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Genesis 34

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1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.

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

3 And his soul fastened on Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the maiden, and spoke consolingly to the maiden.

4 And Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, Take me this girl as wife.

5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his cattle in the fields, and Jacob said nothing until they came.

6 And Hamor the father of Shechem came out to Jacob, to speak to him.

7 And the sons of Jacob came from the fields when they heard [it]; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had wrought what was disgraceful in Israel, in lying with Jacob's daughter, which thing ought not to be done.

8 And Hamor spoke to them, saying, My son Shechem's soul cleaves to your daughter: I pray you, give her to him as wife.

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

10 And dwell with us, and the land shall be before you: dwell and trade in it, and get yourselves possessions in it.

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

12 Impose on me very much as dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say to me; but give me the maiden as wife.

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

14 and said to them, We cannot do this, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that [were] a reproach to us.

15 But only in this will we consent to you, if ye will be as we, that every male of you be circumcised;

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

17 But if ye do not hearken to us, to be circumcised, then will we take our daughter and go away.

18 And their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son.

19 And the youth did not delay to do this, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter. And he was honourable above all in the house of his father.

20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city, and spoke to the men of their city, saying,

21 These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade in it. And the land -- behold, it is of wide extent before them. We will take their daughters as wives, and give them our daughters.

22 But only in this will the men consent to us to dwell with us, to be one people -- if every male among us be circumcised, just as they are circumcised.

23 Their cattle, and their possessions, and every beast of theirs, shall they not be ours? only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.

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

25 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 his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.

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

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

28 Their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and what [was] in the city, and what [was] in the field they took;

29 and all their goods, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and plundered them, and all that was in the houses.

30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me, in that ye make me odious among the inhabitants of the land -- among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and I am few men in number, and they will gather themselves against me and smite me, and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.

31 And they said, Should people deal with our sister as with a harlot?

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4494

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4494. Verses 25-29. And it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that the two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dinah, took each his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew every male. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son at the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went forth. The sons of Jacob came upon those who were pierced, and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. Their flocks, and their herds, and their asses, and whatever was in the city, and whatever was in the field, they took; and all their wealth, and all their babe, and their women, they took captive and made a prey of, and all that was in the house. “And it came to pass on the third day,” signifies what is continuous even to the end; “when they were in pain,” signifies cupidities; “that the two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi,” signifies faith and love; “brothers of Dinah,” signifies the truths and goods of that church; “took each his sword,” signifies falsity and evil; “and came upon the city boldly, and slew every male,” signifies that they extirpated the truths of doctrine of the Church among the Ancients; “and they slew Hamor and Shechem his son at the edge of the sword,” signifies the church itself; “and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went forth,” signifies that they took away the affection of truth; “the sons of Jacob came upon those who were pierced, and plundered the city,” signifies that all that posterity destroyed the doctrine; “because they had defiled their sister,” signifies that they had befouled the truth of faith; “their flocks and their herds,” signifies that they destroyed rational and natural good; “and their asses,” signifies the truths thence derived; “and whatever was in the city, and whatever was in the field, they took,” signifies all the truth and good of the church; “and all their wealth,” signifies all the matters of knowledge they had acquired; “and all their babe,” signifies all the innocence; “and their women,” signifies the charity; “they took captive and made a prey of,” signifies that they stripped them and perverted them; “and all that was in the house,” signifies everything of the church.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.