Genesis 32
1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
And on his way Jacob came face to face with the angels of God.
2 And Jacob said when he saw them: 'This is God's camp.' And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
And when he saw them he said, This is the army of God: so he gave that place the name of Mahanaim.
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom.
Now Jacob sent servants before him to Esau, his brother, in the land of Seir, the country of Edom;
4 And he commanded them, saying: 'Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus saith thy servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until 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 oxen, and asses and flocks, and men-servants and maid-servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favour in thy sight.'
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 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: 'We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.'
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 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. And he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two camps.
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 And he said: 'If Esau come to the one camp, and smite it, then the camp which is left shall escape.'
And said, If Esau, meeting one group, makes an attack on them, the others will get away safely.
9 And Jacob said: 'O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who saidst unto me: Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good;
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 am not worthy of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shown unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two 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 Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the 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 And Thou saidst: I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'
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 And he lodged there that night; and took of that which he had with him a present for Esau his brother:
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 two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
Two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred females and twenty males from the sheep,
15 thirty milch camels and their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals.
Thirty camels with their young ones, forty cows, ten oxen, twenty asses, and ten young asses.
16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself; and said unto his servants: 'Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.'
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 And he commanded the foremost, saying: 'When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying: Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?
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 then thou shalt say: They are thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord, even unto Esau; and, behold, he also is behind 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 And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying: 'In this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him;
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 and ye shall say: Moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us.' For he said: 'I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept 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 present passed over before him; and he himself lodged that night in 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 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven children, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok.
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 And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had.
He took them and sent them over the stream with all he had.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Then Jacob was by himself; and a man was fighting with him till dawn.
25 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 strained, 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 And he said: 'Let me go, for the day breaketh.' And he said: 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.'
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 And he said unto him: 'What is thy name?' And be said: 'Jacob.'
Then he said, What is your name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said: 'Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.'
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 And Jacob asked him, and said: 'Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.' And he said: 'Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?' And he blessed him there.
Then Jacob said, What is your name? And he said, What is my name to you? Then he gave him a blessing.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: 'for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.'
And Jacob gave that place the name of Peniel, saying, I have seen God face to face, and still I am living.
31 And the sun rose upon him as he passed over Peniel, and he limped upon his thigh.
And while he was going past Peniel, the sun came up. And he went with unequal steps because of his damaged leg.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the thigh-vein which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, even in the sinew of the thigh-vein.
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.
