The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 22

33:12. And said: Let us go on together, and I will accompany thee in thy journey.

33:13. And Jacob said: My lord, thou knowest that I have with me tender children, and sheep, and kine with young: which if I should cause to be overdriven, in one day all the flocks will die.

33:14. May it please my lord to go before his servant: and I will follow softly after him, as I shall see my children to be able, until I come to my lord in Seir.

33:15. Esau answered: I beseech thee, that some of the people, at least, who are with me, may stay to accompany thee in the way. And he said: There is no necessity: I want nothing else but only to find favour, my lord, in thy sight.

33:16. So Esau returned that day, the way that he came, to Seir.

33:17. And Jacob came to Socoth: where having built a house, and pitched tents, he called the name of the place Socoth, that is, Tents.

33:18. And he pa.s.sed over to Salem, a city of the Sichemites, which is in the land of Chanaan, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria: and he dwelt by the town.

33:19. And he bought that part of the field, in which he pitched his tents, of the children of Hemor, the father of Sichem, for a hundred lambs.

33:20. And raising an altar there, he invoked upon it the most mighty G.o.d of Israel.

Genesis Chapter 34

Dina is ravished, for which the Sichemites are destroyed.

34:1. And Dina the daughter of Lia went out to see the women of that country.

34:2. And when Sichem the son of Hemor the Hevite, the prince of that land, saw her, he was in love with her: and took her away, and lay with her, ravishing the virgin.

34:3. And his soul was fast knit unto her; and whereas she was sad, he comforted her with sweet words.

34:4. And going to Hemor his father, he said: Get me this damsel to wife.

34:5. But when Jacob had heard this, his sons being absent, and employed in feeding the cattle, he held his peace till they came back.

34:6. And when Hemor the father of Sichem was come out to speak to Jacob,

34:7. Behold his sons came from the field: and hearing what had pa.s.sed, they were exceeding angry, because he had done a foul thing in Israel, and committed an unlawful act, in ravishing Jacob's daughter.

34:8. And Hemor spoke to them: The soul of my son Sichem has a longing for your daughter: give her him to wife:

34:9. And let us contract marriages one with another: give us your daughters, and take you our daughters.

34:10. And dwell with us: the land is at your command, till, trade, and possess it.

34:11. Sichem also said to her father and to her brethren: Let me find favour in your sight, and whatsoever you shall appoint I will give:

34:12. Raise the dowry, and ask gifts, and I will gladly give what you shall demand: only give me this damsel to wife.

34:13. The sons of Jacob answered Sichem and his father deceitfully, being enraged at the deflowering of their sister:

Deceitfully... The sons of Jacob, on this occasion, were guilty of a grievous sin, as well by falsely pretending religion, as by excess of revenge: though otherwise their zeal against so foul a crime was commendable.

34:14. We cannot do what you demand, nor give our sister to one that is uncirc.u.mcised; which with us is unlawful and abominable.

34:15. But in this we may be allied with you, if you will be like us, and all the male s.e.x among you be circ.u.mcised:

34:16. Then will we mutually give and take your daughters, and ours; and we will dwell with you, and will be one people:

34:17. But if you will not be circ.u.mcised, we will take our daughter and depart.

34:18. Their offer pleased Hemor, and Sichem, his son:

34:19. And the young man made no delay, but forthwith fulfilled what was required: for he loved the damsel exceedingly, and he was the greatest man in all his father's house.

34:20. And going into the gate of the city, they spoke to the people:

34:21. These men are peaceable, and are willing to dwell with us: let them trade in the land, and till it, which being large and wide wanteth men to till it: we shall take their daughters for wives, and we will give them ours.

34:22. One thing there is for which so great a good is deferred: We must circ.u.mcise every male among us, following the manner of the nation.

34:23. And their substance, and cattle, and all that they possess, shall be ours; only in this let us condescend, and by dwelling together, we shall make one people.

34:24. And they all agreed, and circ.u.mcised all the males.

34:25. And behold the third day, when the pain of the wound was greatest: two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, the brothers of Dina, taking their swords, entered boldly into the city and slew all the men.

34:26. And they killed also Hemor and Sichem, and took away their sister Dina out of Sichem's house.

34:27. And when they were gone out, the other sons of Jacob came upon the slain; and plundered the city in revenge of the rape.

34:28. And they took their sheep, and their herds, and their a.s.ses, wasting all they had in their houses and in their fields.

34:29. And their children and wives they took captive.

34:30. And when they had boldly perpetrated these things, Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: You have troubled me, and made me hateful to the Chanaanites and Pherezites, the inhabitants of this land. We are few: they will gather themselves together and kill me; and both I, and my house shall be destroyed.

34:31. They answered: Should they abuse our sister as a strumpet?

Genesis Chapter 35

Jacob purgeth his family from idols: goeth by G.o.d's commandment to Bethel, and there buildeth an altar. G.o.d appearing again to Jacob blesseth him, and changeth his name into Israel. Rachel dieth in childbirth. Isaac also dieth.

35:1. In the mean time G.o.d said to Jacob: Arise and go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar to G.o.d, who appeared to thee when thou didst flee from Esau, thy brother.

35:2. And Jacob having called together all his household, said: Cast away the strange G.o.ds that are among you, and be cleansed, and change your garments.

35:3. Arise, and let us go up to Bethel, that we may make there an altar to G.o.d; who heard me in the day of my affliction, and accompained me in my journey.

35:4. So they gave him all the strange G.o.ds they had, and the earrings which were in their ears: and he buried them under the turpentine tree, that is behind the city of Sichem.

35:5. And when they were departed, the terror of G.o.d fell upon all the cities round about, and they durst not pursue after them as they went away.