Genesis 34

1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

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

2 And when Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her.

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 fastened on Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the maiden, and spoke consolingly to the maiden.

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

4 And Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, Take me this girl as wife.

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

5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his cattle in the fields, and Jacob said nothing 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 And Hamor the father of Shechem came out to Jacob, to speak to him.

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

7 And the sons of Jacob came from the fields when they heard [it]; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had wrought what was disgraceful in Israel, in lying with Jacob's daughter, which thing ought not to 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 And Hamor spoke to them, saying, My son Shechem's soul cleaves to your daughter: I pray you, give her to him as 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 make marriages with us: give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to you.

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

10 And dwell with us, and the land shall be before you: dwell and trade in it, and get yourselves possessions 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 And Shechem said to her father and to her brethren, Let me find favour in your eyes; and what ye shall say to 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 Impose on me very much as dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say to me; but give me the maiden as 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 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and spoke — because he had defiled Dinah their sister —

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

14 and said to them, We cannot do this, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that [were] a reproach 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 But only in this will we consent to you, if ye will be as we, that every male of you be circumcised;

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 take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and 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 ye do not hearken to us, to be circumcised, then will we 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 And their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son.

Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to what was proposed.

19 And the youth did not delay to do this, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter. And he was honourable above all in the house of his father.

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 Hamor and Shechem his son 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 peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade in it. And the land — behold, it is of wide extent before them. We will take their daughters as wives, and 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 But only in this will the men consent to us to dwell with us, to be one people — if every male among us be circumcised, just 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 Their cattle, and their possessions, and every beast of theirs, shall they not be ours? only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with 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 And all that went out at the gate of his city hearkened to Hamor and to Shechem his son; and every male was circumcised — all that went out at 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 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew 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 And Hamor and Shechem his son they slew with the edge of the sword; and took Dinah out of Shechem's house; and went out.

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

27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, 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 Their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and what [was] in the city, and what [was] in the field they took;

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

29 and all their goods, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and plundered them, and all that was in the houses.

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

30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, in that ye make me odious among the inhabitants of the land — among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and I am few men in number, and they will gather themselves against me and smite me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

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 And they said, Should people deal with our sister as with a harlot?

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