< Genesis 32 >

1 Jacob also 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 Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God's camp,” so 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 on ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, in 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 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 say to my lord to Esau, Thus, saith thy servant Jacob, 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, 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 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 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 upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, and also the flocks, the herds, and the camels.
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 He said, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left 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, 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, —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 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 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 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 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 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.'”
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 Jacob stayed there that night. He took some of what he had with him as a gift for Esau, his brother:
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 milking camels and their colts, forty cows and 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.”
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 gifts went on ahead of him. 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 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 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 In this way he sent them across the stream along with all his possessions.
So he took them, and sent them over the brook, —and sent over that which he had.
24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
And Jacob was left alone, —and there wrestled a man with him, until the uprisings 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 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 The man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” Jacob said, “I will not 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 The man said to him, “What is your name?” Jacob said, “Jacob.”
Then he said unto 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.”
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 Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” He said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” Then 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 Jacob called the name of the place Peniel for he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is delivered.”
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 Jacob as he passed Peniel. He was limping 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 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.
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 >