< Genesis 32 >
1 Jacob quoque abiit itinere quo cœperat: fueruntque ei obviam angeli Dei.
Jacob went on his way and some angels of God came to meet him.
2 Quos cum vidisset, ait: Castra Dei sunt hæc: et appellavit nomen loci illius Mahanaim, id est, Castra.
When he saw them he said, “This must be God's camp!” He named the place “Two Camps.”
3 Misit autem et nuntios ante se ad Esau fratrem suum in terram Seir, in regionem 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 præcepitque eis, dicens: Sic loquimini domino meo Esau: Hæc dicit frater tuus Jacob: Apud Laban peregrinatus sum, et fui usque in præsentem diem.
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 Habeo boves, et asinos, et oves, et servos, et ancillas: mittoque nunc legationem ad dominum meum, ut inveniam gratiam in conspectu tuo.
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 Reversique sunt nuntii ad Jacob, dicentes: Venimus ad Esau fratrem tuum, et ecce properat tibi in occursum cum quadringentis viris.
The messengers returned to Jacob and told him, “Your brother Esau is coming to meet you with 400 armed men!”
7 Timuit Jacob valde: et perterritus divisit populum qui secum erat, greges quoque et oves, et boves, et camelos, in duas turmas,
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 dicens: Si venerit Esau ad unam turmam, et percusserit eam, alia turma, quæ relicta est, salvabitur.
saying to himself, “If Esau comes and destroys one group, the other one can get away.”
9 Dixitque Jacob: Deus patris mei Abraham, et Deus patris mei Isaac: Domine qui dixisti mihi: Revertere in terram tuam, et in locum nativitatis tuæ, et benefaciam tibi:
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 minor sum cunctis miserationibus tuis, et veritate tua quam explevisti servo tuo. In baculo meo transivi Jordanem istum: et nunc cum duabus turmis regredior.
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 Erue me de manu fratris mei Esau, quia valde eum timeo: ne forte veniens percutiat matrem cum filiis.
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 Tu locutus es quod benefaceres mihi, et dilatares semen meum sicut arenam maris, quæ præ multitudine numerari non potest.
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 Cumque dormisset ibi nocte illa, separavit de his quæ habebat, munera Esau fratri suo,
Jacob stayed the night there. Then he picked out animals as a gift to his brother Esau:
14 capras ducentas, hircos viginti, oves ducentas, et arietes viginti,
200 female goats, 20 male goats; 200 ewes, 20 rams;
15 camelos fœtas cum pullis suis triginta, vaccas quadraginta, et tauros viginti, asinas viginti et pullos earum decem.
30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls; 20 female donkeys, 10 male donkeys.
16 Et misit per manus servorum suorum singulos seorsum greges, dixitque pueris suis: Antecedite me, et sit spatium inter gregem et gregem.
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 Et præcepit priori, dicens: Si obvium habueris fratrem meum Esau, et interrogaverit te: Cujus es? aut, Quo vadis? aut, Cujus sunt ista quæ sequeris?
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 respondebis: Servi tui Jacob, munera misit domino meo Esau, ipse quoque post nos venit.
you are to say to him, ‘Your servant Jacob sends these as a gift to my lord Esau, and he's following us.’”
19 Similiter dedit mandata secundo, et tertio, et cunctis qui sequebantur greges, dicens: Iisdem verbis loquimini ad Esau cum inveneritis eum.
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 Et addetis: Ipse quoque servus tuus Jacob iter nostrum insequitur. Dixit enim: Placabo illum muneribus quæ præcedunt, et postea videbo illum: forsitan propitiabitur mihi.
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 Præcesserunt itaque munera ante eum, ipse vero mansit nocte illa in castris.
So the gifts went on ahead while Jacob spent the night at the camp.
22 Cumque mature surrexisset, tulit duas uxores suas, et totidem famulas cum undecim filiis, et transivit vadum Jaboc.
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 Traductisque omnibus quæ ad se pertinebant,
After helping them cross he also sent over everything that belonged to him.
24 mansit solus: et ecce vir luctabatur cum eo usque mane.
But Jacob stayed there alone. A man came and wrestled with him until dawn.
25 Qui cum videret quod eum superare non posset, tetigit nervum femoris ejus, et statim emarcuit.
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 Dixitque ad eum: Dimitte me: jam enim ascendit aurora. Respondit: Non dimittam te, nisi benedixeris mihi.
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 Ait ergo: Quod nomen est tibi? Respondit: Jacob.
“What's your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied.
28 At ille: Nequaquam, inquit, Jacob appellabitur nomen tuum, sed Israël: quoniam si contra Deum fortis fuisti, quanto magis contra homines prævalebis?
“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 Interrogavit eum Jacob: Dic mihi, quo appellaris nomine? Respondit: Cur quæris nomen meum? Et benedixit ei in eodem loco.
“Please tell me your name,” Jacob asked. “Why do you ask me my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 Vocavitque Jacob nomen loci illius Phanuel, dicens: Vidi Deum facie ad faciem, et salva facta est anima mea.
Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “I saw God face to face and I'm still alive!”
31 Ortusque est ei statim sol, postquam transgressus est Phanuel: ipse vero claudicabat pede.
The sun came up as Jacob left Peniel, limping along because of his damaged hip.
32 Quam ob causam non comedunt nervum filii Israël, qui emarcuit in femore Jacob, usque in præsentem diem: eo quod tetigerit nervum femoris ejus, et obstupuerit.
(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.)