< Genesis 34 >

1 And Dina the daughter of Lia went out to see the women of that country.
And Dina, the daughter of Lea, whom she bore to Jacob, went forth to observe the daughters of the inhabitants.
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.
And Sychem the son of Emmor the Evite, the ruler of the land, saw her, and took her and lay with her, and humbled her.
3 And his soul was fast knit unto her, and whereas she was sad, he comforted her with sweet words.
And he was attached to the soul of Dina the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and he spoke kindly to the damsel.
4 And going to Hemor his father, he said: Get me this damsel to wife.
Sychem spoke to Emmor his father, saying, Take for me this damsel to wife.
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.
And Jacob heard that the son of Emmor had defiled Dina his daughter (now his sons were with his cattle in the plain). And Jacob was silent until they came.
6 And when Hemor the father of Sichem was come out to speak to Jacob,
And Emmor the father of Sychem went forth to Jacob, to speak to him.
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,
And the sons of Jacob came from the plain; and when they heard, the men were deeply pained, and it was very grievous to them, because [the man] wrought folly in Israel, having lain with the daughter of Jacob, and so it must not be.
8 And Hemor spoke to them: The soul of my son Sichem has a longing for your daughter: give her him to wife:
And Emmor spoke to them, saying, Sychem my son has chosen in his heart your daughter; give her therefore to him for a wife,
9 And let us contract marriages one with another: give us your daughters and take you our daughters,
and intermarry with us. Give us your daughters, and take our daughters for your sons.
10 And dwell with us: the land is at your command, till, trade, and possess it.
And dwell in the midst of us; and, behold, the land is spacious before you, dwell in it, and trade, and get possessions in it.
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.
And Sychem said to her father and to her brothers, I would find grace before you, and we will give whatever you shall name.
12 Raise the dowry, and ask gifts, and I will gladly give what you shall demand: only give me this damsel to wife.
Multiply [your demand of] dowry very much, and I will give accordingly as you shall say to me, only you shall give me this damsel for a wife.
13 The sons of Jacob answered Sichem and his father deceitfully, being enraged at the deflowering of their sister:
And the sons of Jacob answered to Sychem and Emmor his father craftily, and spoke to them, because they had defiled Dina their sister.
14 We cannot do what you demand, nor give our sister to one that is uncircumcised, which with us is unlawful and abominable.
And Symeon and Levi, the brothers of Dina, said to them, We shall not be able to do this thing, to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised, for it is a reproach to 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:
Only on these terms will we conform to you, and dwell amongst you, if you also will be as we are, in that every male of you be circumcised.
16 Then will we mutually give and take your daughters, and ours: and we will dwell with you, and will be one people:
And we will give our daughters to you, and we will take of your daughters for wives to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will be as one race.
17 But if you will not be circumcised, we will take our daughter and depart:
But if you will not listen to us to be circumcised, we will take our daughter and depart.
18 Their offer pleased Hemor, and Sichem his son:
And the words pleased Emmor, and Sychem the son of Emmor.
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.
And the young man delayed not to do this thing, for he was much attached to Jacob's daughter, and he was the most honourable of all in his father's house.
20 And going into the gate of the city they spoke to the people:
And Emmor and Sychem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke to the men of their city, saying,
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 peaceful, let them dwell with us upon the land, and let them trade in it, and behold the land is extensive before them; we will take their daughters to us for wives, and we will give them our daughters.
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.
Only on these terms will the men conform to us to dwell with us so as to be one people, if every male of us be circumcised, as they also are circumcised.
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.
And shall not their cattle and their herds, and their possessions, be ours? only in this let us conform to them, and they will dwell with us.
24 And they all agreed, and circumcised all the males.
And all that went in at the gate of their city listened to Emmor and Sychem his son, and they were circumcised in the flesh of their foreskin every male.
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:
And it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, the two sons of Jacob, Symeon and Levi, Dina's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city securely, and killed every male.
26 And they killed also Hemor and Sichem, and took away their sister Dina, out of Sichem’s house.
And they killed Emmor and Sychem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dina out of the house of Sychem, and went forth.
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.
But the sons of Jacob came upon the wounded, and ravaged the city wherein they had defiled Dina their sister.
28 And they took their sheep and their herds and their asses, wasting all they had in their houses and in the fields.
And their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses they took, and all things whatever were in the city, and whatever were in the plain.
29 And their children and wives they took captive,
And they took captive all the persons of them, and all their store, and their wives, and plundered both whatever things there were in the city, and whatever things there were in the houses.
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.
And Jacob said to Symeon and Levi, You have made me hateful so that I should be evil to all the inhabitants of the land, both amongst the Chananites and the Pherezites, and I am few in number; they will gather themselves against me and cut me in pieces, and I shall be utterly destroyed, and my house.
31 They answered: Should they abuse our sister as a strumpet?
And they said, Nay, but shall they treat our sister as an harlot?

< Genesis 34 >