18. Hamor and Shechem liked what was said.
19. Shechem was the most respected person in his family, and he was so in love with Dinah that he hurried off to get everything done.
20. The two men met with the other leaders of their city and told them:
21. These people really are friendly. Why not let them move freely about until they find the property they want? There's enough land here for them and for us. Then our families can marry into theirs, and theirs can marry into ours.
22. We have to do only one thing before they will agree to stay here and become one nation with us. Our men will have to be circumcised like their men.
23. Just think! We'll get their property, as well as their flocks and herds. All we have to do is to agree, and they will live here with us.
24. Every grown man followed this advice and got circumcised.
25. Three days later the men who had been circumcised were still weak from pain. So Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah's brothers, attacked with their swords and killed every man in town,
26. including Hamor and Shechem. Then they took Dinah and left.
27. Jacob's other sons came and took everything they wanted. All this was done because of the horrible thing that had happened to their sister.
28. They took sheep, goats, donkeys, and everything else that was in the town or the fields.
29. After taking everything of value from the houses, they dragged away the wives and children of their victims.
30. Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “Look what you've done! Now I'm in real trouble with the Canaanites and Perizzites who live around here. There aren't many of us, and if they attack, they'll kill everyone in my household.”
31. They answered, “Was it right to let our own sister be treated that way?”