Genesis 34

1 And Dina the daughter of Lia went out to see the women of that country.

Dinah, Jacob and Leah's daughter, went to visit some of the local women.

2 And when Sichem the son of Hemor the Hevite, the prince of that land, saw her, he was in love with her: and took her away, and lay with her, ravishing the virgin.

Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her. He grabbed hold of her and raped her.

3 And his soul was fast knit unto her, and whereas she was sad, he comforted her with sweet words.

However, then he fell deeply in love with Dinah and tried to get her to love him too.

4 And going to Hemor his father, he said: Get me this damsel to wife.

He went and asked his father, “Get this young girl for me so I can marry her.”

5 But when Jacob had heard this, his sons being absent, and employed in feeding the cattle, he held his peace till they came back.

Jacob found out that Shechem had violated his daughter Dinah, but as his sons were away looking after the flocks in the fields he didn't say anything until they came home.

6 And when Hemor the father of Sichem was come out to speak to Jacob,

In the meantime Hamor, Shechem's father, arrived to talk with Jacob.

7 Behold his sons came from the field: and hearing what had passed, they were exceeding angry, because he had done a foul thing in Israel, and committed an unlawful act, in ravishing Jacob’s daughter,

When Jacob's sons returned from the fields they were very upset when they heard the news and became extremely angry because Shechem had done something outrageous in Israel by having sex with Jacob's daughter—something that should never be done.

8 And Hemor spoke to them: The soul of my son Sichem has a longing for your daughter: give her him to wife:

Hamor told them, “My son Shechem is very much in love with your daughter and your sister Dinah. Please allow him to marry her.

9 And let us contract marriages one with another: give us your daughters and take you our daughters,

In fact we can have more marriages—you can give us your daughters and you can have our daughters.

10 And dwell with us: the land is at your command, till, trade, and possess it.

You can live among us and settle down wherever you like. You can go where you want and buy land for yourselves.”

11 Sichem also said to her father and to her brethren: Let me find favour in your sight: and whatsoever you shall appoint I will give.

Then Shechem himself spoke up, and said to Dinah's father and brothers, “Please accept me and my proposal, and I'll do whatever you ask.

12 Raise the dowry, and ask gifts, and I will gladly give what you shall demand: only give me this damsel to wife.

You can set the bride price as high as you like, and I'll pay it along with all the gifts I'll give. Just let me have the girl so I can marry her.”

13 The sons of Jacob answered Sichem and his father deceitfully, being enraged at the deflowering of their sister:

Jacob's sons weren't honest when they answered him and his father Hamor because Shechem had violated their sister Dinah.

14 We cannot do what you demand, nor give our sister to one that is uncircumcised, which with us is unlawful and abominable.

They told them, “We can't do this! We can't allow our sister to marry a man who's not circumcised. That would bring disgrace on us.

15 But in this we may be allied with you, if you will be like us, and all the male sex among you be circumcised:

We will only agree to it with this condition: all of you must be circumcised like us.

16 Then will we mutually give and take your daughters, and ours: and we will dwell with you, and will be one people:

Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters, and we will live among you and become one family.

17 But if you will not be circumcised, we will take our daughter and depart:

But if you don't agree with us that you should be circumcised, then we'll take our sister and leave.”

18 Their offer pleased Hemor, and Sichem his son:

Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to what was proposed.

19 And the young man made no delay, but forthwith fulfilled what was required, for he loved the damsel exceedingly, and he was the greatest man in all his father’s house.

The young man Shechem didn't waste any time in arranging this because he was infatuated with Jacob's daughter, and he was viewed as the most important person in his father's family.

20 And going into the gate of the city they spoke to the people:

Hamor and Shechem went to the town gate and spoke to the other leaders there.

21 These men are peaceable and willing to dwell with us: let them trade in the land, and till it, which being large and wide wanteth men to till it: we shall take their daughters for wives, and we will give them ours.

“These men are our friends,” they told them. “Let's have them live here in our country and allow them to go wherever they want—it's big enough for all of them too. We can take their daughters as wives, and we can give our daughters to them to marry.

22 One thing there is for which so great a good is deferred: We must circumcise every male among us, following the manner of the nation.

But they will only agree to this on one condition: they will only join us and become one family if every male among us is circumcised like they are.

23 And their substance, and cattle, and all that they possess, shall be ours: only in this let us condescend, and by dwelling together, we shall make one people.

If that happens, won't all their livestock and property—all their animals—end up belonging to us? We just have to agree to this and they will come and live among us.”

24 And they all agreed, and circumcised all the males.

Everyone there at the town gate agreed with Hamor and Shechem so every male in the town was circumcised.

25 And behold the third day, when the pain of the wound was greatest, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dina, taking their swords, entered boldly into the city, and slew all the men:

Three days later while they were still suffering pain, Simeon and Levi, two of Jacob's sons and Dinah's brothers, came with their swords into the town. Unopposed, they slaughtered every male.

26 And they killed also Hemor and Sichem, and took away their sister Dina, out of Sichem’s house.

They killed Hamor and Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem's house, and left.

27 And when they were gone out, the other sons of Jacob came upon the slain; and plundered the city in revenge of the rape.

Jacob's other sons arrived, robbed the dead bodies, and looted the town where their sister had been violated.

28 And they took their sheep and their herds and their asses, wasting all they had in their houses and in the fields.

They took their sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys. They took whatever was in the town, and in the fields—

29 And their children and wives they took captive,

all their possessions. They captured all their women and children, and plundered everything in their homes.

30 And when they had boldly perpetrated these things, Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: You have troubled me, and made me hateful to the Chanaanites and Pherezites, the inhabitants of this land: we are few: they will gather themselves together and kill me; and both I, and my house, shall be destroyed.

But Jacob criticized Simeon and Levi, telling them, “You've just caused me a lot of trouble! You've made me like a bad smell among the people in this country, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I only have a few men, and if these people gather to attack me, I and my whole family will be wiped out.”

31 They answered: Should they abuse our sister as a strumpet?

But they replied, “Should we have let him treat our sister like a prostitute?”