Genesis 34
Good News Translation
The Rape of Dinah
34 One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the Canaanite women. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of that region, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 But he found the young woman so attractive that he fell in love with her and tried to win her affection.[a] 4 He told his father, “I want you to get Dinah for me as my wife.”
5 Jacob learned 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. 6 Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob, 7 just 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. 8 Hamor said to him, “My son Shechem has fallen in love with your daughter; please let him marry her. 9 Let us make an agreement that there will be intermarriage between our people and yours. 10 Then you may stay here in our country with us; you may live anywhere you wish, trade freely, and own property.”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, “Do me this favor, and I will give you whatever you want. 12 Tell 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.”
13 Because Shechem had disgraced their sister Dinah, Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor in a deceitful way. 14 They said to him, “We cannot let our sister marry a man who is not circumcised; that would be a disgrace for us. 15 We can agree only on the condition that you become like us by circumcising all your males. 16 Then we will agree to intermarriage. We will settle among you and become one people with you. 17 But if you will not accept our terms and be circumcised, we will take her and leave.”
18 These terms seemed fair to Hamor and his son Shechem, 19 and 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.
20 Hamor 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. 22 But these men will agree to live among us and be one people with us only on the condition that we circumcise all our males, as they are circumcised. 23 Won't all their livestock and everything else they own be ours? So let us agree that they can live among us.” 24 All the citizens of the city agreed with what Hamor and Shechem proposed, and all the males were circumcised.
25 Three 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, 26 including Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah from Shechem's house and left. 27 After the slaughter Jacob's other sons looted the town to take revenge for their sister's disgrace. 28 They took the flocks, the cattle, the donkeys, and everything else in the city and in the fields. 29 They took everything of value, captured all the women and children, and carried off everything in the houses.
30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have gotten me into trouble; now the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and everybody else in the land will hate me. I do not have many men; if they all band together against me and attack me, our whole family will be destroyed.”
31 But they answered, “We cannot let our sister be treated like a common whore.”
Footnotes
- Genesis 34:3 tried to win her affection; or comforted her.
Genesis 34
1599 Geneva Bible
34 1 Dinah is ravished. 8 Hamor asketh her in marriage for his son. 22 The Shechemites are circumcised at the request of Jacob’s sons and the persuasion of Hamor. 25 The whoredome is revenged.
1 Then Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, [a]went out to see the daughters of that country.
2 Whom when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite lord of that country saw, he took her, and lay with her, and [b]defiled her.
3 So his heart clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob: and he loved the maid, and [c]spake kindly to the maid.
4 Then said Shechem to his father Hamor, saying, [d]Get me this maid to wife.
5 (Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter, and his sons were with his cattle in the field: therefore Jacob held his peace, until they were come.)
6 ¶ Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
7 And when the sons of Jacob were come out of the field and heard it, it grieved the men, and they were very angry, because he had wrought [e]villany in Israel, in that he had lain with Jacob’s daughter: [f]which thing ought not to be done.
8 And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son: Shechem longeth for your daughter, [g]give her him to wife, I pray you.
9 So make affinity with us, give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.
10 And ye shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you, dwell, and do your business in it, and have your possessions therein.
11 Shechem also said unto her father and unto her brethren, [h]Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give whatsoever ye shall appoint me.
12 [i]Ask of me abundantly both dowry, and gifts, and I will give as ye appoint me, so that ye give me the maid to wife.
13 Then the sons of Jacob answered, Shechem and Hamor his father, talking deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister:
14 And they said unto them, [j]We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to an uncircumcised man: for that were a [k]reproof unto us.
15 But in this we will consent unto you, if ye will be as we are, that every man child among you be [l]circumcised,
16 Then will we give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us, and will dwell with you, and be one people.
17 But if ye will not hearken unto us to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter and depart.
18 Now their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.
19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing because he loved Jacob’s daughter: he was also the [m]most set by of all his father’s house.
20 ¶ Then Hamor and Shechem his Son went unto the [n]gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
21 These men are [o]peaceable with us: and that they may dwell in the land, and do their affairs therein (for behold, the land hath room enough for them) let us take their daughters to wives, and give them our daughters.
22 Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, and to be one people, if all the men children among us be circumcised as they are circumcised.
23 Shall not [p]their flocks and their substance and all their cattle be ours? only let us consent herein unto them and they will dwell with us.
24 And unto Hamor, and Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city: and all the men children were circumcised, even all that went out of the gate of his city.
25 And on the third day (when they were sore) two of the sons of Jacob, [q]Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren took either of them his sword and went into the city boldly, and (A)slew [r]every male.
26 They slew also Hamor and Shechem his son with the [s]edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went their way.
27 Again, the other sons of Jacob came upon the dead, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
28 They took their sheep and their beeves, and their asses, and whatsoever was in the city and in the fields.
29 Also they carried away captive and spoiled all their goods, and all their children and their wives, and all that was in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, and made me [t]stink among the inhabitants of the land, as well the Canaanites, as the Perizzites, and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me, and so shall I, and my house be destroyed.
31 And they answered, Should he abuse our sister as a whore?
Footnotes
- Genesis 34:1 This example teacheth us that too much liberty is not to be given to youth.
- Genesis 34:2 Hebrew, humbled her.
- Genesis 34:3 Hebrew, spake to the heart of the maid.
- Genesis 34:4 This proveth that the consent of parents is requisite in marriage, seeing the very Infidels did also observe it as a thing necessary.
- Genesis 34:7 Or, folly.
- Genesis 34:7 Hebrew, and it shall not be so done.
- Genesis 34:8 Or, marriage.
- Genesis 34:11 Or, grant my request.
- Genesis 34:12 Hebrew, multiply greatly the dowry.
- Genesis 34:14 They made the holy ordinance of God a means to compasse their wicked purpose.
- Genesis 34:14 As it is abomination for them that are baptized to join with Infidels.
- Genesis 34:15 Their fault is the greater in that they make religion a cloak for their craft.
- Genesis 34:19 Or, most honorable.
- Genesis 34:20 For the people used to assemble there, and justice was also ministered.
- Genesis 34:21 Thus many pretend to speak for a public profit, when they only speak for their own private gain and commodity.
- Genesis 34:23 Thus they lack no kind of persuasion, which prefer their own commodities before the commonwealth.
- Genesis 34:25 For they were the chief of the company.
- Genesis 34:25 The people are punished with their wicked princes.
- Genesis 34:26 Hebrew, mouth of the sword.
- Genesis 34:30 Or, to be abhorred.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
