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Genesis 34
Easy-to-Read Version
Genesis 34
Easy-to-Read Version
The Rape of Dinah
34 One day, Dinah, the daughter of Leah and Jacob, went out to see the women of that place. 2 She was seen by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area. Shechem took Dinah and raped her. 3 But he was so attracted to her that he fell in love and began expressing his feelings to her. 4 He told his father, “Please get this girl for me so that I can marry her.”
5 Jacob learned that Shechem had done this very bad thing to his daughter. But all his sons were out in the fields with the cattle. So he did nothing until they came home. 6 Then Shechem’s father, Hamor, came out to talk with Jacob.
7 In the fields Jacob’s sons heard the news about what had happened. They were very angry because Shechem had brought shame to Israel by raping Jacob’s daughter. They came in from the fields as soon as they heard about the terrible thing Shechem had done.
8 But Hamor talked to Dinah’s brothers and said, “My son Shechem wants Dinah very much. Please let him marry her. 9 This marriage will show we have a special agreement. Then our men can marry your women, and your men can marry our women. 10 You can live in the same land with us. You will be free to own the land and to trade here.”
11 Shechem also talked to Jacob and to Dinah’s brothers and said, “Please accept me. I will do anything you ask me to do. 12 I will give you any gift[a] you want if you will only allow me to marry Dinah. I will give you anything you ask, but let me marry her.”
13 Jacob’s sons decided to lie to Shechem and his father because Shechem had done such a bad thing to their sister Dinah. 14 The brothers said to them, “We cannot allow our sister to marry you because you are not yet circumcised. That would bring us shame. 15 But we will allow you to marry her if you do this one thing: Every man in your town must be circumcised like us. 16 Then your men can marry our women, and our men can marry your women. Then we will become one people. 17 If you refuse to be circumcised, we will take Dinah away.”
18 This agreement made Hamor and Shechem very happy. 19 Shechem was very happy to do what Dinah’s brothers asked.
Shechem was the most honored man in his family. 20 Hamor and Shechem went to the meeting place of their city. They spoke to the men of the city and said, 21 “These people want to be friends with us. We want to let them live in our land and be at peace with us. We have enough land for all of us. We are free to marry their women, and we are happy to give them our women to marry. 22 But there is one thing that all our men must agree to do. They must agree to be circumcised as they are. 23 If we do this, we will become rich from all their cattle and other animals. We should make this agreement with them so that they will stay here with us.” 24 All the men who heard this in the meeting place agreed with Hamor and Shechem. And every man was circumcised at that time.
25 Three days later the men who were circumcised were still sore. Two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, knew that the men would be weak at this time. So they went to the city and killed all the men there. 26 Dinah’s brothers, Simeon and Levi, killed Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and left. 27 Jacob’s sons went to the city and stole everything that was there because of what Shechem had done to their sister. 28 So the brothers took all their animals, all their donkeys, and everything else in the city and in the fields. 29 The brothers took everything those people owned. They even took their wives and children.
30 But Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have caused me a lot of trouble. All the people in this place will hate me. All the Canaanites and the Perizzites will turn against me. There are only a few of us. If the people in this place gather together to fight against us, I will be destroyed. And all our people will be destroyed with me.”
31 But the brothers said, “Should we let these people treat our sister like a prostitute? They were wrong to do that to our sister!”
Footnotes
- Genesis 34:12 gift Or “dowry.” Here, the money a man paid for a wife.
Genesis 34
New International Version
Genesis 34
New International Version
Dinah and the Shechemites
34 Now Dinah,(A) the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2 When Shechem(B) son of Hamor(C) the Hivite,(D) the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.(E) 3 His heart was drawn to Dinah(F) daughter of Jacob;(G) he loved(H) the young woman and spoke tenderly(I) to her. 4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”(J)
5 When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled,(K) his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.
6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.(L) 7 Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked(M) and furious,(N) because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in[a] Israel(O) by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.(P)
8 But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.(Q) 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.(R) 10 You can settle among us;(S) the land is open to you.(T) Live in it, trade[b] in it,(U) and acquire property in it.(V)”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes,(W) and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride(X) and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”
13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled,(Y) Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully(Z) as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised.(AA) That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition(AB) only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.(AC) 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.(AD) We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.(AE) 17 But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”
18 Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man, who was the most honored(AF) of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.(AG) 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city(AH) to speak to the men of their city. 21 “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it;(AI) the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.(AJ) 22 But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,(AK) as they themselves are. 23 Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?(AL) So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.(AM)”
24 All the men who went out of the city gate(AN) agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.
25 Three days later, while all of them were still in pain,(AO) two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon(AP) and Levi,(AQ) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords(AR) and attacked the unsuspecting city,(AS) killing every male.(AT) 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword(AU) and took Dinah(AV) from Shechem’s house and left. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city(AW) where[c] their sister had been defiled.(AX) 28 They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys(AY) and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.(AZ) 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children,(BA) taking as plunder(BB) everything in the houses.(BC)
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble(BD) on me by making me obnoxious(BE) to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.(BF) We are few in number,(BG) and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
31 But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?(BH)”
Footnotes
- Genesis 34:7 Or against
- Genesis 34:10 Or move about freely; also in verse 21
- Genesis 34:27 Or because
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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