Genesis 34

¹ Dinah, who was Jacob’s daughter by Leah went out to visit the women of that region.

² Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, who was ruler of that region, saw her, carried her off and raped her, and so dishonoured her.

³ But he was captivated by Dinah, the daughter of Jacob; he fell in love with the young girl and comforted her.

⁴ Accordingly Shechem said to his father Hamor, ‘Get me this young girl, I want to marry her’.

⁵ Meanwhile, Jacob had heard how his daughter Dinah had been dishonoured, but since his sons were out in the countryside with his livestock, Jacob said nothing until they came back.

⁶ Hamor the father of Shechem went out to talk to Jacob.

⁷ When Jacob’s sons returned from the countryside and heard the news, these men were outraged and infuriated that Shechem had insulted Israel by raping Jacob’s daughter – an offence that could not be overlooked.

⁸ Hamor said to them, ‘The heart of my son Shechem is set on your daughter; I beg you, let him marry her.

⁹ Ally yourselves with us by marriage; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.

¹⁰ Stay with us and the land shall be open to you to live in or move through or own.’

¹¹ Shechem said to the father and brothers of the young girl, ‘If only I can win your favour, I will give you whatever you ask.

¹² Demand from me a huge bridal price and gifts; I will give you as much as you ask. Only let me marry the young girl.’

¹³ Then came the answer Jacob’s sons gave to Shechem and his father Hamor, a crafty answer because he had dishonoured their sister Dinah.

¹⁴ ‘We cannot do such a thing’ they said to them. ‘To give our sister to an uncircumcised man would be a disgrace for us.

¹⁵ We can agree only on one condition: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.

¹⁶ Then we will give you our daughters, taking yours for ourselves; and we will stay with you to make one nation.

¹⁷ But if you do not listen to us on this matter of circumcision we shall take our daughter and go.

¹⁸ Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son, were pleased with what they heard.

¹⁹ The young man did not hesitate about doing this, for he was deeply in love with Jacob’s daughter. Moreover he was the most important person in his father’s household.

²⁰ Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their town and spoke to their fellow townsmen saying,

²¹ ‘These men are friendly; let them stay with us in the land, and move about as freely as they like. Let us marry their daughters and give our daughters to them.

²² But these men will agree to stay with us and become a single nation only on this condition: all males must be circumcised as they are.

²³ Will not their livestock, their goods and all their cattle belong to us, if only we agree to let them stay with us?’

²⁴ All the citizens of the town agreed to the proposal made by Hamor and his son Shechem, and so all the males were circumcised.

²⁵ Now on the third day, when they were still in pain, Jacob’s two sons Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dinah, took their swords and marched into the town unsuspected; they killed all the males.

²⁶ They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house and came away.

²⁷ Jacob’s sons attacked the wounded and pillaged the town because their sister had been dishonoured.

²⁸ They took away their flocks, cattle, donkeys and whatever there was in the town and in the countryside.

²⁹ They carried off all their riches, all their little children and their wives, and looted everything to be found in their houses.

³⁰ Jacob said to Sinteon and Levi, ‘You have done me harm, putting me in bad odour with the people of this land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I have few men, whereas they will unite against me to defeat me and destroy me and my family.’

³¹ They retorted, ‘Is our sister to be treated like a whore?’