Genesis 34
Complete Jewish Bible
34 (v) One time Dinah the daughter of Le’ah, whom she had borne to Ya‘akov, went out to visit the local girls; 2 and Sh’khem the son of Hamor the Hivi, the local ruler, saw her, grabbed her, raped her and humiliated her. 3 But actually he was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Ya‘akov; he fell in love with the girl and tried to win her affection. 4 Sh’khem spoke with his father Hamor and said, “Get this girl for me; I want her to be my wife.”
5 When Ya‘akov heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter, his sons were with his livestock in the field; so Ya‘akov restrained himself until they came. 6 Hamor the father of Sh’khem went out to Ya‘akov to speak with him 7 just as Ya‘akov’s sons were coming in from the field. When they heard what had happened, the men were saddened and were very angry at the outrage this man had committed against Isra’el by raping Ya‘akov’s daughter, something that is simply not done. 8 But Hamor said to them, “My son Sh’khem’s heart is set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife; 9 and intermarry with us: give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You will live with us, and the land will be available to you — you’ll live, do business and acquire possessions here.”
11 Then Sh’khem said to her father and brothers, “Only accept me, and I will give whatever you tell me. 12 Ask as large a bride-price as you like, I’ll pay whatever you tell me. Just let me marry the girl.” 13 The sons of Ya‘akov answered Sh’khem and Hamor his father deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do it, because it would be a disgrace to give our sister to someone who hasn’t been circumcised. 15 Only on this condition will we consent to what you are asking: that you become like us by having every male among you get circumcised. 16 Then we’ll give our daughters to you, and we’ll take your daughters for ourselves, and we’ll live with you and become one people. 17 But if you won’t do as we say and get circumcised, then we’ll take our daughter and go away.” 18 What they said seemed fair to Hamor and Sh’khem the son of Hamor, 19 and the young man did not put off doing what was asked of him, even though he was the most respected member of his father’s family, because he so much wanted Ya‘akov’ s daughter.
20 Hamor and Sh’khem his son came to the entrance of their city and spoke with its leading men: 21 “These people are peaceful toward us; therefore let them live in the land and do business in it; for, as you can see, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives for ourselves, and we’ll give them our daughters. 22 But the people will consent to live with us and become one people only on this condition: that every male among us gets circumcised, as they themselves are circumcised. 23 Won’t their cattle, their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let’s consent to do what they ask, and then they will live with us.” 24 Everyone going out the city’s gate listened to Hamor and Sh’khem his son; so every male was circumcised, every one that went out the gate of the city.
25 On the third day after the circumcision, when they were in pain, two of Ya‘akov’s sons, Shim‘on and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords, boldly descended on the city and slaughtered all the males. 26 They killed Hamor and Sh’khem his son with their swords, took Dinah out of Sh’khem’s house, and left. 27 Then the sons of Ya‘akov entered over the dead bodies of those who had been slaughtered and plundered the city in reprisal for defiling their sister. 28 They took their flocks, cattle and donkeys, and everything else, whether in the city or in the field, 29 everything they owned. Their children and wives they took captive, and they looted whatever was in the houses.
30 But Ya‘akov said to Shim‘on and Levi, “You have caused me trouble by making me stink in the opinion of the local inhabitants, the Kena‘ani and the P’rizi. Since I don’t have many people, they’ll align themselves together against me and attack me; and I will be destroyed, I and my household.” 31 They replied, “Should we let our sister be treated like a whore?”
Genesis 34
Tree of Life Version
Dinah Defiled by Shechem
34 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore for Jacob, went out to look at the daughters of the land. 2 When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her and raped her. 3 But his soul clung to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter, and he loved the young woman and spoke reassuringly to the young woman. 4 So Shechem said to his father Hamor saying, “Get me this girl for a wife.”
5 Now Jacob had heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah while his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept quiet until they came in. 6 Meanwhile Shechem’s father Hamor went out to Jacob in order to speak with him. 7 Jacob’s sons had already come in from the field when they heard, and the men were deeply grieved and furious, because he had committed a vile deed in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, which ought never to be done.
8 But Hamor spoke with them saying, “My son Shechem—he’s very attached to your daughter. Please give her to him for a wife. 9 Intermarry with us. You can give your daughters to us, and you can take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can live with us, and the land will be open to you: live in it, move about freely in it, and settle down in it.”
11 Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Would that I find favor in your eyes! Whatever you say to me I’ll give. 12 Set the dowry and the presents as high as you like and I’ll give whatever you say to me. But give me the young woman as a wife.”
13 But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully as they spoke, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do this thing—give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised—for this is a disgrace to us. 15 Only by this will we consent to you: if you will become like us, by circumcising every male. 16 Then we’ll give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves, and live with you, and become one people. 17 But if you don’t listen to us and be circumcised, we’ll take our daughter and leave.”
18 Now their words seemed good to Hamor as well as Hamor’s son Shechem. 19 So the young man did not hesitate to do it, since he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was honored above everyone else in his father’s house. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem came into the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying: 21 “These men are enjoying a peaceful relationship with us and they are living in the land and moving about freely in it. As for the land, look, it’s spread out on both sides before us. We can take their daughters to be our wives, and we can give our daughters to them. 22 But by this did these men consent to us, to live with us and to become one people—when all our males are circumcised as they are circumcised. 23 Their livestock and their possessions: won’t they be ours? Only let us consent to them so that they’ll live with us.”
24 Now everyone who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, every one who went out the gate of his city. 25 Then on the third day while they were in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came against the city undisturbed and killed every male. 26 Hamor and his son Shechem they killed with the sword, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. 27 Jacob’s sons came upon the slain and plundered the city because they defiled their sister. 28 They took their flocks, their cattle and their donkeys, those that were in the city as well as those that were in the field. 29 All their wealth, their little children, and their wives they captured and plundered, as well as everything that was in the houses.
30 But Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You’ve brought trouble on me, making me a stench among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am but a few men—they’ll gather against me and strike me—then I’ll be destroyed, my household and I.”
31 But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.