Genesis 34

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1. 1Dinah, the daughter that Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the young women of that region.
2. 2Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite who ruled that area, saw her, seized her, and violated her.
3. 3His soul was deeply drawn to Dinah, Jacob's daughter. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her.
4. 4Shechem told his father Hamor, "Get this young woman for me as my wife."
5. 5Jacob learned that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were out in the field with the livestock, he said nothing until they returned.
6. 6Hamor, Shechem's father, went to speak with Jacob.
7. 7When Jacob's sons heard what had happened, they came in from the field. They were filled with grief and burning anger, because Shechem had committed a disgraceful act in Israel by violating Jacob's daughter—something that should never have been done.
8. 8Hamor spoke with them, saying, "My son Shechem's soul longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife."
9. 9"Intermarry with us—give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves."
10. 10"You can settle among us. The whole land is open to you. Live here, conduct business, and acquire property."
11. 11Shechem also said to Dinah's father and brothers, "Let me find grace in your eyes, and I will pay whatever you ask of me."
12. 12"Set the bride price and the gift as high as you want, and I will pay whatever you demand—just give me the young woman as my wife."
13. 13Jacob's sons responded to Shechem and his father Hamor with deceit, because Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah.
14. 14They told them, "We are unable to do this—to give our sister to a man who is uncircumcised. That would be a disgrace to us."
15. 15"We will agree to your proposal only on this condition: that every male among you becomes circumcised, just as we are."
16. 16"Then we will give our daughters to you and take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people."
17. 17"But if you refuse to listen to us and will not be circumcised, then we will take our sister and leave."
18. 18What they proposed seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.
19. 19The young man wasted no time in carrying out the requirement, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. He was the most respected member of his entire father's household.
20. 20Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and addressed the men there, saying,
21. 21"These people are friendly toward us. Let them settle in our land and carry on business here, since the land is spacious enough for them. We can marry their daughters, and they can marry ours."
22. 22"However, they will only agree to live among us as one people on this one condition: that every male among us is circumcised, as they are."
23. 23"Won't all their livestock, their possessions, and every animal they own eventually become ours? Let us just agree to their terms, and they will settle here with us."
24. 24Everyone who gathered at the city gate listened to Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.
25. 25On the third day, while all the men were still in pain, two of Jacob's sons—Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers—each grabbed his sword, entered the city without opposition, and killed every male.
26. 26They put Hamor and his son Shechem to death by the sword, retrieved Dinah from Shechem's house, and departed.
27. 27Jacob's other sons came upon the dead bodies and plundered the city, because its people had defiled their sister.
28. 28They seized their flocks, herds, and donkeys—everything in the city and everything in the fields.
29. 29They carried off all their wealth, took all their children and wives as captives, and looted everything inside the houses.
30. 30Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought disaster on me by making me despised among the people of this land—the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My people are few in number. If they unite against me and attack, I will be destroyed—both I and my entire household."
31. 31But they replied, "Should he have been allowed to treat our sister like a prostitute?"