Genesis 32
1 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 When he saw them, Jacob said, "This is God's camp." 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 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir, the region 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 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.
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 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 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 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."
The messengers returned to Jacob and told him, “Your brother Esau is coming to meet you with 400 armed men!”
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;
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 he said, "If Esau comes to the one camp, and strikes it, then the other camp will escape."
saying to himself, “If Esau comes and destroys one group, the other one can get away.”
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,'
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 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 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 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.
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 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.'"
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 So he spent the night there and selected from what he had acquired a present for his brother Esau:
Jacob stayed the night there. Then he picked out animals as a gift to his brother Esau:
14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
200 female goats, 20 male goats; 200 ewes, 20 rams;
15 thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls; 20 female donkeys, 10 male donkeys.
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."
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 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?'
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 are your servant, Jacob's. It is a present sent to my lord Esau. And look, he also 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 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.
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 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."
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 the gift passed over before him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.
So the gifts went on ahead while Jacob spent the night at 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.
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 He took them and sent them across the stream, and sent over all his possessions.
After helping them cross he also sent over everything that belonged to him.
24 Then Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the rising of the dawn.
But Jacob stayed there alone. A man came and wrestled with him until 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.
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 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 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?" He said, "Jacob."
“What's your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied.
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."
“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 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.
“Please tell me your name,” Jacob asked. “Why do you ask me my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob 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."
Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “I saw God face to face and I'm still alive!”
31 The sun rose on him as he passed by Peniel, and he limped because of his hip.
The sun came up as Jacob left Peniel, limping along because of his damaged hip.
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.
(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.)
