New Living Translation

King James Bible

1One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area.

1And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

2But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her.

2And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

3But then he fell in love with her, and he tried to win her affection with tender words.

3And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.

4He said to his father, Hamor, “Get me this young girl. I want to marry her.”

4And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.

5Soon Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter, Dinah. But since his sons were out in the fields herding his livestock, he said nothing until they returned.

5And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.

6Hamor, Shechem’s father, came to discuss the matter with Jacob.

6And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.

7Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the field as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob’s family, something that should never be done.

7And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

8Hamor tried to speak with Jacob and his sons. “My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter,” he said. “Please let him marry her.

8And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.

9In fact, let’s arrange other marriages, too. You give us your daughters for our sons, and we will give you our daughters for your sons.

9And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.

10And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. And feel free to buy property in the area.”

10And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.

11Then Shechem himself spoke to Dinah’s father and brothers. “Please be kind to me, and let me marry her,” he begged. “I will give you whatever you ask.

11And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.

12No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will gladly pay it—just give me the girl as my wife.”

12Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.

13But since Shechem had defiled their sister, Dinah, Jacob’s sons responded deceitfully to Shechem and his father, Hamor.

13And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:

14They said to them, “We couldn’t possibly allow this, because you’re not circumcised. It would be a disgrace for our sister to marry a man like you!

14And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:

15But here is a solution. If every man among you will be circumcised like we are,

15But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;

16then we will give you our daughters, and we’ll take your daughters for ourselves. We will live among you and become one people.

16Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

17But if you don’t agree to be circumcised, we will take her and be on our way.”

17But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.

18Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal.

18And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son.

19Shechem wasted no time in acting on this request, for he wanted Jacob’s daughter desperately. Shechem was a highly respected member of his family,

19And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.

20and he went with his father, Hamor, to present this proposal to the leaders at the town gate.

20And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,

21“These men are our friends,” they said. “Let’s invite them to live here among us and trade freely. Look, the land is large enough to hold them. We can take their daughters as wives and let them marry ours.

21These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.

22But they will consider staying here and becoming one people with us only if all of our men are circumcised, just as they are.

22Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.

23But if we do this, all their livestock and possessions will eventually be ours. Come, let’s agree to their terms and let them settle here among us.”

23Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.

24So all the men in the town council agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the town was circumcised.

24And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

25But three days later, when their wounds were still sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah’s full brothers, took their swords and entered the town without opposition. Then they slaughtered every male there,

25And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.

26including Hamor and his son Shechem. They killed them with their swords, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and returned to their camp.

26And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out.

27Meanwhile, the rest of Jacob’s sons arrived. Finding the men slaughtered, they plundered the town because their sister had been defiled there.

27The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.

28They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys—everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields.

28They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,

29They looted all their wealth and plundered their houses. They also took all their little children and wives and led them away as captives.

29And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.

30Afterward Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me! You’ve made me stink among all the people of this land—among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will join forces and crush us. I will be ruined, and my entire household will be wiped out!”

30And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

31“But why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute?” they retorted angrily.

31And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.