< Genesis 32 >

1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
And Jacob went on his way; and the angels of God met him.
2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God's camp,” so he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
And when Jacob saw them he said, This is the camp of God. And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, in the region of Edom.
And Jacob sent messengers before his face to Esau his brother, into the land of Seir, the fields of Edom.
4 He commanded them, saying, “This is what you will say to my master Esau: This is what your servant Jacob says: 'I have been staying with Laban, and have delayed my return until now.
And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak to my lord, to Esau: Thy servant Jacob speaks thus — With Laban have I sojourned and tarried until now;
5 I have oxen, donkeys, and flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent this message to my master, so that I may find favor in your eyes.'”
and I have oxen, and asses, sheep, and bondmen, and bondwomen; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favour in thine eyes.
6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”
And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother, to Esau; and he also is coming to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
7 Then Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, and also the flocks, the herds, and the camels.
Then Jacob was greatly afraid, and was distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the sheep and the cattle and the camels, into two troops.
8 He said, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.”
And he said, If Esau come to the one troop and smite it, then the other troop which is left shall escape.
9 Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will prosper you,'
And Jacob said, God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Jehovah, who saidst unto me: Return into thy country and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good,
10 I am not worthy of all your acts of covenant faithfulness and of all the trustworthiness that you have done for your servant. For with only my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.
— I am too small for all the loving-kindness and all the faithfulness that thou hast shewn unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two troops.
11 Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children.
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, [and] the mother with the children.
12 But you said, 'I will certainly make you prosper. I will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for their number.'”
And thou saidst, I will certainly deal well with thee, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
13 Jacob stayed there that night. He took some of what he had with him as a gift for Esau, his brother:
And he lodged there that night; and took of what came to his hand a gift for Esau his brother —
14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,
two hundred she-goats, and twenty he-goats; two hundred ewes, and twenty rams;
15 thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
thirty milch camels with their colts; forty kine, and ten bulls; twenty she-asses, and ten young asses.
16 These he gave these into the hand of his servants, every herd by itself. He said to his servants, “Go on ahead of me and put a space between each of the herds.”
And he delivered [them] into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself; and he said to his servants, Go on before me, and put a space between drove and drove.
17 He instructed the first servant, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, 'To whom do you belong? Where are you going? Whose animals are these that are in front of you?'
And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meets thee, and asks thee, saying, Whose art thou, and where goest thou, and whose are these before thee?
18 Then you will say, 'They are your servant Jacob's. They are a gift sent to my master Esau. See, he is also coming after us.'”
— then thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob's: it is a gift sent to my lord, to Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.
19 Jacob also gave instructions to the second group, the third, and all the men who followed the herds. He said, “You will say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.
And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, According to this word shall ye speak to Esau when ye find him.
20 You must also say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming after us.'” For he thought, “I will appease him with the gifts that I am sending ahead of me. Then later, when I will see him, perhaps he will receive me.”
And, moreover, ye shall say, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will propitiate him with the gift that goes before me, and afterwards I will see his face: perhaps he will accept me.
21 So the gifts went on ahead of him. He himself stayed that night in the camp.
And the gift went over before him; and he himself lodged that night in the camp.
22 Jacob got up during the night, and he took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons. He sent them across the ford of the Jabbok.
And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok;
23 In this way he sent them across the stream along with all his possessions.
and he took them and led them over the river, and led over what he had.
24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
And Jacob remained alone; and a man wrestled with him until the rising of the dawn.
25 When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob's hip. Jacob's hip was dislocated as he wrestled with him.
And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the joint of his thigh; and the joint of Jacob's thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him.
26 The man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
And he said, Let me go, for the dawn ariseth. And he said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me.
27 The man said to him, “What is your name?” Jacob said, “Jacob.”
And he said to him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 The man said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”
And he said, Thy name shall not henceforth be called Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast wrestled with God, and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” He said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
And Jacob asked and said, Tell [me], I pray thee, thy name. And he said, How is it that thou askest after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 Jacob called the name of the place Peniel for he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is delivered.”
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel — For I have seen God face to face, and my life has been preserved.
31 The sun rose on Jacob as he passed Peniel. He was limping because of his hip.
And as he passed over Peniel, the sun rose upon him; and he limped upon his hip.
32 That is why to this day the people of Israel do not eat the ligaments of the hip which are at the hip joint, because the man injured those ligaments while dislocating Jacob's hip.
Therefore the children of Israel do not eat of the sinew that is over the joint of the thigh, to this day; because he touched the joint of Jacob's thigh — the sinew.

< Genesis 32 >