Genesis 32
1 And on his way Jacob came face to face with the angels of God.
Jacob also went on the journey he had begun: and the angels of God met him.
2 And when he saw them he said, This is the army of God: so he gave that place the name of Mahanaim.
And when he saw them, he said: These are the camps of God, and he called the name of that place Mahanaim, that is, Camps.
3 Now Jacob sent servants before him to Esau, his brother, in the land of Seir, the country of Edom;
And he sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir to the country of Edom:
4 And he gave them orders to say these words to Esau: Your servant Jacob says, Till now I have been living with Laban:
And he commanded them, saying: Thus shall ye speak to my lord Esau: Thus saith thy brother Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban, and have been with him until this day.
5 And I have oxen and asses and flocks and men-servants and women-servants: and I have sent to give my lord news of these things so that I may have grace in his eyes.
I have oxen, and asses, and sheep, and menservants, and womenservants: and now I send a message to my lord, that I may find favour in thy sight.
6 When the servants came back they said, We have seen your brother Esau and he is coming out to you, and four hundred men with him.
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: We came to Esau thy brother, and behold he cometh with speed to meet thee with four hundred men.
7 Then Jacob was in great fear and trouble of mind: and he put all the people and the flocks and the herds and the camels into two groups;
Then Jacob was greatly afraid; and in his fear divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the sheep, and the oxen, and the camels, into two companies,
8 And said, If Esau, meeting one group, makes an attack on them, the others will get away safely.
Saying: If Esau come to one company and destroy it, the other company that is left shall escape.
9 Then Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, the God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, Go back to your country and your family and I will be good to you:
And Jacob said: O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who saidst to me: Return to thy land and to the place of thy birth, and I will do well for thee,
10 I am less than nothing in comparison with all your mercies and your faith to me your servant; for with only my stick in my hand I went across Jordan, and now I have become two armies.
I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, and of thy truth which thou hast fulfilled to thy servant. With my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I return with two companies.
11 Be my saviour from the hand of Esau, my brother: for my fear is that he will make an attack on me, putting to death mother and child.
Deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am greatly afraid of him: lest perhaps he come, and kill the mother with the children.
12 And you said, Truly, I will be good to you, and make your seed like the sand of the sea which may not be numbered.
Thou didst say that thou wouldst do well by me, and multiply my seed like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
13 Then he put up his tent there for the night; and from among his goods he took, as an offering for his brother Esau,
And when he had slept there that night, he set apart, of the things which he had, presents for his brother Esau.
14 Two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred females and twenty males from the sheep,
Two hundred she goats, twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
15 Thirty camels with their young ones, forty cows, ten oxen, twenty asses, and ten young asses.
Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and twenty bulls, twenty she asses, and ten of their foals.
16 These he gave to his servants, every herd by itself, and he said to his servants, Go on before me, and let there be a space between one herd and another.
And he sent them by the hands of his servants, every drove by itself, and he said to his servants: Go before me, and let there be a space between drove and drove.
17 And he gave orders to the first, saying, When my brother Esau comes to you and says, Whose servant are you, and where are you going, and whose are these herds?
And he commanded the first, saying: If thou meet my brother Esau, and he ask thee: Whose art thou? or whither goest thou? or whose are these before thee?
18 Then say to him, These are your servant Jacob's; they are an offering for my lord, for Esau; and he himself is coming after us.
Thou shalt answer: Thy servant Jacob’s: he hath sent them as a present to my lord Esau: and he cometh after us.
19 And he gave the same orders to the second and the third and to all those who were with the herds, saying, This is what you are to say to Esau when you see him;
In like manner he commanded the second and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying: Speak ye the same words to Esau, when ye find him.
20 And you are to say further, Jacob, your servant, is coming after us. For he said to himself, I will take away his wrath by the offering which I have sent on, and then I will come before him: it may be that I will have grace in his eyes.
And ye shall add: Thy servant Jacob himself also followeth after us: for he said: I will appease him with the presents that go before, and afterwards I will see him, perhaps he will be gracious to me.
21 So the servants with the offerings went on in front, and he himself took his rest that night in the tents with his people.
So the presents went before him, but himself lodged that night in the camp.
22 And in the night he got up, and taking with him his two wives and the two servant-women and his eleven children, he went over the river Jabbok.
And rising early he took his two wives, and his two handmaids, with his eleven sons, and passed over the ford of Jaboc.
23 He took them and sent them over the stream with all he had.
And when all things were brought over that belonged to him,
24 Then Jacob was by himself; and a man was fighting with him till dawn.
He remained alone: and behold a man wrestled with him till morning.
25 But when the man saw that he was not able to overcome Jacob, he gave him a blow in the hollow part of his leg, so that his leg was damaged.
And when he saw that he could not overcome him, he touched the sinew of his thigh, and forthwith it shrank.
26 And he said to him, Let me go now, for the dawn is near. But Jacob said, I will not let you go till you have given me your blessing.
And he said to him: Let me go, for it is break of day. He answered: I will not let thee go except thou bless me.
27 Then he said, What is your name? And he said, Jacob.
And he said: What is thy name? He answered: Jacob.
28 And he said, Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel: for in your fight with God and with men you have overcome.
But he said: Thy name shall not be called Jacob, but Israel: for if thou hast been strong against God, how much more shalt thou prevail against men?
29 Then Jacob said, What is your name? And he said, What is my name to you? Then he gave him a blessing.
Jacob asked him, Tell me by what name art thou called? He answered: Why dost thou ask my name? And he blessed him in the same place.
30 And Jacob gave that place the name of Peniel, saying, I have seen God face to face, and still I am living.
And Jacob called the name of the place Phanuel, saying: I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been saved.
31 And while he was going past Peniel, the sun came up. And he went with unequal steps because of his damaged leg.
And immediately the sun rose upon him, after he was past Phanuel; but he halted on his foot.
32 For this reason the children of Israel, even today, never take that muscle in the hollow of the leg as food, because the hollow of Jacob's leg was touched.
Therefore the children of Israel, unto this day, eat not the sinew, that shrank in Jacob’s thigh: because he touched the sinew of his thigh and it shrank.
