1 Jacob went on his way, and the angels
of God met him.
2 When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is
God’s army.” He called the name of that
place Mahanaim.†
3 Jacob sent messengers in front of him
to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir, the
field of Edom.
4 He commanded them, saying, “This is
what you shall tell my lord, Esau: ‘This is
what your servant, Jacob, says. I have lived
as a foreigner with Laban, and stayed until
now.
5 I have cattle, donkeys, flocks, male servants,
and female servants. I have sent to
tell my lord, that I may find favor in your
sight.’ ”
6 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying,
“We came to your brother Esau. He
is coming to meet you, and four hundred
men are with him.” 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was
distressed. He divided the people who
were with him, along with the flocks, the
herds, and the camels, into two companies.
8 He said, “If Esau comes to the one
company, and strikes it, then the company
which is left will escape.”
9 Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham,
and God of my father Isaac, the LORD, who
said to me, ‘Return to your country, and to
your relatives, and I will do you good,’
10 I am not worthy of the least of all
the loving kindnesses, and of all the truth,
which you have shown to your servant;
for with just my staff I crossed over this
Jordan; and now I have become two companies.
11 Please deliver me from the hand of my
brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear
him, lest he come and strike me and the
mothers with the children.
12 You said, ‘I will surely do you good, and
make your offspring as the sand of the sea,
which can’t be counted because there are
so many.’ ”
13 He stayed there that night, and took
from that which he had with him a present
for Esau, his brother:
14 two hundred female goats and twenty
male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty
rams,
15 thirty milk camels and their colts,
forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys
and ten foals.
16 He delivered them into the hands of
his servants, every herd by itself, and said
to his servants, “Pass over before me, and
put a space between herd and herd.”
17 He commanded the foremost, saying,
“When Esau, my brother, meets you, and
asks you, saying, ‘Whose are you? Where
are you going? Whose are these before
you?’
18 Then you shall say, ‘They are your
servant, Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my
lord, Esau. Behold, he also is behind us.’ ”
19 He commanded also the second, and
the third, and all that followed the herds,
saying, “This is how you shall speak to
Esau, when you find him.
20 You shall say, ‘Not only that, but behold,
your servant, Jacob, is behind us.’ ”
For, he said, “I will appease him with the
present that goes before me, and afterward
I will see his face. Perhaps he will
accept me.”
21 So the present passed over before him,
and he himself stayed that night in the
camp.
22 He rose up that night, and took his
two wives, and his two servants, and his
eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of
the Jabbok.
23 He took them, and sent them over the
stream, and sent over that which he had.
24 Jacob was left alone, and wrestled
with a man there until the breaking of the
day.
25 When he saw that he didn’t prevail
against him, the man touched the hollow
of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh
was strained as he wrestled.
26 The man said, “Let me go, for the day
breaks.”
Jacob said, “I won’t let you go unless you
bless me.”
27 He said to him, “What is your name?”
He said, “Jacob”.
28 He said, “Your name will no longer
be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have
fought with God and with men, and have
prevailed.”
29 Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your
name.”
He said, “Why is it that you ask what my
name is?” So 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 preserved.”
31 The sun rose on him as he passed over
Peniel, and he limped because of his thigh.
32 Therefore the children of Israel don’t
eat the sinew of the hip, which is on the
hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he
touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the
sinew of the hip.
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