Study Desk

But Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with deceit, because he had defiled their sister Dinah.

They said to them, "We cannot do this thing, that is, give our sister to a ^(C1)man who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us.

"Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you will become like us, in that every male of you will be circumcised,

then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people.

"But if you do not listen to us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go."

Now their words seemed ^(F1)reasonable to Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son.

The young man did not delay to do ^(F1)this, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. Now he was more respected than all the household of his father.

So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the ^(C1)gate of their city and spoke to the people of their city, saying,

"These men are ^(F1)friendly to us; therefore let them live in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is ^(F2)large enough for them. We will take their daughters ^(F3)in marriage, and give our daughters to them.

"Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised.

"Will their livestock and their property and all their animals not be ours? Let's just consent to them, and they will live with us."

^(C1)All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

Now it came about on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob's sons—^(C1)Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers—each took his sword and came upon the city undetected, and killed every male.