Murder Men, Women, and Children

“These men are friendly with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters in marriage, and let us give them our daughters.  Only on this condition will the men agree to dwell with us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised.  Will not their cattle, their property and all their beasts be ours?  Only let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us.”  And all who went out of the gate of his city hearkened to Hamor and his son Shechem; and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came upon the city unawares, and killed all the males.  They slew Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.  And the sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled;  they took their flocks and their herds, their asses, and whatever was in the city and in the field;  all their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and made their prey.  Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Per’izzites; my numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.”  But they said, “Should he treat our sister as a harlot?”  (Genesis 34:21-31 NLT)