Genesis 34

The Defiling of Dinah

¹ Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.

² When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.

³ And his soul was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young girl and spoke to her tenderly.

⁴ So Shechem told his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as a wife.”

⁵ Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent about it until they returned.

⁶ Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob.

⁷ When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they returned from the field. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had committed an outrage in Israel ¹ by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.

⁸ But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.

⁹ Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.

¹⁰ You may settle among us, and the land will be open to you. Live here, move about freely, and acquire your own property.”

¹¹ Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Grant me this favor, and I will give you whatever you ask.

¹² Demand a high dowry and an expensive gift, and I will give you whatever you ask. Only give me the girl as my wife!”

The Revenge of Dinah’s Brothers

¹³ But because Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah, Jacob’s sons answered him and his father Hamor deceitfully.

¹⁴ “We cannot do such a thing,” they said. “To give our sister to an uncircumcised man would be a disgrace to us.

¹⁵ We will consent to this on one condition, that you become circumcised like us—every one of your males.

¹⁶ Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We will dwell among you and become one people.

¹⁷ But if you will not agree to be circumcised, then we will take our sister and go.”

¹⁸ Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.

¹⁹ The young man, who was the most respected of all his father’s household, did not hesitate to fulfill this request, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.

²⁰ So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city:

²¹ “These men are at peace with us. Let them live and trade in our land; indeed, it is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage and give our daughters to them.

²² But only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us and be one people: if all our men are circumcised as they are.

²³ Will not their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell among us.”

²⁴ All the men who went out of the city gate listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male of the city was circumcised.

²⁵ Three days later, while they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons (Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi) took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and slaughtered every male.

²⁶ They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.

²⁷ Jacob’s other sons came upon the slaughter and looted the city, because their sister had been defiled.

²⁸ They took their flocks and herds and donkeys, and everything else in the city or in the field.

²⁹ They carried off all their possessions and women and children, and they plundered everything in their houses.

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if they unite 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?”