Genesis 32
1 Jacob went on his way and some angels of God came to meet him.
And on his way Jacob came face to face with the angels of God.
2 When he saw them he said, “This must be God's camp!” He named the place “Two Camps.”
And when he saw them he said, This is the army of God: so he gave that place the name of Mahanaim.
3 He sent messengers on ahead to meet his brother Esau who was living in the region of Seir in the country of Edom.
Now Jacob sent servants before him to Esau, his brother, in the land of Seir, the country of Edom;
4 He told them, “This is what you are to say to my lord Esau. Your servant Jacob sends you this message. I've been staying with Laban up till now,
And he gave them orders to say these words to Esau: Your servant Jacob says, Till now I have been living with Laban:
5 and I have cattle and donkeys and sheep and goats, and male and female slaves. I've sent these messengers to explain this to you my lord, hoping you'll be pleased to see me.”
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.
6 The messengers returned to Jacob and told him, “Your brother Esau is coming to meet you with 400 armed men!”
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.
7 When Jacob heard this, he was absolutely terrified. He split all the people with him, along with the sheep, goats, cattle, and camels, into two groups,
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;
8 saying to himself, “If Esau comes and destroys one group, the other one can get away.”
And said, If Esau, meeting one group, makes an attack on them, the others will get away safely.
9 Jacob prayed, “God of my grandfather Abraham, God of my father Isaac! Lord, you were the one who told me, ‘Return to your own country and your family home, and I will treat you well.’
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:
10 I don't deserve all the trustworthy love and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I crossed the Jordan years ago with just my walking stick, and now I have two large camps.
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.
11 Please save me from my brother; defend me from Esau! I'm terrified that he's coming to attack me, my wives, and my children.
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.
12 You yourself told me, ‘I will definitely treat you well. I will make your descendants as numerous as the sand of the seashore—too many to count.’”
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.
13 Jacob stayed the night there. Then he picked out animals as a gift to his brother Esau:
Then he put up his tent there for the night; and from among his goods he took, as an offering for his brother Esau,
14 200 female goats, 20 male goats; 200 ewes, 20 rams;
Two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred females and twenty males from the sheep,
15 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls; 20 female donkeys, 10 male donkeys.
Thirty camels with their young ones, forty cows, ten oxen, twenty asses, and ten young asses.
16 He put his servants in charge of each of the separate herds and told them, “Go on ahead of me, and keep a good distance between the herds.”
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.
17 He gave these instructions to those with the first herd: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who is your master, and where are you going, and whose are these animals with you?’
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?
18 you are to say to him, ‘Your servant Jacob sends these as a gift to my lord Esau, and he's following us.’”
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.
19 He gave the same instructions to those with the second and third and all the subsequent herds, telling them, “This what you are to say to Esau when he meets you.
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;
20 You must also tell him, ‘Your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” Jacob said to himself, “Maybe by sending these gifts on ahead Esau won't be angry with me and when I meet him he'll be kind to me.”
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.
21 So the gifts went on ahead while Jacob spent the night at the camp.
So the servants with the offerings went on in front, and he himself took his rest that night in the tents with his people.
22 He got up during the night and took his two wives and the two personal maids and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River at the ford.
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.
23 After helping them cross he also sent over everything that belonged to him.
He took them and sent them over the stream with all he had.
24 But Jacob stayed there alone. A man came and wrestled with him until dawn.
Then Jacob was by himself; and a man was fighting with him till dawn.
25 When the man realized he couldn't beat Jacob, he hit Jacob's hip socket and put it out of joint as he wrestled with him.
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.
26 Then the man said, “Let me go because it's almost dawn.” “I won't let you go unless you bless me,” Jacob replied.
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.
27 “What's your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied.
Then he said, What is your name? And he said, Jacob.
28 “Jacob will no longer be you name,” said the man. “Instead you will be called Israel, because you fought with God and with men and you won.”
And he said, Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel: for in your fight with God and with men you have overcome.
29 “Please tell me your name,” Jacob asked. “Why do you ask me my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
Then Jacob said, What is your name? And he said, What is my name to you? Then he gave him a blessing.
30 Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “I saw God face to face and I'm still alive!”
And Jacob gave that place the name of Peniel, saying, I have seen God face to face, and still I am living.
31 The sun came up as Jacob left Peniel, limping along because of his damaged hip.
And while he was going past Peniel, the sun came up. And he went with unequal steps because of his damaged leg.
32 (That's why, even today, Israelites don't eat the thigh tendon attached to the hip socket, because that's where the man hit Jacob's hip socket.)
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.
