Genesis 34 · Parashat Vayishlach

And Dina the daughter of Le᾽a, whom she bore to Ya῾aqov, went out to see the daughters of the land.

And when Shekhem the son of Ḥamor the Ḥivvite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

And his soul was drawn to Dina the daughter of Ya῾aqov, and he loved the girl, and spoke kindly to the girl.

And Shekhem spoke to his father Ḥamor, saying, Get me this child for a wife.

And Ya῾aqov heard that he had defiled Dina his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Ya῾aqov held his peace until they were come.

And Ḥamor the father of Shekhem went out to Ya῾aqov to speak with him.

And the sons of Ya῾aqov came from the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Yisra᾽el in lying with Ya῾aqov’s daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

And Ḥamor spoke with them, saying, The soul of my son Shekhem longs for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.

And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to you.

And you shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.

And Shekhem said to her father and to her brethren, Let me find favour in your eyes, and what you shall say to me I will give.

Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as you shall say to me: but give me the girl for a wife.

And the sons of Ya῾aqov answered Shekhem and Ḥamor his father with cunning, because he had defiled Dina their sister, and they spoke:

and they said to them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that would be a reproach to us:

but in this will we consent to you: If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised;

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

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

And their words pleased Ḥamor, and Shekhem, Ḥamor’s son.

And the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he had delight in Ya῾aqov’s daughter: and he was the most honoured of all the house of his father.

And Ḥamor and Shekhem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying,

These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade in it; 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.

Only on this condition will the men consent to us to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.

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

And to Ḥamor and to Shekhem his son all that went out of the gate of his city hearkened; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.

And it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Ya῾aqov, Shim῾on and Levi, Dina’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city unresisted, and slew all the males.

And they slew Ḥamor and Shekhem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dina out of Shekhem’s house, and went out.

The sons of Ya῾aqov came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.

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

and all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives they took captive, and plundered all that was in the house.

And Ya῾aqov said to Shim῾on and Levi, You have brought trouble on me to make me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Kena῾ani and the Perizzi; 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.

But they said, Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?