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Following Jesus · Volume 2
Genesis 34-36
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Genesis 34
1Now Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.
2When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.
3And his soul was drawn to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young girl and spoke to her tenderly.
4So Shechem told his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as a wife.”
5Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent about it until they returned.
6Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob.
7When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they returned from the field. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had committed an outrage in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.
8But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.
9Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.
10You may settle among us, and the land will be open to you. Live here, move about freely, and acquire your own property.”
11Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Grant me this favor, and I will give you whatever you ask.
12Demand a high dowry and an expensive gift, and I will give you whatever you ask. Only give me the girl as my wife!”
13But because Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah, Jacob’s sons answered him and his father Hamor deceitfully.
14“We cannot do such a thing,” they said. “To give our sister to an uncircumcised man would be a disgrace to us.
15We will consent to this on one condition, that you become circumcised like us—every one of your males.
16Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We will dwell among you and become one people.
17But if you will not agree to be circumcised, then we will take our sister and go.”
18Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.
19The young man, who was the most respected of all his father’s household, did not hesitate to fulfill this request, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.
20So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city:
21“These men are at peace with us. Let them live and trade in our land; indeed, it is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage and give our daughters to them.
22But only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us and be one people: if all our men are circumcised as they are.
23Will not their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals become ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell among us.”
24All the men who went out of the city gate listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male of the city was circumcised.
25Three days later, while they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons (Dinah’s brothers Simeon and Levi) took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and slaughtered every male.
26They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.
27Jacob’s other sons came upon the slaughter and looted the city, because their sister had been defiled.
28They took their flocks and herds and donkeys, and everything else in the city or in the field.
29They carried off all their possessions and women and children, and they plundered everything in their houses.
30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble upon me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people of this land. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
31But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”
Genesis 35
1Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”
2So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your garments.
3Then let us arise and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to God, who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
4So they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and all their earrings, and Jacob buried them under the oak near Shechem.
5As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.
6So Jacob and everyone with him arrived in Luz (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.
7There Jacob built an altar, and he called that place El-bethel, because it was there that God had revealed Himself to Jacob as he fled from his brother.
8Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel. So Jacob named it Allon-bacuth.
9After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.
10And God said to him, “Though your name is Jacob, you will no longer be called Jacob. Instead, your name will be Israel.” So God named him Israel.
11And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.
12The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.”
13Then God went up from the place where He had spoken with him.
14So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where God had spoken with him—a stone marker—and he poured out a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil.
15Jacob called the place where God had spoken with him Bethel.
16Later, they set out from Bethel, and while they were still some distance from Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth, and her labor was difficult.
17During her severe labor, the midwife said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you are having another son.”
18And with her last breath—for she was dying—she named him Ben-oni. But his father called him Benjamin.
19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
20Jacob set up a pillar on her grave; it marks Rachel’s tomb to this day.
21Israel again set out and pitched his tent beyond the Tower of Eder.
22While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:
23The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
25The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.
26And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.
27Jacob returned to his father Isaac at Mamre, near Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.
28And Isaac lived 180 years.
29Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Genesis 36
1This is the account of Esau (that is, Edom).
2Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite,
3and Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
4And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath gave birth to Reuel,
5and Oholibamah gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
6Later, Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the people of his household, along with his livestock, all his other animals, and all the property he had acquired in Canaan, and he moved to a land far away from his brother Jacob.
7For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together; the land where they stayed could not support them because of their livestock.
8So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir.
9This is the account of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the area of Mount Seir.
10These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
11The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
12Additionally, Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, gave birth to Amalek. These are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.
13These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
14These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah (daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon) whom she bore to Esau: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
15These are the chiefs among the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau: Chiefs Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,
16Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. They are the chiefs of Eliphaz in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Adah.
17These are the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
18These are the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: Chiefs Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. They are the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
19All these are the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and they were their chiefs.
20These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
21Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants of Seir in the land of Edom.
22The sons of Lotan were Hori and Hemam. Timna was Lotan’s sister.
23These are the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
24These are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah. (This is the Anah who found the hot springs in the wilderness as he was pasturing the donkeys of his father Zibeon.)
25These are the children of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
26These are the sons of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
27These are the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
28These are the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
29These are the chiefs of the Horites: Chiefs Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,
30Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. They are the chiefs of the Horites, according to their divisions in the land of Seir.
31These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites:
32Bela son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.
33When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
34When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
35When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the country of Moab, reigned in his place. And the name of his city was Avith.
36When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.
37When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the Euphrates reigned in his place.
38When Shaul died, Baal-hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place.
39When Baal-hanan son of Achbor died, Hadad reigned in his place. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-zahab.
40These are the names of Esau’s chiefs, according to their families and regions, by their names: Chiefs Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,
41Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
42Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar,
43Magdiel, and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they possessed. Esau was the father of the Edomites.
Translation: BSB