Daily Bread

¹⁸ After Jacob came from Paddan Aram,^[a](A) he arrived safely at the city of Shechem^(B) in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. ¹⁹ For a hundred pieces of silver,^[b] he bought from the sons of Hamor,^(C) the father of Shechem,^(D) the plot of ground^(E) where he pitched his tent.^{(F) 20} There he set up an altar^(G) and called it El Elohe Israel.^[c]

Dinah and the Shechemites

34 Now Dinah,^(H) the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. ² When Shechem^(I) son of Hamor^(J) the Hivite,^(K) the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.^{(L) 3} His heart was drawn to Dinah^(M) daughter of Jacob;^(N) he loved^(O) the young woman and spoke tenderly^(P) to her. ⁴ And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”^(Q)

⁵ When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled,^(R) 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.^{(S) 7} Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked^(T) and furious,^(U) because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in^[d] Israel^(V) by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.^(W)

⁸ But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.^{(X) 9} Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.^{(Y) 10} You can settle among us;^(Z) the land is open to you.^(AA) Live in it, trade^[e] in it,^(AB) and acquire property in it.^(AC)”

¹¹ Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes,^(AD) and I will give you whatever you ask. ¹² Make the price for the bride^(AE) 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,^(AF) Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully^(AG) 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.^(AH) That would be a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition^(AI) only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.^{(AJ) 16} Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.^(AK) We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.^{(AL) 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^(AM) of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.^{(AN) 20} So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city^(AO) 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;^(AP) the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.^{(AQ) 22} But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,^(AR) as they themselves are. ²³ Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?^(AS) So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.^(AT)”

²⁴ All the men who went out of the city gate^(AU) 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,^(AV) two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon^(AW) and Levi,^(AX) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords^(AY) and attacked the unsuspecting city,^(AZ) killing every male.^{(BA) 26} They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword^(BB) and took Dinah^(BC) from Shechem’s house and left. ²⁷ The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city^(BD) where^[f] their sister had been defiled.^{(BE) 28} They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys^(BF) and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.^{(BG) 29} They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children,^(BH) taking as plunder^(BI) everything in the houses.^(BJ)

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble^(BK) on me by making me obnoxious^(BL) to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.^(BM) We are few in number,^(BN) 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?^(BO)”