Genesis 32
1 Jacob went on his way and some angels of God came to meet him.
When, Jacob, had gone on his way, there met him, messengers of God.
2 When he saw them he said, “This must be God's camp!” He named the place “Two Camps.”
And Jacob said, when he saw them, the camp of God, is this! So he called the name of that place, 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.
Then did Jacob send messengers before him unto Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the field 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 commanded them, saying, Thus, shall ye say to my lord to Esau, Thus, saith thy servant Jacob, With Laban, have I sojourned, and tarried until now:
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, flocks and men-servants, and maid-servants, So I must needs send to tell my lord, that I might find favour in thine eyes.
6 The messengers returned to Jacob and told him, “Your brother Esau is coming to meet you with 400 armed men!”
And the messengers returned unto Jacob, saying, —We came in unto thy brother unto Esau, moreover also he is on his way to meet thee, 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 was Jacob greatly afraid, and in distress. So he divided the people that were with him and the flocks and the herds and the camels into two camps,
8 saying to himself, “If Esau comes and destroys one group, the other one can get away.”
And he said. Should Esau come upon the one camp, and smite it, yet shall the camp that is left escape.
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.’
And Jacob said, God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, —Yahweh, who wast saying unto me, —Return to thy land and to thy kindred that I may deal well with thee:
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 too small for all the lovingkindnesses and for all the faithfulness, which thou hast done unto thy servant, —For with my staff, passed I over this Jordan, But, now, have I become two camps.
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.
Deliver me I pray thee out of the hand of my brother out of the hand of Esau, for I, am afraid of him, lest he come in and smite mother as well as sons
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.’”
But, thou thyself, saidst, —I will deal well with thee. So will I make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which is not to be counted, for multitude.
13 Jacob stayed the night there. Then he picked out animals as a gift to his brother Esau:
And he tarried there that night, and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother:
14 200 female goats, 20 male goats; 200 ewes, 20 rams;
She-goats, two hundred; And he-goats, twenty; Ewes, two hundred; And rams, twenty;
15 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls; 20 female donkeys, 10 male donkeys.
Milch camels, with their colts, thirty; Cows, forty; And bulls, ten; She-asses, twenty; And young he asses ten.
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.”
And he gave them into the hand of his Servants, each drove by itself, and said unto his servants—Pass over before me, and, a breathing-space, shall ye put betwixt drove and drove.
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 commanded the first one saying: When Esau my brother shall fall in with thee, and shall ask thee, saying Whose art thou? and whither wouldst thou go? and to whom belong these before thee?
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 shalt thou say, To thy servant Jacob: It is, a present, sent to my lord, to Esau; And behold he himself also is behind 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 commanded the second also, and the third yea all that were going on behind the droves, saying, —According to this word, shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find 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.”
Then shall ye say, Also, lo! thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said: I must pacify him with the present that goeth on before me. And, after that, will I see his face: Peradventure he will accept me.
21 So the gifts went on ahead while Jacob spent the night at the camp.
So the present passed over before him, —whereas he himself tarried that night in the camp.
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 he arose in that night and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven sons, —and passed over the ford of Jabbok.
23 After helping them cross he also sent over everything that belonged to him.
So he took them, and sent them over the brook, —and sent over that which he had.
24 But Jacob stayed there alone. A man came and wrestled with him until dawn.
And Jacob was left alone, —and there wrestled a man with him, until the uprisings of the 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.
And when he saw, that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, —and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was put out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
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.
Then said he—Let me go, for uprisen hath the dawn. And he said: I will not let thee go, except thou have blessed me
27 “What's your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied.
Then he said unto him—What is thy 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.”
Then he said—Not Jacob, shall thy name be called any more, but Israel, —For thou hast contended with God and with men and hast prevailed.
29 “Please tell me your name,” Jacob asked. “Why do you ask me my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
Then asked Jacob and said, Do, I pray thee, tell me thy name! And he said—Wherefore now, shouldest thou ask for my name? And he blessed him there,
30 Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “I saw God face to face and I'm still alive!”
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; For I saw God face to face; and my soul was delivered,
31 The sun came up as Jacob left Peniel, limping along because of his damaged hip.
And the sun rose on him as soon as he had passed over Penuel, —he, moreover was halting upon his thigh,
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 cause, the sons of Israel eat not of the nerve of the large hip-sinew, which is by the hollow of the thigh, until this day, —because he touched the hollow of the thigh of Jacob, in the nerve of the hip-sinew.
