Genesis 32

Jacob’s Fear of Esau

1 Now as Jacob went on his way, athe angels of God met him. 2And when he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s
Or company
camp.” So he named that place
I.e., Two Camps, or Two Companies
,
dMahanaim.

3 Then Jacob esent messengers ahead of himself to his brother Esau in the land of fSeir, the
Lit field
country of hEdom.
4He 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 istayed until now; 5and jI have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent messengers to tell my lord, kso that I may find favor in your sight.”’”

6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore lhe is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7Then Jacob was mgreatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks, the herds, and the camels, into two companies; 8for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and
Lit strikes
attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”

9 Then Jacob said, “ oGod of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, Lord, who said to me, ‘ pReturn to your country and to your relatives, and I will
Lit do good with you
make you prosper,’
10
Lit I am less than all
I am unworthy sof all the
I.e., generosity
favor and of all the
Or truth
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 vSave me, please, wfrom the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and
Lit strike
attack me and the ymothers with the children.
12For You said, ‘ zI will assuredly
Lit do good with you
make you prosper and abmake your
Lit seed
descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be counted.’”

13 So he spent the night there. Then he
Lit took
selected from what
Lit had come to his hand
he had with him a afgift for his brother Esau:
14two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16Then he placed them in the
Lit hand
care of his servants, every flock by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me, and put a space between flocks.”
17And he commanded the
Lit first
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?’
18then 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.’” 19Then 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; 20and 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.” 21So 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 aiJabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had.

Jacob Wrestles

24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man ajwrestled with him until daybreak. 25When the man saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of
Lit his
Jacob’s hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.
26Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “ alI will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28Then amhe said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but
I.e., he who contends with God; or God contends
Israel; for you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
29And aoJacob 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. 30So Jacob named the place
I.e., the face of God
Peniel, for he said,aqI have seen God face to face, yet my
Lit soul
life has been
Lit saved
spared.”
31Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over atPenuel, and he was limping on his hip. 32Therefore, 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.

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