) the land is open to you.^(T) Live in it, trade^[b] in it,^(U) and acquire property in it.^(V)”

¹¹ Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes,^(W) and I will give you whatever you ask. ¹² Make the price for the bride^(X) and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”

¹³ Because their sister Dinah had been defiled,^(Y) Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully^(Z) as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. ¹⁴ They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised.^(AA) That would be a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition^(AB) only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.^{(AC) 16} Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.^(AD) We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.^{(AE) 17} But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”

¹⁸ Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹⁹ The young man, who was the most honored^(AF) of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.^{(AG) 20} So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city^(AH) to speak to the men of their city. ²¹ “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it;^(AI) the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.^{(AJ) 22} But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,^(AK) as they themselves are. ²³ Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?^(AL) So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.^(AM)”

²⁴ All the men who went out of the city gate^(AN) agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.

²⁵ Three days later, while all of them were still in pain,^(AO) two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon^(AP) and Levi,^(AQ) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords^(AR) and attacked the unsuspecting city,^(AS) killing every male.^{(AT) 26} They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword^(AU) and took Dinah^(AV) from Shechem’s house and left. ²⁷ The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city^(AW) where^[c] their sister had been defiled.^{(AX) 28} They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys^(AY) and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.^{(AZ) 29} They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children,^(BA) taking as plunder^(BB) everything in the houses.^(BC)

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble^(BD) on me by making me obnoxious^(BE) to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.^(BF) We are few in number,^(BG) and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

³¹ But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?^(BH)”

Jacob Returns to Bethel

35 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel^(BI) and settle there, and build an altar^(BJ) there to God,^(BK) who appeared to you^(BL) when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”^(BM)

² So Jacob said to his household^(BN) and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods^(BO) you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.^{(BP) 3} Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God,^(BQ) who answered me in the day of my distress^(BR) and who has been with me wherever I have gone.^(BS)” ⁴ So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears,^(BT) and Jacob buried them under the oak^(BU) at Shechem.^{(BV) 5} Then they set out, and the terror of God^(BW) fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.^(BX)

⁶ Jacob and all the people with him came to Luz^(BY) (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.^{(BZ) 7} There he built an altar,^(CA) and he called the place El Bethel,^[d](CB) because it was there that God revealed himself to him^(CC) when he was fleeing from his brother.^(CD)

⁸ Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse,^(CE) died and was buried under the oak^(CF) outside Bethel.^(CG) So it was named Allon Bakuth.^[e]

⁹ After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,^[f](CH) God appeared to him again and blessed him.^{(CI) 10} God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,^[g] but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.^[h]”^(CJ) So he named him Israel.

¹¹ And God said to him, “I am God Almighty^[i];^(CK) be fruitful and increase in number.^(CL) A nation^(CM) and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.^{(CN) 12} The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.^(CO)”^{(CP) 13} Then God went up from him^(CQ) at the place where he had talked with him.

¹⁴ Jacob set up a stone pillar^(CR) at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering^(CS) on it; he also poured oil on it.^{(CT) 15} Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.^[j](CU)

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac^(CV)

¹⁶ Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath,^(CW) Rachel^(CX) began to give birth and had great difficulty. ¹⁷ And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwife^(CY) said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”^{(CZ) 18} As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.^[k](DA) But his father named him Benjamin.^[l](DB)

¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath^(DC) (that is, Bethlehem^(DD)). ²⁰ Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day^(DE) that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.^(DF)

²¹ Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.^{(DG) 22} While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine^(DH) Bilhah,^(DI) and Israel heard of it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

These were the sons of Jacob,^(DU) who were born to him in Paddan Aram.^(DV)

²⁷ Jacob came home to his father Isaac^(DW) in Mamre,^(DX) near Kiriath Arba^(DY) (that is, Hebron),^(DZ) where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.^{(EA) 28} Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.^{(EB) 29} Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people,^(EC) old and full of years.^(ED) And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.^(EE)

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(A) a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”^(B)

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast^(C)(D)

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(E) a mustard seed,^(F) which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”^(G)

³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^(H) yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds^[a] of flour^(I) until it worked all through the dough.”^(J)

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.^{(K) 35} So was fulfilled^(L) what was spoken through the prophet:

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶ Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable^(N) of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.^{(O) 38} The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,^{(P) 39} and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest^(Q) is the end of the age,^(R) and the harvesters are angels.^(S)

⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man^(T) will send out his angels,^(U) and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{(V) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun^(W) in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(X)