Retaliation

Shechem notices Dinah
Jasher 33:7-10
Shechem, the son of Hamor and prince of the land, was also there watching. He noticed Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, sitting with her mother among the daughters of the city, and he was very pleased by her. He asked his friends and the people around him, “Whose daughter is that sitting among the women? I don’t recognize her from this city.”

They replied, “Surely this is the daughter of Jacob, the son of Isaac the Hebrew, who has lived in this city for a while. When it was announced that the daughters of the land were going out to celebrate, she went with her mother and her maidservants to sit among them, just as you see.”

Shechem continued to watch Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and the more he looked at her, the more his soul became attached to her.

Shechem defiles Dinah and wants to marry her
Genesis 34:2-4, Jasher 33:11, Jubilees 30:2
And there they took Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, by force into the house of Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land. He slept with her and defiled her. She was a little girl of 12 years old. His soul became attached to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to her. Then Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl to be my wife.”

Jacob learns about what happened and tries to retrieve her
Genesis 34:5, Jasher 33:12-15
They came and told Jacob what had happened, and when he heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, he sent 12 of his servants to bring her back from Shechem’s house. The servants went and arrived at Shechem’s house to take Dinah away. But when they got there, Shechem came out with his men and drove them away from the house. He refused to let them see Dinah. Instead, Shechem was sitting with Dinah, kissing and embracing her right in front of them. Jacob’s servants returned and told him, “When we came, he and his men drove us away, and this is what Shechem did to Dinah in our sight.”

Jacob now knew that Shechem had defiled his daughter, but he didn’t say anything. His sons were out in the field tending the livestock, and Jacob stayed silent until they returned.

Jacob sends maidens to tend to Dinah
Jasher 33:16a
Before his sons came back, Jacob sent 2 maidens, daughters of his servants, to care for Dinah in Shechem’s house and to stay with her there.

Shechem and his father discuss Dinah becoming his wife
Jasher 33:16b-18
Shechem sent 3 of his friends to his father Hamor, the son of Chiddekem, son of Pered, with a message: “Get me this girl as a wife.”

Hamor, the son of Chiddekem the Hivite, came to Shechem’s house and sat down with him. He said, “Isn’t there a woman among your own people you could marry, that you would take a Hebrew woman who doesn’t belong to us?”

But Shechem said, “You must get her for me—she’s the only one I want, she pleases me.” Hamor did as his son asked, because he loved him deeply.

Jacob’s sons learn what happened and Hamor visits Jacob
Genesis 34:6-7, Jasher 33:19-23, Jubilees 30:3
Hamor went to speak with Jacob about the matter. But before he reached Jacob, Jacob’s sons came in from the field, having heard what Shechem, son of Hamor, had done. They were deeply grieved about their sister and came home burning with anger because Shechem had committed such a disgrace in Israel by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should never have been done—before they even had a chance to gather the cattle.

They sat down before their father and, full of fury, said, “This man and his household deserve to die! The Lord God of the whole earth commanded Noah and his children that no one should steal or commit adultery, and now look—Shechem has both violated and defiled our sister! Not one person in that whole city said a word to stop him. You know this as well as we do—Shechem, his father, and the whole city are under judgment for what he’s done.”

While they were still speaking to their father, Hamor, Shechem’s father, arrived to talk to Jacob about his son’s request for Dinah. He sat down in front of Jacob and his sons.

Hamor tries to reason with Jacob
Genesis 34:8-10, Jasher 33:24-25
Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem’s heart longs for your daughter. Please, give her to him as a wife. Let’s intermarry—give us your daughters and take ours in return. You can live with us in our land; we’ll be one people. The land is large and open to you—live in it, trade, acquire property, and do whatever you wish. No one will stop you or say a word against you.”

Shechem joins his father and speaks with Jacob
Genesis 34:11-12, Jasher 33:26-28
After Hamor finished speaking, Shechem arrived and sat down with them. He said to Jacob and his sons, “Let me find favor in your eyes. Give me your daughter. Whatever you ask for as a dowry or gift, I’ll pay it. I’ll do whatever you say. If anyone refuses to obey your command, he’ll die. Just give me the girl as a wife.”

Simeon and Levi respond to Hamor and Shechem
Jasher 33:29-32
Simeon and Levi answered Shechem and his father deceitfully, saying, “Everything you’ve said—we’ll do it. Our sister is in your house, but don’t go near her until we’ve sent word to our father Isaac about this. We can’t make a decision without his approval. He knows the ways of our forefather Abraham. Whatever he tells us, we’ll let you know. We won’t hide anything from you.”

Simeon and Levi said this just to stall for time and figure out what to do to Shechem and his city.

Hamor and Shechem leave and the sons of Jacob scheme on what to do
Jasher 33:33-40
Shechem and his father liked what Simeon and Levi said, and they left to go back home. After they were gone, the sons of Jacob spoke to their father, saying, “We know these wicked men and their city deserve death. They broke the command God gave to Noah, his children, and all their descendants. And Shechem defiled our sister Dinah—this kind of depravity must never be allowed among us. So now, think carefully about what you will do. Look for a plan and a reason that will allow us to destroy every man in that city.”

Then Simeon said, “Here’s an idea: Tell them that every male must be circumcised like we are. If they refuse, we’ll take our daughter and leave. But if they agree and go through with it, then while they’re in pain and recovering, we’ll surprise them with our swords while they’re defenseless and kill every man.”

The brothers agreed this was a good plan, and Simeon and Levi decided to carry it out.

The next morning, Shechem and his father Hamor returned to Jacob and his sons to continue discussing Dinah and hear their response.

Hamor and Shechem return the next day and the sons of Jacob request that they be circumcised
Genesis 34:13-17, Jasher 33:41-45
The sons of Jacob spoke deceitfully to them and said, “We told our father Isaac everything you said, and he approved. But we can’t give our sister to an uncircumcised man—that’s a disgrace to us. Isaac told us, ‘This is what Abraham was commanded by God, Lord of the whole earth: any man who isn’t from his descendants but wants to marry one of his daughters must have all the males in his house circumcised.’ Only then can we give our daughter to you.

If you do this, we’ll exchange daughters, live among you, and become one people. We’re being honest—we’re telling you exactly what our father told us. We can’t give our daughter to an uncircumcised man; that would shame us. But if you agree to be like us and circumcise every male, we’ll live together as one people. If not, we’ll come, take our daughter, and leave.”

Hamor and Shechem agree that all the males will be circumcised
Genesis 34:18-19, Jasher 33:46
Shechem and his father Hamor listened to the sons of Jacob and were very pleased. They hurried to fulfill their wishes because Shechem was deeply attached to Dinah. He was the most respected of his father’s household.

Hamor and Shechem tell the men of the city about their agreement
Genesis 34:20-24, Jasher 33:47-51
Shechem and Hamor hurried to the city gate and gathered all the men. They explained what the sons of Jacob had said: “We spoke to them about their daughter, and they agreed to our request. Our land is big enough for them, and they’ll live with us, do business, and become one people with us. We’ll exchange daughters in marriage. But they’ll only agree if every male among us is circumcised like they are, as their God commanded. Once we do this, they’ll live among us, and we’ll be united—they’ll bring their livestock and property, and we’ll be one people.”

When the men of the city heard this, they agreed. Shechem and Hamor were highly respected as the city’s leaders. The next day, early in the morning, Shechem and Hamor gathered all the men in the city center. They called for the sons of Jacob, who then circumcised every male that day and the next.

The men of Shechem are circumcised
Jasher 33:52, 34:1
They circumcised Shechem, Hamor, his 5 brothers, and then all the others. Everyone went home afterward. This was from the Lord—He had determined to bring judgment against Shechem’s city. Simeon’s counsel came from the Lord, so that He might deliver the city into the hands of Jacob’s 2 sons. Altogether, 645 men and 246 children were circumcised.