Genesis 34

1 Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the region.

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

2 When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of the land, saw her, he grabbed her, and raped her, and humiliated her.

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

3 Then he became very attached to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman, and spoke kindly to the young woman.

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

4 Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor, saying, "Get me this young woman as my wife."

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

5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah, his daughter; and his sons were with his livestock in the field. Jacob remained silent until they came.

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 Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.

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

7 The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had disgraced Israel by sexually assaulting Jacob's daughter; a thing that should not be done.

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 Hamor talked with them, saying, "The heart of my son Shechem is set on your daughter. Please give her to him as a 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 Arrange marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.

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

10 You may settle among us, and the land will be open to you. Live and trade in it, and acquire property in it."

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

11 Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, "Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you ask of me 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 Ask me for a very expensive bride price, and I will pay whatever you ask of me, but give me the young woman as a 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 replied deceitfully to Shechem and his father Hamor, because he had defiled their sister Dinah.

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

14 And they said to them, "We can't do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that would be a disgrace to us.

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 Only on this condition will we agree with you; that you become like us by circumcising all your males;

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

16 then will we give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will live among you and become 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 listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go away."

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

18 Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son.

Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to what was proposed.

19 The young man did not delay to do this thing, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. Now he was the most important of anyone in 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 Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city, and spoke to the men of their city, saying,

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

21 "These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them live in the land and travel in it. For look, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives for ourselves, and let us give them our daughters.

“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 Only on this condition will the men agree to live with us as one people: that every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.

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 Won't their livestock and their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let us agree with them, so they will settle among us."

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 All who went out of the gate of his city agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

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

25 It happened on the third day, when they were still in pain, that two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword and came into the unsuspecting city and killed all the males.

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 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and left.

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

27 Jacob's sons entered over the dead and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.

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

28 They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and was in the field,

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

29 and all their wealth. They took captive all their little ones and their wives, and took as plunder everything that was in the houses.

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

30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me, to make me odious to the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and attack me, and I and my household will 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 But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?"

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