Shechem Rapes Dinah, and Jacob’s Sons Take Revenge

34:1-31

34 Then Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she had born for Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of the land, saw her, and he took her and lay with her and violated her. 3 And his soul was attached to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke to the heart of the young woman. 4 Then Shechem said to Hamor his father, saying, “Get this girl for me as a wife.”

5 Then Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter, and his sons were with his livestock in the fields, so Jacob kept quiet until they came. 6 And Hamor the father of Shechem came out to Jacob to talk with him. 7 Then the sons of Jacob came from the fields. When they heard, then the men were grieved and it burned within them greatly, because he had done something disgraceful to Israel by lying with the daughter of Jacob, and such a thing should not have been done! 8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. 9 And intermarry with us: Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves, 10 and settle with us. And the land is before you. Settle and trade in it, and acquire property in it.”

11 Then Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and what you say to me I will give. 12 Increase greatly the dowry and gift for me, and I will give according to what you say to me. Then give the young woman to me as a wife.”

13 Then the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit when they spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14 And they said to them, “We are not able to do this thing, to give our sister to a man who has a foreskin, because that is a disgrace to us! 15 Only on this condition will we consent with you: if you become like us by every male among you being circumcised. 16 Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for us. And we will settle with you, and we will become one people. 17 But if you will not listen to us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”

18 And their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem, Hamor’s son. 19 So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he was delighted with the daughter of Jacob, and he was honored more than all of the house of his father. 20 So Hamor and Shechem his son went to the gate of their city, and they spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21 “These men are peaceful with us, so let them settle in the land, and let them trade in it. And behold, the land is broad of hands before them. We can take their daughters for ourselves as wives, and we can give our daughters to them. 22 Only on this condition will the men consent with us to settle with us, to become one people: when every male among us is circumcised just as they are circumcised. 23 Their livestock and their property and all their animals, will they not belong to us? Only let us consent with them, and they will settle with us!”

24 And 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 Then it happened on the third day, when they were in pain, then two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dinah, each took his sword and went upon the city boldly and killed every male. 26 And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the mouth of the sword, and they took Dinah from the house of Shechem and left. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28 They took their flocks and their herds and their donkeys, and what was in the city and what was in the fields. 29 And all their wealth and all their little ones and their women they took captive, and they also plundered everything that was in the houses.

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and to Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink among those who live in the land, among the Canaanites and among the Perizzites! And I am few of number, and if they gather together against me and attack me, then I will be destroyed, I and my house!” 31 But they said, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”