Simeon and Levi Deceive Shechem

1Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2Then Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her and took her and lay with her and violated her. 3[†]And he was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke to the heart of the young woman. 4So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl as a wife.” 5Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept silent until they came in. 6Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry because he had done a [†]disgraceful thing in Israel [†]by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.

8But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him as a wife. 9And intermarry with us; give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves. 10Thus you shall [†]live with us, and the land shall be open before you; [†]live and trade in it and take possession of property in it.” 11And Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “If I find favor in your sight, then I will give whatever you say to me. 12Ask me ever so much bridal payment and gift, and I will give according as you say to me; but give me the girl as a wife.”

13But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with deceit, and thus they spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. 15Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you will become like us, in that every male among you be circumcised, 16then 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. 17But if you will not listen to us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”

18Now their words seemed good in the sight of Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son. 19So the young man did not delay to do the thing because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more honored than all the household of his father. 20So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21“These men are peaceful with us; therefore let them [†]live in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is [†]large enough for them. Let us take their daughters for us as wives and give our daughters to them. 22Only on this condition will the men consent to us to [†]live with us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised. 23Will not their livestock and what they acquire and all their cattle be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will [†]live with us.” 24And 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.

25Now it happened on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came upon the unsuspecting city and killed every male. 26And they killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and went away. 27Jacob’s sons came upon the slain and plundered the city because they had defiled their sister. 28They took their flocks and their herds and their donkeys and that which was in the city and that which was in the field; 29and they captured and plundered all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives, even all that was in the houses. 30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and [†]my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I and my household.” 31But they said, “Should he [†]treat our sister as a harlot?”