13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled,e Jacob’s sons replied deceitfullyf as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised.g That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will enter into an agreement with you on one conditionh only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.i 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.j We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.k 17 But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”

18 Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man, who was the most honoredl of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.m 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their cityn to speak to the men of their city. 21 “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it;o the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.p 22 But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,q as they themselves are. 23 Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?r So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.s”

24 All the men who went out of the city gatet agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.