ShᵊkhëmꞋ relative to Suk•otꞋ, Nᵊhar ha-Yarᵊdein, Pᵊnieil and Makhanayim.

After the family got settled in the city of ShᵊkhëmꞋ, young teen Din•âhꞋ (Bat-LeiꞋâh & Ya•a•qovꞋ) went out to socialize with the Khiv•imꞋ ¹ girls her age in the city.

But ShᵊkhëmꞋ Bën-Kha•morꞋ, the Khiv•iꞋ Nâ•siꞋ of the area, saw her—and, feeling entitled to take whatever he pleased, he abducted her and raped her, befouling her honor.

But his nëphꞋësh bonded in Din•âhꞋ Bat-Ya•a•qovꞋ. He fell in love with the Israeli teen. So he spoke about the heart of the girl with his father, Kha•morꞋ, demanding, "Take this girl for me, to be my woman!"

Ya•a•qovꞋ Learns That ShᵊkhëmꞋ Raped His Daughter, Din•âhꞋ

Now Ya•a•qovꞋ heard that ShᵊkhëmꞋ had raped his daughter, Din•âhꞋ. But all of his sons were out in the far-flung reaches of his ranch tending his livestock. So Ya•a•qovꞋ restrained himself until his sons came home.

Meanwhile, Kha•morꞋ, ShᵊkhëmꞋ's father, went out to Ya•a•qovꞋ's ranch, as his son had demanded, to negotiate with Ya•a•qovꞋ about taking Din•âhꞋ to be his son's woman.

When Bᵊn•eiꞋ-Ya•a•qovꞋ came home from the field and heard of it they were grievously livid, seething-over with fury because ShᵊkhëmꞋ raped their sister, within the family of יִשְׂרָאֵל, the daughter of Ya•a•qovꞋ.

Intermarriage Was Ancient Politically Correct Way To Make Peace

Kha•morꞋ Proposes Intermarriage To יִשְׂרָאֵל

So Kha•morꞋ brought ShᵊkhëmꞋ and spoke with them, saying, "The nëphꞋësh of my son, ShᵊkhëmꞋ, desires your daughter. Please allow her to be his woman. Intermarry with us. Allow your daughters to us and take our daughters to you. Then you may reside with us and the land shall be open to you to reside, trade and own property."

Then ShᵊkhëmꞋ spoke up to Din•âhꞋ's father, יִשְׂרָאֵל and to her brothers: "May I find graciousness in your eyes. So whatever you tell me I will accommodate. Greatly enlarge the bride-price plus a gift and I will give it to you; whatever you tell me; only allow me the maiden for a woman."

Because ShᵊkhëmꞋ had tim•eiꞋ their sister, Din•âhꞋ, Bᵊn•eiꞋ-Ya•a•qovꞋ answered ShᵊkhëmꞋ and Kha•morꞋ casuistically,² telling them, "We cannot permit intermarriage between our peoples. Nor can we allow our sister to an uncircumcised man. This is a shame on our family's honor. Yet, this would be proper for you: if you will become like us, circumcising every male of 8 days old and over, then we may allow our daughters to you and take your daughters to us; we may reside with you, absorbing you in an Am Ë•khâdꞋ. But if you don't listen to us and become circumcised, then we'll take our daughter, all of our wealth and goods, and we're outta here!"

Their arguments seemed good in the eyes of Kha•morꞋ, as well as in the eyes of ShᵊkhëmꞋ Bën-Kha•morꞋ. The youth (ShᵊkhëmꞋ) didn't hesitate or procrastinate because of his burning desire for Ya•a•qovꞋ's daughter, and he was honored above all of the house of his father.

ShᵊkhëmꞋ, approaching from the east; Har Eival (on right), Har Gᵊrizim (on left)

Then Kha•morꞋ and his son, ShᵊkhëmꞋ, came to the municipal court (located in a chamber-room of the city gate in ancient cities) and addressed the municipal judges of ShᵊkhëmꞋ, saying, "These men are completely with us. So they may reside in the land and trade. Look, they manually amplify the land before them. Let us take their daughters for women and allow our daughters for them. They stipulate a condition, however. They will agree to settle among us only on condition that we be absorbed in an Am Ë•khâdꞋ – by circumcising every male among us like they are circumcised. Won't all their extensive possessions and properties and all of their livestock then be ours? Just become befitting to them and they will settle among us."

The decision of the city judges was unanimous. They all listened and were persuaded by Kha•morꞋ and his son, ShᵊkhëmꞋ. So they were all circumcised and they circumcised every male in ShᵊkhëmꞋ.

By the third day after the circumcisings, when the pain was at its zenith, two of Bᵊn•eiꞋ-Ya•a•qovꞋ—Shi•mᵊōnꞋ and Lei•wiꞋ (her brothers born of LeiꞋâh, the eschewed woman of Ya•a•qovꞋ)—each drew their sword and came securely upon the city, killing every male 13 and older with their swords, including Kha•morꞋ and his son, ShᵊkhëmꞋ. Then they rescued their sister, Din•âhꞋ, from Beit-ShᵊkhëmꞋ and left.

The other Bᵊn•eiꞋ-Ya•a•qovꞋ, having come upon the corpses, plundered the city—which had tim•eiꞋ their sister. They took their tzon, their cattle, their donkeys; what was in the city and what was in the fields. They took all of their military assets and absorbed all of their remaining male children and all of their females. They took everything that had been in Beit-ShᵊkhëmꞋ.³

Then Ya•a•qovꞋ fretted to Shi•mᵊōnꞋ and Lei•wiꞋ: "You've stirred up trouble for me, making me a stench to the settlers of the land – the Kᵊna•an•iꞋ, including the Bedouin of the Kar•mëlꞋ Mountains and EiꞋmëq Yi•zᵊrᵊël. Since I'm a low-numbered people, they may build a coalition and launch a strike against me. Then I shall be destroyed, I and my household."

"Should we ignore that he violated our sister?!?" they retorted incredulously.