1. Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land.
2. When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her.
3. His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.
4. And Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me this girl as my wife."
5. When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he kept quiet about it until they came home.
6. Then Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.
7. Now Jacob's sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter--a thing that should not be done.
8. But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.
9. Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.
10. You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it."
11. Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask.
12. Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I'll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife."
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1 comment:
I don't know how this story will end. But I thought Jacob's calm reaction (verse 5) was a testament to the stability you can have in a roller-coaster world when God is your rock.
I also find it interesting how Shechem's reaction to first meeting and then pursuing Dinah is presented in stark contrast to how Jacob acted when he met and pursued Rachel. Maybe in some sense this illustrates for us the different paths taken by those who follow God and those who don't. In any case, we are definitely reminded that marriage was a contractually-driven arrangement at that time. This is a little uncomfortable for me to understand -- not just because love and money don't mix well in my eyes, but also because the NT teaches us that marriage is a God-centered gift (vs. just a contractual arrangement).
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