Thematic Bible: Jacob's sons, in entrapping the shechemites


Thematic Bible



And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully and talked because he had defiled Dinah their sister: And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised, for among us that is a reproach. But with this condition we will consent unto you: If ye will become as we are that every male of you be circumcised, read more.
then we will 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. But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone. And their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son. And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter and he was the most honourable of all the house of his father. Then Hamor and Shechem, his son, came unto the gate of their city and communed with the men of their city, saying, These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only with this condition will these men consent to dwell with us that we may be one people: if every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised. Shall not their livestock and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? Only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. And unto Hamor and unto Shechem, his son, hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city. And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword and came upon the city boldly and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem, his son, with the edge of the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and spoiled the city because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep and their oxen and their asses and that which was in the city and that which was in the field and all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives they took captive and spoiled even all that was in the house. And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house. And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with a harlot?