< Genesis 32 >

1 Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
When, Jacob, had gone on his way, there met him, messengers of God.
2 When he saw them, Jacob said, "This is God's camp." He called the name of that place Mahanaim.
And Jacob said, when he saw them, the camp of God, is this! So he called the name of that place, Mahanaim.
3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir, the region of Edom.
Then did Jacob send messengers before him unto Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.
4 He commanded them, saying, "This is what you shall tell my lord, Esau: 'This is what your servant, Jacob, says. I have lived as a foreigner with Laban, and stayed until 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 I have cattle, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.'"
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, saying, "We came to your brother Esau. Not only that, but he comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him."
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 Then Jacob was very afraid and was distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two camps;
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 and he said, "If Esau comes to the one camp, and strikes it, then the other camp will escape."
And he said. Should Esau come upon the one camp, and smite it, yet shall the camp that is left escape.
9 Jacob said, "God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, who said to me, 'Return to your country, and to your relatives, and I will do you good,'
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 am not worthy of the least of all the loving kindnesses and of all the faithfulness which you have shown to your servant; for with just my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two 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 deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the 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 said, 'I will surely do you good and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which can't be counted because there are so many.'"
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 So he spent the night there and selected from what he had acquired a present for 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 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
She-goats, two hundred; And he-goats, twenty; Ewes, two hundred; And rams, twenty;
15 thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
Milch camels, with their colts, thirty; Cows, forty; And bulls, ten; She-asses, twenty; And young he asses ten.
16 He entrusted them into the hands of his servants as separate herds, and said to his servants, "Pass over before me, and keep some 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 instructed the first, saying, "When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, 'Whose are you? Where are you going? Whose are these ahead of 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 Then you shall say, 'They are your servant, Jacob's. It is a present sent to my lord Esau. And look, he also is behind 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 instructed also the second, and the third, and all that followed the herds, saying, "This is how you are to speak to Esau, when you find him.
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 shall say, 'Not only that, but look, your servant Jacob is behind us.'" For, he said, "I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will meet him. Perhaps he will accept 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 gift passed over before him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.
So the present passed over before him, —whereas he himself tarried that night in the camp.
22 He got up that night and took his two wives, and his two female servants, and his eleven sons and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok.
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 He took them and sent them across the stream, and sent over all his possessions.
So he took them, and sent them over the brook, —and sent over that which he had.
24 Then Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the rising of the dawn.
And Jacob was left alone, —and there wrestled a man with him, until the uprisings of the dawn.
25 When he saw that he did not defeat him, he struck the socket of his hip, and Jacob's hip was dislocated 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 he said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking." But Jacob said, "I won't let you go unless you bless me."
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 And he said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob."
Then he said unto him—What is thy name? And he said—Jacob.
28 Then he said, "Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed."
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 Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask what my name is?" And he blessed him 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 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life has been preserved."
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; For I saw God face to face; and my soul was delivered,
31 The sun rose on him as he passed by Peniel, and he limped because of his hip.
And the sun rose on him as soon as he had passed over Penuel, —he, moreover was halting upon his thigh,
32 Therefore, to this day the children of Israel do not eat the tendon of the hip socket, because he struck Jacob's hip socket near that tendon.
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.

< Genesis 32 >