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Dinah Is Attacked

34 At this time Dinah, the daughter of Leah ·and [L whom she bore to] Jacob [30:21], went out to ·visit [see; or be seen with] the ·women [L daughters] of the land. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite [C one of the tribes that inhabited Canaan], the ·ruler [prince] of the land, saw her, he took her and ·forced her to have sexual relations with him [lay with her and humiliated/violated her]. ·Shechem fell in love with Dinah [L His soul was bound to Dinah daugher of Jacob and he loved her], and he spoke kindly to her. He told his father, Hamor, “Please get this girl for me ·so I can marry her [L as a wife].”

Jacob ·learned how [L heard that] ·Shechem [L he] had ·disgraced [defiled; made unclean] his daughter, but since his sons were out in the field with the cattle, Jacob ·said nothing [was silent] until they came home. While he waited, Hamor father of Shechem went to talk with Jacob.

When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they came in from the field. They were [L upset/shocked/pained and] very angry that Shechem had done ·such a wicked thing [sacrilege; L folly] to Israel. It was wrong for him to ·have sexual relations [L lie] with Jacob’s daughter; a thing like this should not be done.

But Hamor talked to Dinah’s brothers and said, “My son Shechem is deeply ·in love with [attached/bound to] Dinah. Please ·let him marry her [L give her to him as a wife]. ·Marry [Make marriages/Intermarry with] our people. Give your women [L daughters] to ·our men as wives [L us] and take our ·women [L daughters] for ·your men as wives [L yourselves]. 10 You can live in the same land with us. You will be free to own land and to trade here.”

11 Shechem also talked to ·Jacob [L her father] and to Dinah’s brothers and said, “·Please accept my offer [L Let me find grace/favor in your eyes]. I will give anything you ask. 12 Ask as much as you want for the ·payment for the bride [bridal payment and gift; C traditional payments to the family], and I will give it to you. Just ·let me marry Dinah [L give me the girl as a wife].”

13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father ·with lies [deceitfully; with duplicity], because Shechem had ·disgraced [defiled; made unclean] their sister Dinah. 14 The brothers said to them, “We cannot allow you [L to do this thing] to ·marry our sister [L give our sister as a wife], because you are not circumcised. That would be a ·disgrace [reproach; shame] to us. 15 But we will ·allow you to marry her [L consent] if you do this one thing: Every man in your town must be circumcised like us [17:10]. 16 Then ·your men can marry our women [L we will give our daughers to you], and ·our men can marry your women [L we will take your daughters for ourselves], and we will live in your land and become one people. 17 If you ·refuse [L do not listen/obey us] to be circumcised, we will take ·Dinah [L our daughter] and ·leave [go].”

18 What they asked seemed fair to Hamor and Shechem [L the son of Hamor]. 19 So ·Shechem quickly went to be circumcised [L the man did not delay to do this thing] because he ·loved [delighted in] Jacob’s daughter.

Now Shechem was the most ·respected [honored] man in ·his family [L his father’s house]. 20 So Hamor and Shechem [L his son] went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21 “These people want to be friends with us. So let them live in our land and trade here. ·There is enough land [L The land is broad on both sides] for all of us. Let us ·marry their women [L take their daughters as wives for ourselves], and ·we can let them marry our women [L give them our daughters]. 22 But we must agree to one thing: All our men must be circumcised as they are. Then they will agree to live in our land, and we will be one people. 23 If we do this, their cattle and their animals will belong to us. Let us do what they say, and they will stay in our land.” 24 All the people who had come to the city gate heard this. They agreed with Hamor and Shechem [L his son], and every man was circumcised.

25 Three days later the men who were circumcised were still in pain. Two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi (Dinah’s brothers), took their swords and made a ·surprise [or bold] attack on the city, killing all the men there. 26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem and then took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and left. 27 Jacob’s sons came upon the dead bodies and ·stole everything that was in [plundered] the city, ·to pay them back for what Shechem had done to [L because they had disgraced/defiled/made unclean] their sister. 28 So the brothers took the flocks, herds, and donkeys, and everything in the city and in the fields. 29 They ·took [L captured and plundered] every valuable thing the people owned, even their wives and children and everything in the houses.

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have caused me a lot of trouble. ·Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites who live in the land will hate me [L I will be a stench among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites]. Since there are only a few of us, if they join together to attack us, my people and I will be destroyed.”

31 But the brothers said, “·We will not allow our sister to be treated [Should they treat our sister…?] like a ·prostitute [whore].”

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