The Violation of Dinah
Study note
Dinah goes out to visit the women of the land. Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite ruler of the area, sees her, takes her, and violates her. But then his heart is drawn to Dinah, and he asks his father to get her as his wife. When Jacob hears what happened, he keeps quiet until his sons come in from the fields. They are furious and deeply grieved because such a thing should never have happened in Israel.
1 One day Dinah went into town. She was the daughter Leah had given Jacob. She went to visit some of the local women. And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
2 Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite (the local ruler), spotted her. He grabbed her and forced himself on her. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
3 But then his heart was completely drawn to Dinah. He fell in love with her and tried to win her over with gentle, loving words. And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
4 Shechem went to his father Hamor and demanded, "Get this girl for me as my wife." And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
5 Jacob heard what had happened to Dinah. But his sons were all out in the fields with the animals. So he kept quiet until they got home. And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
6 Meanwhile, Shechem's father Hamor came out to have a talk with Jacob. And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
7 When Jacob's sons got back and heard the news, they were outraged. What Shechem had done to their sister was an unforgivable crime in Israel, something that should never have happened. And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.
Hamor Negotiates with Jacob
Study note
Hamor proposes intermarriage between his people and Jacob's family, offering to share the land. Shechem offers to pay any bride price. But Jacob's sons answer deceitfully. They say they cannot give their sister to an uncircumcised man. They propose that all the males of Shechem's city be circumcised, and then the two groups can intermarry and become one people. Hamor and Shechem agree, and they convince all the men of their city to be circumcised.
8 Hamor made his pitch: "My son Shechem is madly in love with your daughter. Please let him marry her." And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
9 "In fact, let's all start marrying each other's families. Give us your daughters and take ours." And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.
10 "You can live anywhere you want in our land. Settle down, do business, and buy property." And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
11 Shechem personally spoke to Dinah's father and brothers: "Tell me what you want and I'll do it — anything." And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.
12 "Name whatever price you want for the bride — as high as you like. I'll pay it all. Let me marry her." Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.
13 But Jacob's sons weren't planning to play fair. Because Shechem had violated their sister Dinah, they came up with a deceitful scheme. And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:
14 They told Shechem and Hamor, "We can't possibly do this. Giving our sister to a man who isn't circumcised would be a complete disgrace to us." And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:
15 "We will only agree on one condition. Every male among you must be circumcised, just like us." But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;
16 "If you do that, we'll share our daughters with you and take your daughters for ourselves. We'll live together and become one people." Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
17 "But if you won't get circumcised, we're taking our sister and leaving." But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.
18 Hamor and Shechem both thought this sounded like a fair deal. And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.
19 Shechem did not waste a second. He was the most respected in his whole family. He was thrilled to agree. He was crazy about Jacob's daughter. And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.
Simeon and Levi's Revenge
Study note
Three days after the circumcision, while all the men are still in pain and unable to fight, Simeon and Levi take their swords and attack the unsuspecting city. They kill every male, including Hamor and Shechem, and take Dinah from Shechem's house. The other sons of Jacob plunder the city. Jacob is troubled, fearing that the people of the land will unite against his small family. But Simeon and Levi respond, 'Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?' This event will be remembered when Jacob gives his final blessings — he will curse their violence.
20 Hamor and Shechem went to the city gate and made their case to all the men of the town. And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
21 "These people are friendly," they said. "Let them settle here and trade with us. There's more than enough land for everyone. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours." These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
22 "But they have just one requirement — every male in our city needs to be circumcised, the same way they are." Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
23 "Think about it — won't their livestock and their wealth eventually end up becoming ours? Let's agree to their terms so they'll stay." Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.
24 Every man in the city agreed. So every male got circumcised. And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
25 Three days later, all the men were still sore and hurting. Two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, were Dinah's full brothers. They grabbed their swords, walked right into the helpless city, and killed every man. 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 man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
26 They killed Hamor and Shechem with their swords, took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and left. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.
27 Then Jacob's other sons went through the city and took everything — payback for what was done to their sister. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
28 They took all the flocks, herds, and donkeys — everything inside the city and everything out in the fields. They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,
29 They hauled away all the valuables and grabbed all the women and children. They cleaned out every house. And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
30 Jacob scolded Simeon and Levi: "You've made my life a nightmare! The Canaanites and Perizzites who live around here are going to hate me now. We are just a small group — if they band together against us, they'll wipe out our entire family!" And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
31 But the brothers shot back, "So were we supposed to let him treat our sister like a cheap prostitute?" And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?