< Genesis 34 >

1 Forsothe Dyna, the douytir of Lya, yede out to se the wymmen of that cuntrey.
Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
2 And whanne Sichem, the sone of Emor Euey, the prince of that lond, hadde seyn hir, he louede hir, and rauyschide, and sclepte with hir, and oppresside the virgyn bi violence.
Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, lay with her, and humbled her.
3 And his soule was boundun faste with hir, and he pleside hir sory with flateringis.
His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady.
4 And he yede to Emor,
Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor, saying, “Get me this young lady as a wife.”
5 his fadir, and seide, Take to me this damysel a wijf. And whanne Jacob hadde herd this thing, while the sones weren absent, and ocupied in the fedyng of scheep, he was stille, til thei camen ayen.
Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah, his daughter; and his sons were with his livestock in the field. Jacob held his peace until they came.
6 Sotheli whanne Emor, the fadir of Sichem, was gon out, `that he schulde speke to Jacob, lo!
Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to talk with him.
7 hise sones camen fro the feeld. And whanne this thing that bifelde was herd, thei weren wroothe greetli; for he wrouyte a foul thing in Israel, and he hadde do a thing vnleueful in the defoulyng of the douyter of Jacob.
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 done folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing that ought not to be done.
8 And so Emor spak to hem, The soule of my sone Sichem cleuyde to youre douytir, yeue ye hir a wijf to hym,
Hamor talked with them, saying, “The soul of my son, Shechem, longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.
9 and ioyne we weddyngis to gidere; yyue ye youre douytris to vs,
Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.
10 and take ye oure douytris, and dwelle ye with vs; the lond is in youre power, tile ye, make ye marchaundise, and welde ye it.
You shall dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Live and trade in it, and get possessions in it.”
11 But also Sichem seide to the fadir and britheren of hir, Fynde Y grace bifor you, and what euer thingis ye ordeynen Y schal yyue;
Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you will tell me I will give.
12 encreesse ye the dower, and axe ye yiftis, Y schal yyue wilfull that that ye axen; oonli yyue ye this damysele a wijf to me.
Ask me a great amount for a dowry, and I will give whatever you ask of me, but give me the young lady as a wife.”
13 The sones of Jacob answeriden in gile to Sichem and his fadir, and weren feerse for the defoulyng of maidenhod of the sistir,
The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit when they spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister,
14 We moun not do this that ye axen, nether we moun yyue oure sistir to a man vncircumcidid, which thing is vnleueful and abhomynable anentis vs.
and said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised; for that is a reproach to us.
15 But in this we schulen mowe be boundun in pees, if ye wole be lijk vs, and ech of male kynde be circumcidid in you,
Only on this condition will we consent to you. If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised,
16 thanne we schulen yyue and take togidre oure douytris and youre; and we schulen dwelle with you, and we schulen be o puple.
then will we give our daughters to you; and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
17 Forsothe if ye nylen be circumcidid, we schulen take oure douytir, and schulen go a wei.
But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our sister, and we will be gone.”
18 The profryng of hem pleside Emor and Sichem,
Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son.
19 his sone, and the yong wexynge man dilaiede not, that ne he fillide anoon that that was axid, for he louede the damysele greetli, and he was noble in al `the hous of his fadir.
The young man did not wait to do this thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter, and he was honored above all the house of his father.
20 And thei entriden in to the yate of the citee, and spaken to the puple,
Hamor and Shechem, his son, came to the gate of their city, and talked with the men of their city, saying,
21 These men ben pesible, and wolen dwelle with vs; make thei marchaundie in the loond, and tile thei it, which is large and brood, and hath nede to tileris; we schulen take her douytris to wyues, and we schulen yyue oure douytris to hem.
“These men are peaceful with us. Therefore let them live in the land and trade in it. For behold, the land is large enough for them. Let’s take their daughters to us for wives, and let’s give them our daughters.
22 O thing is, for which so greet good is dilaied; if we circumciden oure malis, and suen the custom of the folc,
Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people, if every male among us is circumcised, as they are circumcised.
23 bothe her substaunce, and scheep, and alle thingis which thei welden, schulen be oure; oneli assente we in this, that we dwelle to gidere, and make o puple.
Will not their livestock and their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let’s give our consent to them, and they will dwell with us.”
24 And alle men assentiden, and alle malis weren circumcidid.
All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor, and to Shechem his son; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.
25 And lo! in the thridde day, whanne the sorewe of woundis was moost greuous, twei sones of acob, Symeon and Leuy, britheren of Dyna, token swerdis, and entriden in to the citee booldeli; and whanne alle malis weren slayn,
On the third day, when they were sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword, came upon the unsuspecting city, and killed all the males.
26 thei killiden Emor and Sichem togidere, and token Dyna, her sistir, fro the hous of Sichem.
They killed Hamor and Shechem, his son, with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.
27 And whanne thei weren goon out, othere sones of Jacob felden in on the slayn men, and rifeliden the citee for the veniaunce of defoulyng of a virgyn.
Jacob’s sons came on the dead, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.
28 And thei wastiden the scheep of tho men, and droues of oxun, and assis, and alle thingis that weren in howsis and feeldis,
They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, that which was in the city, that which was in the field,
29 and ledden prisoneris the litle children, and wyues of tho men.
and all their wealth. They took captive all their little ones and their wives, and took as plunder everything that was in the house.
30 And whanne these thingis weren don hardili, Jacob seide to Symeon and Leuy, Ye han troblid me, and han maad me hateful to Cananeis and Fereseis, dwellers of this lond; we ben fewe, thei schulen be gaderid to gidere and schulen sle me, and Y schal be don a wey and myn hous.
Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled 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 strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my house.”
31 Symeon and Leuy answeriden, Whether thei ouyten mysuse oure sistir as an hoore?
They said, “Should he deal with our sister as with a prostitute?”

< Genesis 34 >