^34:15We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become³⁴ like us by circumcising³⁵ all your males. ^34:16Then we will give³⁶ you our daughters to marry,³⁷ and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. ^34:17But if you do not agree to our terms³⁸ by being circumcised, then we will take³⁹ our sister⁴⁰ and depart.”

^34:18Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem.⁴¹^34:19The young man did not delay in doing what they asked⁴² because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah⁴³ badly. (Now he was more important⁴⁴ than anyone in his father’s household.)⁴⁵^34:20So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate⁴⁶ of their city and spoke to the men of their city, ^34:21“These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough⁴⁷ for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry.⁴⁸^34:22Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand⁴⁹ that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised.

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Footnotes

34 Heb “if you are like us.”
35 The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.
36 The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
37 The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
38 Heb “listen to us.”
39 The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
40 Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.
41 Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”
42 Heb “doing the thing.”
43 Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
44 The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was … important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).
45 The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20–24).
46 The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.
47 Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.
48 The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
49 Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”