32 Jacob continued on his journey to his father's house. On his way the angels of God met him. [ a ] 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, ‘This is where God's army has put up their tents!’ So he called that place Mahanaim.
3 Jacob sent men with a message to his brother Esau. Esau was living in the land of Seir, also called Edom. 4 Jacob told his men, ‘This is what you must say to my master Esau: Your servant Jacob says, “I have been staying with Laban until now. 5 I have cows, donkeys, sheep and goats. I have male and female servants. Now I am sending this message to my lord so that you will be happy with me.” ’
6 When the men returned, they said to Jacob, ‘We went to your brother Esau. Now he is coming to meet you and he has 400 men with him.’ 7 Jacob was very frightened and upset when he heard this. So he separated his people into two groups. He also separated his animals. 8 He thought, ‘If Esau attacks one group, the other group may run away safely.’
9 Then Jacob prayed, ‘God of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac, Lord , you said to me, “Go back to your country and to your relatives. I will do good things for you there.” 10 You have always loved me. You have continued to be kind to me. I do not deserve this. When I crossed the Jordan River to go to Haran, I only had my stick. But now I can make two big groups of people and animals. 11 I pray that you will save me from the power of my brother Esau. I am afraid that he will come and attack me. He may also attack my family. 12 But you have said, “I will give you many good things. I will give you so many descendants that nobody will be able to count them. They will be as many as the pieces of sand on the shore of the sea.” ’ [ b ]
13 Jacob stayed in that place for the night. He chose some of his animals as a gift for Esau. 14 He chose 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep. 15 He also chose 30 female camels, with their young ones, 40 cows and ten bulls, 20 female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He told his servants to take care of them. He separated each group of animals from the other groups. Jacob said to his servants, ‘Go in front of me. Keep some space between each group of animals.’ 17 He told the servant who led the first group of animals, ‘When my brother Esau meets you, he may ask, “Who do you belong to? Where are you going? Who do all these animals belong to?” 18 Then you must say, “They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift that he has sent to my lord Esau. Jacob himself is coming behind us.” ’ 19 Jacob also told the servants who led the other groups of animals, as well as the servants who followed behind them, ‘You are to say the same thing to Esau, when you meet him. 20 You must also say “Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.” ’
Jacob thought, ‘Esau will be happy to receive my gifts. He will no longer be angry with me. Then, when I meet him, he will not hurt me.’ 21 So Jacob sent the men with his gifts to go on to meet Esau. But he himself stayed in that place for the night.
22 During the night Jacob took with him his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons. They went across the Jabbok river where there was a place to cross. [ c ] 23 After Jacob had sent his family across, he also sent all his things across the stream. 24 Then Jacob was alone. A man came and fought with him for a long time. [ d ] They continued until dawn.
25 The man saw that he was not winning the fight against Jacob. So he hit Jacob's hip while they were fighting. [ e ] In that way, Jacob's hip moved out of its proper place. 26 Then the man said to Jacob, ‘Now let me go because dawn has come.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’
27 The man asked Jacob, ‘What is your name?’ Jacob replied, ‘My name is Jacob.’ 28 Then the man said, ‘Your name will not be Jacob any longer. Your name will now be Israel. [ f ] That is because you have fought with God and you have fought with men. And you have won!’
29 Then Jacob said, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But the man said, ‘Why do you want to know my name?’ Then he blessed Jacob in that place. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel. [ g ] He said, ‘I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive!’
31 The sun rose in the sky as Jacob passed through Peniel. He could not walk properly because of his hip.
32 Even today, the Israelite people do not eat the meat of an animal where it joins to the hip. This is because God touched Jacob's hip. [ h ]
32 Jacob also left that place. While he was traveling, he saw God’s angels. 2 When he saw them, he said, “This is God’s camp!” So Jacob named that place Mahanaim. [ a ]
3 Jacob’s brother Esau was living in the area called Seir in the hill country of Edom. Jacob sent messengers to Esau. 4 He told them, “Tell this to my master Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says, I have lived with Laban all these years. 5 I have many cattle, donkeys, flocks, and servants. Sir, I am sending you this message to ask you to accept us.’”
6 The messengers came back to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you. He has 400 men with him.”
7 Jacob was very frightened and worried. He divided the people who were with him and all the flocks, herds, and camels into two groups. 8 Jacob thought, “If Esau comes and destroys one group, the other group can run away and be saved.”
9 Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham! God of my father Isaac! Lord , you told me to come back to my country and to my family. You said that you would do good to me. 10 You have been very kind to me. You did many good things for me. The first time I traveled across the Jordan River, I owned nothing—only my walking stick. But now I own enough things to have two full groups. 11 I ask you to please save me from my brother Esau. I am afraid that he will come and kill us all, even the mothers with the children. 12 Lord, you said to me, ‘I will be good to you. I will increase your family and make your children as many as the sands of the sea. There will be too many to count.’”
13 Jacob stayed in that place for the night. He prepared some things to give to Esau as a gift. 14 He took 200 female goats and 20 male goats, 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep. 15 He took 30 camels and their colts, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. 16 He gave each flock of animals to his servants. Then he said to them, “Separate each group of animals. Go ahead of me and keep some space between each herd.” 17 Jacob gave them their orders. To the servant with the first group of animals he said, “When Esau my brother comes to you and asks you, ‘Whose animals are these? Where are you going? Whose servant are you?’ 18 then you should answer, ‘These animals belong to your servant Jacob. He sent them as a gift to you, my master Esau. And he also is coming behind us.’”
19 Jacob also ordered the second servant, the third servant, and all the other servants to do the same thing. He said, “You will say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 You will say, ‘This is a gift to you, and your servant Jacob is behind us.’”
Jacob thought, “If I send these men ahead with gifts, maybe Esau will forgive me and accept me.” 21 So Jacob sent the gifts to Esau, but he stayed that night in the camp.
22 During the night, Jacob got up and began moving his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven sons across the Jabbok River at the crossing. 23 After he sent his family across the river, he sent across everything he had.
24 Jacob was left alone, and a man came and wrestled with him. The man fought with him until the sun came up. 25 When the man saw that he could not defeat Jacob, he touched Jacob’s leg and put it out of joint.
26 Then the man said to Jacob, “Let me go. The sun is coming up.”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go. You must bless me.”
27 And the man said to him, “What is your name?”
And Jacob said, “My name is Jacob.”
28 Then the man said, “Your name will not be Jacob. Your name will now be Israel. [ b ] I give you this name because you have fought with God and with men, and you have won.”
29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.”
But the man said, “Why do you ask my name?” Then the man blessed Jacob at that place.
30 So Jacob named that place Peniel. [ c ] He said, “At this place, I saw God face to face, but my life was spared.” 31 Then the sun came up as Jacob left Peniel. He was limping because of his leg. 32 So even today, the people of Israel don’t eat the muscle that is on the hip joint, because this is the muscle where Jacob was hurt.
32 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:
5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;
8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.
17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?
18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.
19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.
20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.
21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.
23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
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 out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.
32 Now as Jacob went on his way, ( A ) the angels of God met him. 2 And when he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s [ a ] camp.” So he named that place [ b ] ( B ) Mahanaim.
3 Then Jacob ( C ) sent messengers ahead of himself to his brother Esau in the land of ( D ) Seir, the [ c ] country of ( E ) Edom. 4 He commanded them, saying, “This is what you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says the following: “I have resided with Laban, and ( F ) stayed until now; 5 and ( G ) I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent messengers to tell my lord, ( H ) so that I may find favor in your sight.”’”
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore ( I ) he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 Then Jacob was ( J ) greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks, the herds, and the camels, into two companies; 8 for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and [ d ] attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”
9 Then Jacob said, “ ( K ) God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, Lord , who said to me, ‘ ( L ) Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will [ e ] make you prosper,’ 10 [ f ] I am unworthy ( M ) of all the [ g ] favor and of all the [ h ] faithfulness, which You have shown to Your servant; for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. 11 ( N ) Save me, please, ( O ) from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and [ i ] attack me and the ( P ) mothers with the children. 12 For You said, ‘ ( Q ) I will assuredly [ j ] make you prosper and ( R ) make your [ k ] descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be counted.’”
13 So he spent the night there. Then he [ l ] selected from what [ m ] he had with him a ( S ) gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 Then he placed them in the [ n ] care of his servants, every flock by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between flocks.” 17 And he commanded the [ o ] one in front, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘ These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a gift sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.’” 19 Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the flocks, saying, “In this way you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20 and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the gift that goes ahead of me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the gift passed on ahead of him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.
22 Now he got up that same night and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his eleven children, and crossed the shallow place of the ( T ) Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had.
24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man ( U ) wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of [ p ] Jacob’s hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “ ( V ) I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then ( W ) he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but [ q ] Israel; for you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 And ( X ) Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob named the place [ r ] Peniel, for he said , “ ( Y ) I have seen God face to face, yet my [ s ] life has been [ t ] spared.” 31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over ( Z ) Penuel, and he was limping on his hip. 32 Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the tendon of the hip which is on the socket of the hip, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the tendon of the hip.
32 [ a ] Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God ( A ) met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” ( B ) So he named that place Mahanaim. [ b ] ( C )
3 Jacob sent messengers ( D ) ahead of him to his brother Esau ( E ) in the land of Seir, ( F ) the country of Edom. ( G ) 4 He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord ( H ) Esau: ‘Your servant ( I ) Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban ( J ) and have remained there till now. 5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants. ( K ) Now I am sending this message to my lord, ( L ) that I may find favor in your eyes. ( M ) ’”
6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” ( N )
7 In great fear ( O ) and distress ( P ) Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, [ c ] ( Q ) and the flocks and herds and camels as well. 8 He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group, [ d ] the group [ e ] that is left may escape.”
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, ( R ) God of my father Isaac, ( S ) Lord , you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ ( T ) 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness ( U ) you have shown your servant. I had only my staff ( V ) when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. ( W ) 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid ( X ) he will come and attack me, ( Y ) and also the mothers with their children. ( Z ) 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand ( AA ) of the sea, which cannot be counted. ( AB ) ’”
13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift ( AC ) for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, ( AD ) 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. ( AE ) 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.” ( AF )
17 He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant ( AG ) Jacob. They are a gift ( AH ) sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”
19 He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say, ‘Your servant ( AI ) Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts ( AJ ) I am sending on ahead; ( AK ) later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.” ( AL ) 21 So Jacob’s gifts ( AM ) went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons ( AN ) and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ( AO ) 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. ( AP ) 24 So Jacob was left alone, ( AQ ) and a man ( AR ) wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip ( AS ) so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” ( AT )
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” ( AU ) he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name ( AV ) will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, [ f ] ( AW ) because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” ( AX )
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” ( AY )
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” ( AZ ) Then he blessed ( BA ) him there.
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, [ g ] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, ( BB ) and yet my life was spared.”
31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, [ h ] ( BC ) and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, ( BD ) because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.
