Shechem

18Jacob came safely to Shechem, a city in the land of Canaan. He had come from Paddan-aram. He set up his tent outside the city.

And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.

NotePaddan-aram was far away, where Jacob's uncle Laban lived. Jacob had worked there for twenty years. Canaan was the land where he grew up.

19He bought the piece of land where he had set up his tent. He bought it from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred kesitah.

And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.

NoteA kesitah was a piece of silver used as money long ago. Nobody today knows exactly how much one was worth.

20There he set up an altar. He called it El-Elohe-Israel.

And he erected there an altar, and called it EleloheIsrael.

NoteAn altar was a pile of stones built for giving gifts to God. El-Elohe-Israel means "God is the God of Israel." Israel was the new name God had given Jacob.

1Dinah was the daughter of Leah and Jacob. She went out to see the young women of that land.

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

NoteJacob's family were shepherds who moved from place to place. They were living near a city that was not their home. The young women there were strangers to Dinah.

2Shechem was the son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that land. Shechem saw Dinah. He took her and forced her to lie with him. He shamed her.

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

NoteA Hivite was one of the groups of people living in that land. Shechem's father was the ruler, so his family was powerful. "He shamed her" means he hurt her and took her against her will.

3His heart was tied to Dinah, Jacob's daughter. He loved the girl, and he spoke kindly to her.

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

Note"His heart was tied to Dinah" means he could not stop thinking about her. The King James says his soul "clave" unto her, which means stuck fast.

4Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me this girl to be my wife."

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

NoteLong ago a father often arranged a marriage for his son. The son would ask, and the father would speak to the girl's family.

5Jacob heard that Shechem had shamed his daughter Dinah. His sons were out in the fields with his animals. Jacob stayed quiet until they came home.

And 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.

NoteJacob's sons were far away caring for the sheep and goats. That work often kept them out in the fields for days.

6Hamor, the father of Shechem, went out to talk with Jacob.

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

7Jacob's sons heard about it and came in from the fields. They were full of sadness, and they were very angry. Shechem had done a shameful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter. Such a thing should not be done.

And 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.

NoteIsrael was another name God gave to Jacob. Here it means Jacob and his whole family.

8Hamor talked with them. He said, "My son Shechem wants your daughter very much. Please give her to him as his wife.

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

9Marry among us. Give us your daughters, and take our daughters for yourselves.

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

NoteMarrying into another group meant joining the two families together. After that, they would live as one people and share everything.

10You may live with us. The land is open to you. Live here, trade here, and get land of your own."

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

NoteTo trade means to buy and sell things with people. Hamor was offering them land and a place in his town.

11Shechem said to Dinah's father and to her brothers, "Please be kind to me. Whatever you ask me for, I will give it.

And 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.

12Ask me for a large bride price and a large gift. I will give what you say. Only give me the girl as my wife."

Ask 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.

NoteA bride price was a gift given to a bride's family. The man gave it before the wedding to show he was serious.

13Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with a trick. They spoke this way because Shechem had shamed their sister Dinah.

And 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 cannot do this. We cannot give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a shame to us.

And 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:

NoteCircumcised means a little bit of skin was cut off a boy. God had told Abraham to do this to every boy in his family. It was a sign that they belonged to God.

15We will agree to you on one thing only. Every man among you must be circumcised, as we are.

But 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 will take your daughters for ourselves. We will live with you and become one people.

Then 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.

Note"Become one people" means the two groups would join into one. They would marry each other and live in the same town.

17But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, we will take our sister and go."

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

18Their words seemed good to Hamor and to Hamor's son Shechem.

And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.

19The young man did not wait to do it. He was delighted with Jacob's daughter. He was the most respected man in all his father's house.

And 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.

Note"Most respected" means people thought well of him and listened to him. He was the important one in his father's house.

20Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city. They talked with the men of their city. They said,

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

NoteThe gate of a city was where the men met to talk. Important choices for the whole town were made there.

21"These men are peaceful with us. Let them live in the land and trade in it. Look, the land is big enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters.

These 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 the men will agree to live with us and be one people on one thing only. Every man among us must be circumcised, as they are.

Only 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.

23Will not their animals and their goods and all their beasts be ours? Let us just agree with them. Then they will live with us."

Shall 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.

NoteThe men of the city were thinking about getting rich. If Jacob's family joined them, their animals would belong to everyone.

24All the men who went out of the city gate listened to Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

And 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.

25On the third day the men were sore. Two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, were Dinah's brothers. Each one took his sword. They walked into the city boldly and killed every male.

And 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.

NoteAfter being circumcised, men were sore and slow for several days. On the third day the hurt was worst, so they could not fight back.

26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword. They took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went out.

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

27Jacob's sons came upon the dead men and took everything from the city. They did this because their sister had been shamed.

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

NoteAfter a fight, winners often took everything the town owned. That was a common thing in those days.

28They took the sheep, the cows, and the donkeys. They took what was in the city and what was in the fields.

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

29They took all the riches. They took all the little children and the wives as captives. They took everything that was in the houses.

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

NoteCaptives are people who are taken away by force. They had to go live and work with the people who took them.

30Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me. Now the people of this land hate me. They are the Canaanites and the Perizzites. We are only a few. They may join together against me and kill me. Then I and my whole family will be destroyed."

And 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.

NoteThe King James says Jacob was made to "stink" among the people. It means everyone around him now hated him. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were other groups living in that land.

31They said, "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?"

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

NoteA prostitute was a woman men paid to use for a night. The brothers meant Shechem had treated their sister as worth nothing.