Genesis 34 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
the daughter Leah had given Jacob, out to spend time with the local women.
the son of Hamor the who ruled that area, saw her, grabbed her, and her.
But then he became to Dinah, Jacob's daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and tried to
Shechem told his father Hamor, "Get me this as my wife."
Jacob heard that Shechem had his daughter Dinah. But his sons were out in the fields with the livestock, so Jacob kept quiet until they came back.
Hamor, Shechem's father, went out to Jacob to talk things over.
When Jacob's sons came in from the fields and heard what happened, they were outraged and furious — because Shechem had committed a against by sleeping with Jacob's daughter. That kind of thing should never happen.
Hamor made pitch to them: "My son Shechem has on your daughter. Please give her to him as wife."
with us — give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves."
"You can settle among us. The whole land is open to you — live here, do business, and acquire property."
Then Shechem himself spoke to Dinah's father and brothers: "Let me with you, and I'll pay whatever you ask."
"Name your price — as high as you want for the and gifts. I'll pay whatever you tell me. Just give me the girl as my wife."
Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with — because Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah.
They told them, "We can't do this — we can't give our sister to a man who isn't That would be a disgrace to us."
"We'll agree to your terms on one condition: every male among you must be circumcised, just like us."
"Then we'll give our daughters to you, take your daughters for ourselves, settle among you, and become
"But if you refuse to be circumcised, we'll take our daughter and leave."
Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.
The young man didn't hesitate to do it, because he was with for Jacob's daughter. And he was the most man in his father's entire household.
So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the and addressed the men of their town:
"These people are toward us. Let them settle in the land and move around freely — there's plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters, and they can marry ours."
"But they'll only agree to live among us and become one people on this condition: every male among us must be circumcised, just as they are."
"Won't all their their property, and all their animals end up being ours? Let's just agree to their terms, and they'll settle here with us."
Everyone who gathered at the city gate agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the town was circumcised.
Three days later, while the men were still in two of Jacob's sons — Simeon and Dinah's full brothers — grabbed their swords, walked right into the city, and killed every male.
They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem's house, and left.
Jacob's other sons came upon the dead and the city — because the people of Shechem had defiled their sister.
They seized their flocks, herds, and donkeys — everything in the city and everything in the fields.
They all their wealth, all their children and women, and plundered everything inside the houses.
Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You've brought disaster on me. You've me to everyone who lives in this land — the and the Perizzites. I don't have many men. If they band together against me and attack, my whole family will be wiped out."
But they answered, "Should he treat our sister like a