Genesis 32
1 Jacob went on his way and some angels of God came to meet him.
Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
2 When he saw them he said, “This must be God's camp!” He named the place “Two Camps.”
When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God's camp,” 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.
Jacob sent messengers on ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, in the region 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,
He commanded them, saying, “This is what you will say to my master Esau: This is what your servant Jacob says: 'I have been staying with Laban, and have delayed my return 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.”
I have oxen, donkeys, and flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent this message to my master, so that I may find favor in your eyes.'”
6 The messengers returned to Jacob and told him, “Your brother Esau is coming to meet you with 400 armed men!”
The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are 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 very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, and also the flocks, the herds, and the camels.
8 saying to himself, “If Esau comes and destroys one group, the other one can get away.”
He said, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will 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.’
Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will prosper 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 not worthy of all your acts of covenant faithfulness and of all the trustworthiness that you have done for your servant. For with only my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have 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.
Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children.
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 you said, 'I will certainly make you prosper. I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for their number.'”
13 Jacob stayed the night there. Then he picked out animals as a gift to his brother Esau:
Jacob stayed there that night. He took some of what he had with him as a gift for Esau, his brother:
14 200 female goats, 20 male goats; 200 ewes, 20 rams;
two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
15 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls; 20 female donkeys, 10 male donkeys.
thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
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 these into the hand of his servants, every herd by itself. He said to his servants, “Go on ahead of me and put a space between each of the herds.”
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?’
He instructed the first servant, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, 'To whom do you belong? Where are you going? Whose animals are these that are in front of you?'
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 you will say, 'They are your servant Jacob's. They are a gift sent to my master Esau. See, he is also 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.
Jacob also gave instructions to the second group, the third, and all the men who followed the herds. He said, “You will say the same thing to Esau when you meet 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.”
You must also say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming after us.'” For he thought, “I will appease him with the gifts that I am sending ahead of me. Then later, when I will see him, perhaps he will receive me.”
21 So the gifts went on ahead while Jacob spent the night at the camp.
So the gifts went on ahead of him. He himself stayed 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.
Jacob got up during the night, and he took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons. He sent them across the ford of the Jabbok.
23 After helping them cross he also sent over everything that belonged to him.
In this way he sent them across the stream along with all his possessions.
24 But Jacob stayed there alone. A man came and wrestled with him until dawn.
Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
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.
When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob's hip. Jacob's hip was dislocated 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.
The man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 “What's your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied.
The man said to him, “What is your name?” Jacob 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.”
The man said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”
29 “Please tell me your name,” Jacob asked. “Why do you ask me my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” He said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
30 Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “I saw God face to face and I'm still alive!”
Jacob called the name of the place Peniel for he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is delivered.”
31 The sun came up as Jacob left Peniel, limping along because of his damaged hip.
The sun rose on Jacob as he passed Peniel. He was limping because of his hip.
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.)
That is why to this day the people of Israel do not eat the ligaments of the hip which are at the hip joint, because the man injured those ligaments while dislocating Jacob's hip.
