Genesis Chapters 34, 35:
At this point in biblical history, Jacob has completed his reconciliation with his brother Esau and is living with his large family on the edge of the city of Shalem, a city of Shechem in Canaan. This is located in the mountain range, directly north of present Jerusalem about 50 miles. He purchased land from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father.
Beginning at the 34th chapter of Genesis, we learn Dinah, the daughter through Jacob’s wife Leah, was apparently a young teenager and went out one day to play with the other children of the area. The young price of the town, Shechem, saw Dinah and fell in love with her and defiled her.
After sleeping with her, Shechem wanted to marry her and sought out his father, Hamor, to help him obtain Dinah as his wife. Hamor approached Jacob and told him what had happened and that Shechem wanted to marry Jacob’s daughter. All of Jacob’s then 11 sons (Benjamin had not yet been born) were out in the field tending to the family’s livestock, so Jacob simply listened and then waited until his sons arrived home.
As the sons learned of their sister’s defilement, they became angry and grieved over the abuse to Dinah. Hamor pleaded with Jacob and his sons to allow his son, Shechem to marry Dinah. He asked that the entire family of Jacob be integrated into the community, with the intermarriage of sons and daughters. Hamor pleaded: "Let me find grace in your eyes, and I will give. Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife." Gen. 34:12-13.
The sons of Jacob made a plan and then responded deceptively: they said Dinah could not marry into the Hamor family because the males of the family were uncircumcised. "But in this we will consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people."
This offering pleased Hamor and Shechem and they decided to respond immediately. The two returned to the city and met with all the other males and convinced them of the necessary circumcision so as to live in peace with Jacob’s family. They convinced the men, in part, by stating that the property and livestock of Jacob would be made a part of the town’ overall property.
On this premise all the adult males had themselves circumcised. On the third day following circumcision, when all the men were still sore, probably inflamed, and in pain from the circumcision, two of Jacob’s sons, Levi and Simeon boldly attacked with their swords and killed all the men, including Hamor and Shechem. They retrieved Dinah from Shechem’s home. Simeon and Levi then ravaged the entire city out of revenge for Dinah’s defilement. They took all the animals and all the crops, all the possessions. They took the women and children captive and destroyed the homes.
The actions by his two sons greatly troubled Jacob. He was afraid all the people in the neighboring towns would attack him upon hearing word of the destroying of the city and slaughter of al its men.
The sons explained their anger to their father and said they could not allow their sister to be treated by the village men as a common harlot.
The incident caused a change in Jacob, as we will learn in the 35th chapter of Genesis. God spoke to Jacob, had him move his family and build the altar of Bethel., that he had previously established when Jacob originally fled from Esau. It was at Bethel that God appeared to Jacob in a dream involving the ladder into heaven (Jacob’s ladder). It was at Bethel that God, about 30 years earlier, had confirmed the covenant through Jacob that Jacob had inherited the Abrahamic covenant to be the father of a chosen nation.
Jacob demanded his family put away all idols and cleanse themselves for the trip to Bethel. God protected Jacob from attack by the neighboring cities on the trip to Bethel.
It was at Bethel that the Lord appeared again to Jacob and ordered Jacob’s name changed to "Israel". Gen. 35:10. God reconfirmed the promise to make Israel the head and father of "a nation and a company of nations."
As the family left Bethel to travel farther south, Jacob’s wife Rachel went into a hard labor and died while giving birth to Jacob’s 12th son, Benjamin. Rachel was buried near the present site of Jerusalem.
Jacob continue his journey to the home of his father, Isaac near Hebron, south of Jerusalem. Isaac had grown to be about 180 years old and was near death. Isaac soon died and Esau returned home and the two brothers buried their father.