Jacob, Joseph & Egypt

The sons of Ya'akov answered Sh'khem and Hamor his father deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.

They said to them, "We can't do it, because it would be a disgrace to give our sister to someone who hasn't been circumcised.

Only on this condition will we consent to what you are asking: that you become like us by having every male among you get circumcised.

Then we'll give our daughters to you, and we'll take your daughters for ourselves, and we'll live with you and become one people.

But if you won't do as we say and get circumcised, then we'll take our daughter and go away."

What they said seemed fair to Hamor and Sh'khem the son of Hamor,

and the young man did not put off doing what was asked of him, even though he was the most respected member of his father's family, because he so much wanted Ya'akov' s daughter.

Hamor and Sh'khem his son came to the entrance of their city and spoke with its leading men:

"These people are peaceful toward us; therefore let them live in the land and do business in it; for, as you can see, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives for ourselves, and we'll give them our daughters.

But the people will consent to live with us and become one people only on this condition: that every male among us gets circumcised, as they themselves are circumcised.

Won't their cattle, their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let's consent to do what they ask, and then they will live with us."

Everyone going out the city's gate listened to Hamor and Sh'khem his son; so every male was circumcised, every one that went out the gate of the city.

On the third day after the circumcision, when they were in pain, two of Ya'akov's sons, Shim'on and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords, boldly descended on the city and slaughtered all the males.

They killed Hamor and Sh'khem his son with their swords, took Dinah out of Sh'khem's house, and left.

Then the sons of Ya'akov entered over the dead bodies of those who had been slaughtered and plundered the city in reprisal for defiling their sister.

They took their flocks, cattle and donkeys, and everything else, whether in the city or in the field,

everything they owned. Their children and wives they took captive, and they looted whatever was in the houses.

But Ya'akov said to Shim'on and Levi, "You have caused me trouble by making me stink in the opinion of the local inhabitants, the Kena'ani and the P'rizi. Since I don't have many people, they'll align themselves together against me and attack me; and I will be destroyed, I and my household."

They replied, "Should we let our sister be treated like a whore?"

God said to Ya'akov, "Get up, go up to Beit-El and live there, and make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled 'Esav your brother."

Then Ya'akov said to his household and all the others with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods that you have with you, purify yourselves, and put on fresh clothes.

We're going to move on and go up to Beit-El. There I will build an altar to God, who answered me when I was in such distress and stayed with me wherever I went."

They gave Ya'akov all the foreign gods in their possession and the earrings they were wearing, and Ya'akov buried them under the pistachio tree near Sh'khem.

While they were traveling, a terror from God fell upon the cities around them, so that none of them pursued the sons of Ya'akov.

Ya'akov and all the people with him arrived at Luz (that is, Beit-El) in the land of Kena'an.