Genesis 34
International Children’s Bible
Dinah Is Attacked
34 Dinah was the daughter of Leah and Jacob. At this time Dinah went out to visit the women of that land. 2 Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that land, saw Dinah. He took her and raped her. 3 Shechem fell in love with Dinah, and he spoke kindly to her. 4 He told his father, Hamor, “Please get this girl for me so I can marry her.”
5 Jacob learned how Shechem had disgraced his daughter. But Jacob’s sons were out in the field with the cattle. So Jacob said nothing until they came home. 6 And Hamor father of Shechem went to talk with Jacob.
7 When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they came in from the field. They were very angry, because Shechem had done such a wicked thing to Israel. It was wrong for him to have raped Jacob’s daughter. A thing like this should not be done.
8 But Hamor talked to the brothers of Dinah. He said, “My son Shechem is deeply in love with Dinah. Please let him marry her. 9 Marry our people. Give your women to our men as wives. And take our women for your men as wives. 10 You can live in the same land with us. You will be free to own land and to trade here.”
11 Shechem also talked to Jacob and to Dinah’s brothers. He said, “Please accept my offer. I will give anything you ask. 12 Ask as much as you want for the payment for the bride. I will give it to you. Just let me marry Dinah.”
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father with lies. They were angry because Shechem had disgraced their sister Dinah. 14 The brothers said to them, “We cannot allow you to marry our sister. You are not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15 But we will allow you to marry her if you do this one thing: Every man in your town must be circumcised like us. 16 Then your men can marry our women, and our men can marry your women. Then we will live in your land and become one people. 17 If you refuse to be circumcised, we will take Dinah and leave.”
18 What they asked seemed fair to Hamor and Shechem. 19 So Shechem went quickly to be circumcised because he loved Jacob’s daughter.
Now Shechem was the most respected man in his family. 20 So Hamor and Shechem went to the gate of their city. They spoke to the men of their city. They said, 21 “These people want to be friends with us. So let them live in our land and trade here. There is enough land for all of us. Let us marry their women. And we can let them marry our women. 22 But our men must agree to one thing. All our men must agree to be circumcised as they are. Then they will agree to live in our land. And we will be one people. 23 If we do this, their cattle and their animals will belong to us. Let us do what they say, and they will stay in our land.” 24 All the men who had come to the city gate heard this. And they agreed with Hamor and Shechem. And every man was circumcised.
25 Three days later the men who were circumcised were still in pain. Two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi (Dinah’s brothers), took their swords. They made a surprise attack on the city. And they killed all the men there. 26 Simeon and Levi killed Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and left. 27 Jacob’s sons went among the dead bodies and stole everything that was in the city. This was to pay them back for what Shechem had done to their sister. 28 So the brothers took the flocks, herds and donkeys. And they took everything in the city and in the fields. 29 They took every valuable thing those people owned. They even took the wives and children and everything that was in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have caused me a lot of trouble. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites who live in the land will hate me. There are only a few of us. If they join together to attack us, my people and I will be destroyed.”
31 But the brothers said, “We will not allow our sister to be treated like a prostitute.”
Genesis 34
Evangelical Heritage Version
Dinah and Shechem
34 Dinah, Jacob’s daughter by Leah, went out to see the young women of the land. 2 Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the chief of that part of the land, saw her and took her, lay down with her, and humiliated her.[a] 3 He had a strong desire for Dinah,[b] the daughter of Jacob, and he was in love with the young woman and spoke tenderly to her.[c] 4 Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor, saying, “Get me this young woman as a wife.”
5 When Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, his sons were out in the field with his livestock, so Jacob kept quiet about it until they came back. 6 Hamor the father of Shechem came to talk with Jacob. 7 The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard about it. The men were shocked by the outrage, and they were very angry, because he had disgraced Israel by lying down with Jacob’s daughter, a thing that should not be done. 8 Hamor spoke with them. He said, “My son Shechem has a deep longing for 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 You may live among us, and the land will be open to you. Live in it, conduct trade, and acquire property in it.”
11 Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you ask from me I will give. 12 No matter how great a bride price and gift[d] you demand, I will give it. Just give me the young woman as a wife.”
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah. 14 They said to them, “We cannot do this—giving our sister to a man who is uncircumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15 Only on this condition will we consent to your offer: If all your males become circumcised as we are, 16 then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you, and we will become one people. 17 But if you do not accept our terms and undergo circumcision, then we will take our sister,[e] and we will be gone.”
18 Their offer pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem. 19 The young man did not delay acting on it, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter, and he was the most important[f] of all the household of his father. 20 Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and discussed this with the men of their city. They said, 21 “These men want peace with us. So let them live in the land and trade in it. Look, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives for ourselves, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will the men agree to live with us and to become one people with us: if every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised. 23 Won’t all their livestock, all their possessions, and all their animals become ours? So let’s accept their offer, so that they will settle among us.”
24 Everyone who assembled at the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to Shechem his son. So all the males who assembled at the gate of the city were circumcised. 25 Then on the third day, when they were still sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword, attacked the unsuspecting city, and killed all the males. 26 They killed Hamor and Shechem, his son, with the edge of the sword. They took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and left.
27 Jacob’s sons then came to the dead bodies and looted the city, because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, everything that was in the city, everything that was in the countryside, 29 and all their wealth. They took all their little ones and their wives as captives. They looted everything that was in the houses.
30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me. You have made me stink 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 attack me, and I will be destroyed, I and my household.”
31 But they said, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”
Footnotes
- Genesis 34:2 The three Hebrew verbs could be rendered by the one English word rape, but the text uses more euphemistic terms here and elsewhere in the chapter.
- Genesis 34:3 Literally his soul clung to Dinah
- Genesis 34:3 Literally he spoke to her heart. This may include elements of romance and apology.
- Genesis 34:12 Bride price is a payment to the family of the bride. The gift may be a payment given to Dinah as a sort of trust fund. A dowry is property the bride brings to the groom’s family. There is no dowry here.
- Genesis 34:17 Literally daughter
- Genesis 34:19 Or most honored
Genesis 34
New King James Version
The Dinah Incident
34 Now (A)Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he (B)took her and lay with her, and violated her. 3 His soul [a]was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke [b]kindly to the young woman. 4 So Shechem (C)spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young woman as a wife.”
5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter. Now his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Jacob (D)held[c] his peace until they came. 6 Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very angry, because he (E)had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, (F)a thing which ought not to be done. 8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. 9 And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. 10 So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.”
11 Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. 12 Ask me ever so much (G)dowry[d] and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.”
13 But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke (H)deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14 And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is (I)uncircumcised, for (J)that would be a reproach to us. 15 But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised, 16 then we will 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. 17 But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone.”
18 And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son. 19 So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. He was (K)more honorable than all the household of his father.
20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the (L)gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying: 21 “These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. 23 Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.” 24 And all who went out of the gate of his city heeded Hamor and Shechem his son; every male was circumcised, all who (M)went out of the gate of his city.
25 Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, (N)Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. 26 And they (O)killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went out. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. 28 They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, 29 and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, (P)“You have (Q)troubled me (R)by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; (S)and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.”
31 But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a harlot?”
Footnotes
- Genesis 34:3 Lit. clung to
- Genesis 34:3 tenderly
- Genesis 34:5 kept silent
- Genesis 34:12 bride-price
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.