"What did you do?" I asked Shem, "I am ruined now..."  

"It will be ok, Dinah," Shechem said to me, "I will take responsibility for you. I think you are an amazing woman and I love you."  

"If you love me as you say, why would you do this?" I ask tears forming as sobs fill my body. I must have flustered him as he placed his arms around me to comfort me.  

My first thought was to pull away, but I thought that if I did that, he might not keep his word so instead I sniffled, "Please take responsibility for me then."  

"Look, I will walk you home now, and talk with your father about your bride price," he comforted me, "I am sorry for forcing you when you said to stop."  

I thought of my father and how he was not really functioning after the disappearance of Joseph, "I don't like your chances Shem of seeing him, and it is not likely my people will accept you because of our faith."  

"I will do whatever it takes to have you... if that means following your god and ways, I will do it!" he promised me, looking at me sincerely he squeezed my hand, "I don't think you realise just how much I love you, Dinah."  

We arrived back at the house and Shem's entry was barred by my brothers, who seemed to know something was not right.  

"You are not welcome here, Shechem," Judah said, "Our family is grieving, come back another time."  

"Ok," Shem agreed bowing his head, "Dinah, I will ask my father to arrange it."  

I nodded.  

"Arrange what?" Judah asked as Shem left quickly. Shem did not answer, "Wait!" he called out after Shem, "Arrange what?"  

"You will see," he called out to Judah, and I ran to my room and shut the door. I was a mixture of emotions, afraid, hopeful, sad, happy. In that moment probably more afraid than anything. Afraid he would not keep his word and afraid that my family would not let me marry him.  

Judah came up to see me. "Dinah" he called through the door, "Can I come in?"  

"Yes," I said after some time. I had not seen Judah for a while as he had moved away with his wife. He had returned when Joseph had gone missing and after his wife died along with 2 of his sons. The sons had been killed by God for their depravity, leaving Tamar, his daughter-in-law childless. Judah should have married Tamar to his last child by now, but he had not. I guess he was afraid to lose him too.  

"Dinah, Sunny," Judah said using my childhood name of endearment, as he sat on my bed next to me, I was curled up holding one of the cushions I had made with Shechem's sisters, "Are you alright?" he asked sounding worried.  

"Not really, but I should be alright if Shem keeps his word."  

"What happened Sunny?" Judah asked me, "I can see you are upset about something."  

"I am ashamed Judah," I said bursting into tears, "I am shamed."  

"Did something happen to you? Did Shechem do something to you?"  

I nodded and turned my tear-streaked face away from him, burying my head into the pillow sobbing. It was then Hamor and Shechem arrived, and all my other brothers with him. I guess they were curious to know why Hamor arrived in such splendor, bringing with him a multitude of fine gifts.  

Hamor and Shechem bowed and requested an audience with father, and it was granted as it was not often that a King would even step out of his palace, it was then that the extent of my shame was known to all.  

"Thank you, Jacob, for seeing us," Hamor started, "I would like to firstly apologise to you for the atrocious behaviour of my son to your daughter."  

"Why? What did he do?" my father asked warily.

"My son forced your daughter to lay with him."  

My brothers then were all up in arms with righteous anger, and my father was stunned. Judah's eyes caught mine then, as I had come down to hear what was happening and I was hiding behind the screen listening.  

Judah looked at me with sympathy before his attention was taken by the next words of Hamor, "The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife. Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves. You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it and get property in it."  

Shechem sensing that things were not going particularly well for them spoke up, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask me for as great a bride-price and gift as you will, and I will give whatever you say to me. Only give me the young woman to be my wife."  

The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. They said to them, "We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this condition will we agree with you—that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised. Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people. But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone."  

Their words pleased Hamor and Hamor's son Shechem. And the young man did not delay doing the thing, because he delighted in Jacob's daughter. Now he was the most honoured of all his father's house.  

So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, "These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us to become one people—when every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised. Will not their livestock, their property and all their beasts be ours? Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us."  

And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.  

The bride price that was asked was delivered the same day, and his sisters came and collected me and brought me to their home where I was shown to Shem's room.  

Shem was lying down, but he got up and greeted me, "I am glad you are here Dinah; I have kept my promise to you. Are you happy with this?"  

"So, you will follow our ways?" I asked before I nodded.  

"I will, from this day forth follow your God's ways, our children will follow him," he promised me, "You did not answer me though, are you happy with this?"  

I nodded and hugged him, "Thank you for keeping your word." I wanted to cry again from relief, but Shechem pulled me away from him.  

"Sorry Dinah, I am a bit sore now and I need to rest," and he lay down again.  

"Can I stay with you?"  I ask hesitantly.

He nodded so I stayed on the other side of his bed looking after him as he started to have fevers.  

The next day, his sisters and I prepared food and I fed and bathed Shem. Not that it seemed to help, Shem seemed to be getting weaker not stronger, and his sisters reported the same thing was happening with all the men.  

On the third day, the fever was in full swing and none of the men could move and to my horror Simeon and Levi and my brothers took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took me out of Shechem's house and brought me back to my fathers house.  

 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and plundered.  

Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. My numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household." 

But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?"  

I did not know what to do with myself then, I had been raped, married and had my new husband murdered in front of me all in the space of 3 days. I went to my room and did not come out except perform necessary toiletry procedures.  

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