Genesis 32
1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
Jacob went on his way and some angels of God came to meet him.
2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
When he saw them he said, “This must be God's camp!” He named the place “Two Camps.”
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
He sent messengers on ahead to meet his brother Esau who was living in the region of Seir in the country of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall you speak to my lord Esau; Your servant Jacob says thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:
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,
5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in your sight.
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.”
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau, and also he comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him.
The messengers returned to Jacob and told him, “Your brother Esau is coming to meet you with 400 armed men!”
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;
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,
8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
saying to himself, “If Esau comes and destroys one group, the other one can get away.”
9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which said to me, Return to your country, and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you:
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.’
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which you have showed to your servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
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.
11 Deliver me, I pray you, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
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.
12 And you said, I will surely do you good, and make your seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
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.’”
13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
Jacob stayed the night there. Then he picked out animals as a gift to his brother Esau:
14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
200 female goats, 20 male goats; 200 ewes, 20 rams;
15 Thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls; 20 female donkeys, 10 male donkeys.
16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said to his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove.
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.”
17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, saying, Whose are you? and where go you? and whose are these before you?
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?’
18 Then you shall say, They be your servant Jacob’s; it is a present sent to my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.
you are to say to him, ‘Your servant Jacob sends these as a gift to my lord Esau, and he's following us.’”
19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall you speak to Esau, when you find him.
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.
20 And say you moreover, Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.
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.”
21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
So the gifts went on ahead while Jacob spent the night at the camp.
22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.
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.
23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
After helping them cross he also sent over everything that belonged to him.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
But Jacob stayed there alone. A man came and wrestled with him until 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 out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
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.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaks. And he said, I will not let you go, except you bless me.
Then the man said, “Let me go because it's almost dawn.” “I won't let you go unless you bless me,” Jacob replied.
27 And he said to him, What is your name? And he said, Jacob.
“What's your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied.
28 And he said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince have you power with God and with men, and have prevailed.
“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.”
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray you, your name. And he said, Why is it that you do ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
“Please tell me your name,” Jacob asked. “Why do you ask me my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “I saw God face to face and I'm still alive!”
31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he halted on his thigh.
The sun came up as Jacob left Peniel, limping along because of his damaged hip.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.
(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.)
