But we replied, ‘We cannot go down there. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go, for we won’t be permitted to see the man’s face if our youngest brother is not with us.’

Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. Our wishes are of no concern.

“We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water the sheep.”

They said to them, “We cannot give our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace to us.

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses, saying, “Let us go up and occupy it, for we are well able to conquer it.”

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against these people, because they are stronger than we are!”

but all the leaders told the whole community, “We swore an oath to them in the name of the Lord God of Israel. So now we can’t hurt them!

But we can’t allow our daughters to marry them, for the Israelites took an oath, saying, ‘Whoever gives a woman to a Benjaminite will be destroyed!’

Then those in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers has failed! The debris is so great that we are unable to rebuild the wall.”

The rulers of the Philistines went up to visit her and said to her, “Trick him! Find out what makes him so strong and how we can subdue him and humiliate him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred silver pieces.”

“There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord who rules over all, “and my name is awesome among the nations.”