The Treachery of Jacob’s Sons

¹Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out [unescorted] to visit the girls of the land. ² When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince (sheik) of the land, saw her, he kidnapped her and lay [intimately] with her by force [humbling and offending her]. ³ But his soul longed for and clung to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke comfortingly to her young heart’s wishes. ⁴ So Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this young woman as a wife.” ⁵ Now Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled (violated) Dinah his daughter; but his sons were in the field with his livestock, so Jacob said nothing until they came in. ⁶ But Shechem’s father Hamor went to Jacob to talk with him. ⁷ Now when Jacob’s sons heard of it they came in from the field; they were deeply grieved, and they were very angry, for Shechem had done a disgraceful thing to ^[a]Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing is not to be done.

⁸ But Hamor conferred with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem [deeply] longs for your daughter [and sister]. Please give her to him as his wife. ⁹ And [beyond that] intermarry with us; give your daughters to us [as wives] and take our daughters for yourselves. ¹⁰ In this way you shall live with us; the country will be open to you; live and do business in it and acquire property and possessions in it.” ¹¹ Shechem also said to Dinah’s father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and I will give you whatever you ask of me. ¹² Demand of me a very large bridal payment and gift [as compensation for giving up your daughter and sister], and I will give you whatever you tell me; only give me the girl to be my wife.”

¹³ Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, because Shechem had defiled and disgraced their sister Dinah. ¹⁴ They said to them, “We cannot do this thing and give our sister [in marriage] to one who is not circumcised, because that would be a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ But we will consent to you only on this condition: if you will become like us, in that every male among you consents to be circumcised, ¹⁶ then we will give our daughters to you [in marriage], and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people. ¹⁷ But if you do not listen to us and refuse to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter [Dinah] and go.”

¹⁸ Their words seemed reasonable to Hamor and his son Shechem, ¹⁹ and the young man did not hesitate to do the [required] thing, for he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more respected and honored than all [others] in the household of his father. ²⁰ Then Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their [walled] city [where the leading men would meet] and spoke with the men of the city, saying, ²¹ “These men are peaceful and friendly with us; so let them live in the land and do business in it, for the land is large enough [for us and] for them; let us take their daughters for wives and let us give them our daughters [in marriage]. ²² But only on this condition will the men consent to our request that they live among us and become one people: that every male among us become circumcised just as they are circumcised. ²³ Will not their cattle and their possessions and all their animals be ours [if we do this]? Let us consent [to do as they ask], and they will live here with us.” ²⁴ And every [Canaanite] man who went out of the city gate listened and considered what Hamor and Shechem said; and every male who ^[b]was a resident of that city was circumcised.

²⁵ Now on the third day [after the circumcision], when all the men were [terribly] sore and in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s [full] brothers, took their swords, boldly entered the city [without anyone suspecting them of evil intent], and they killed every male. ²⁶ They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house [where she was staying], and left. ²⁷ Then Jacob’s [other] sons came upon those who were killed and looted the town, because their sister had been defiled and disgraced. ²⁸ They took the Canaanites’ flocks and their herds and their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field; ²⁹ they looted all their wealth, and [took captive] all their children and their wives, even everything that was in the houses. ³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me, making me a stench to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites! My men are few in number, and the men of the land will band together against me and attack me; I shall be destroyed, I and my household.” ³¹ But they said, “Should he [be permitted to] treat our sister as a prostitute?”