Genesis 32
1 When, Jacob, had gone on his way, there met him, messengers of God.
Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
2 And Jacob said, when he saw them, the camp of God, is this! So he called the name of that place, Mahanaim.
When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim.
3 Then did Jacob send messengers before him unto Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.
Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4 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:
He instructed them, “You are to say to my master Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now.
5 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.
I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”
6 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.
When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you—he and four hundred men with him.”
7 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,
In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels.
8 And he said. Should Esau come upon the one camp, and smite it, yet shall the camp that is left escape.
He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.”
9 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:
Then Jacob declared, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told me, ‘Go back to your country and to your kindred, and I will make you prosper,’
10 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.
I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps.
11 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
Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me and the mothers and children with me.
12 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.
But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’”
13 And he tarried there that night, and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother:
Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau:
14 She-goats, two hundred; And he-goats, twenty; Ewes, two hundred; And rams, twenty;
200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams,
15 Milch camels, with their colts, thirty; Cows, forty; And bulls, ten; She-asses, twenty; And young he asses ten.
30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.
16 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.
He entrusted them to his servants in separate herds and told them, “Go on ahead of me, and keep some distance between the herds.”
17 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?
He instructed the one in the lead, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, where are you going, and whose animals are these before you?’
18 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,
then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift, sent to my lord Esau. And behold, Jacob is behind us.’”
19 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.
He also instructed the second, the third, and all those following behind the herds: “When you meet Esau, you are to say the same thing to him.
20 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.
You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I will appease Esau with the gift that is going before me. After that I can face him, and perhaps he will accept me.”
21 So the present passed over before him, —whereas he himself tarried that night in the camp.
So Jacob’s gifts went on before him, while he spent the night in the camp.
22 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.
During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
23 So he took them, and sent them over the brook, —and sent over that which he had.
He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.
24 And Jacob was left alone, —and there wrestled a man with him, until the uprisings of the dawn.
So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
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 put out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled.
26 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
Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 Then he said unto him—What is thy name? And he said—Jacob.
“What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied.
28 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.
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
29 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,
And Jacob requested, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; For I saw God face to face; and my soul was delivered,
So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
31 And the sun rose on him as soon as he had passed over Penuel, —he, moreover was halting upon his thigh,
The sun rose above him as he passed by Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip.
32 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.
Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon which is at the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck near that tendon.
