Genesis 34 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

The Defiling of Dinah

Gen 34:1Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land.

Gen 34:2And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her.

Gen 34:3

Gen 34:3And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her.

Gen 34:4

Gen 34:4So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”

Gen 34:5

Gen 34:5Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came.

Gen 34:6

Gen 34:6And Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him.

Gen 34:7

Gen 34:7The sons of Jacob had come in from the field as soon as they heard of it, and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had done an outrageous thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing must not be done.

Gen 34:8

Gen 34:8But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your[fn] daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife.

Gen 34:9

Gen 34:9Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.

Gen 34:10

Gen 34:10You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.”

Gen 34:11

Gen 34:11Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give.

Gen 34:12

Gen 34:12Ask me for as great a bride-price[fn] and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife.”

Gen 34:13

Gen 34:13The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah.

Gen 34:14

Gen 34:14They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us.

Gen 34:15

Gen 34:15Only on this condition will we agree with you—that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised.

Gen 34:16

Gen 34:16Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people.

Gen 34:17

Gen 34:17But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone.”

Gen 34:18

Gen 34:18Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor’s son Shechem.

Gen 34:19

Gen 34:19And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. Now he was the most honored of all his father’s house.

Gen 34:20

Gen 34:20So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying,

Gen 34:21

Gen 34:21“These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters.

Gen 34:22

Gen 34:22Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.

Gen 34:23

Gen 34:23Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.”

Gen 34:24

Gen 34:24And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

Gen 34:25

Gen 34:25On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males.

Gen 34:26

Gen 34:26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and went away.

Gen 34:27

Gen 34:27The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.

Gen 34:28

Gen 34:28They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field.

Gen 34:29

Gen 34:29All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and plundered.

Gen 34:30

Gen 34:30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.”

Gen 34:31

Gen 34:31But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?”

See the ESV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

ESV Footnotes

(34:8)

The Hebrew for your is plural here

(34:12)

Or engagement present

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For more information on this translation, see the ESV Preface.

Genesis Chapter 34 — Additional Translations:

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Genesis 34 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

The Defiling of Dinah

ESV Footnotes

Genesis Chapter 34 — Additional Translations:

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