Genesis 32
32
1Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him; 2and when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God's army!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.#32.2 Here taken to mean Two armies
3And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, 4instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now; 5and I have oxen, asses, flocks, menservants, and maidservants; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’ ”
6And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him.” 7Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies, 8thinking, “If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the company which is left will escape.”
9And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who didst say to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, and I will do you good,’ 10I am not worthy of the least of all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness which thou hast shown to thy servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. 11Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and slay us all, the mothers with the children. 12But thou didst say, ‘I will do you good, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”
13So he lodged there that night, and took from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau, 14two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15thirty milch camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten he-asses. 16These he delivered into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on before me, and put a space between drove and drove.” 17He instructed the foremost, “When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these before you?’ 18then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob; they are a present sent to my lord Esau; and moreover he is behind us.’ ” 19He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the same thing to Esau when you meet him, 20and you shall say, ‘Moreover your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21So the present passed on before him; and he himself lodged that night in the camp.
22The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28Then he said, “Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel,#32.28 That is He who strives with God or God strives for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29Then Jacob asked him, “Tell me, I pray, your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,#32.30 That is The face of God saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his thigh. 32Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the sinew of the hip which is upon the hollow of the thigh, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew of the hip.
Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
Genesis 32
32
Jacob Fears Esau
1And Jacob went on his way, and angels of God met him. 2And when he saw them, Jacob said, “This is the camp of God!” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
3Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the territory of Edom. 4And he instructed them, saying, “Thus you must say to my lord, to Esau, ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, I have dwelled as an alien with Laban, and I have remained there until now. 5And I have acquired cattle, male donkeys, flocks, and male and female slaves, and I have sent to tell my lord, to find favor in your eyes.’ ” 6And the messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We came to your brother, to Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7Then Jacob was very frightened and distressed. So he divided the people, flocks, cattle, and camels that were with him into two companies. 8And he thought, “If Esau comes to one company and destroys it, the remaining company will be able to escape.” 9Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Yahweh, who said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your family, and I will deal well with you.’ 10I am not worthy#Literally “I am small” of all the loyal love and all the faithfulness that you have shown#Or “done” your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 11Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and attack mother and children alike. 12Now you yourself said, ‘I will surely deal well with you and make your offspring as the sand of the sea that cannot be counted for abundance.’ ”
13And he lodged there that night. Then he took from what he had with him#Literally “from that which was going from his hand” a gift for Esau his brother: 14two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, twenty rams, 15thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. 16And he put them under the hand of his servants, herd by herd,#Literally “every herd by its own” and said to his servants, “Cross on ahead before me, and put some distance between herds.#Literally “between a herd and between a herd” 17And he instructed the foremost, saying, “When Esau my brother comes upon you and asks you, saying, ‘Whose are you and where are you going? To whom do these animals belong ahead of you?’ 18Then you must say, ‘To your servant, to Jacob. It is a gift sent to my lord, to Esau. Now behold, he is also coming after us.’ ” 19And he also instructed the second servant and the third, and everyone else who was behind the herds, saying, “You must speak to Esau according to this word when you find him. 20And moreover, you shall say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he thought, “Let me appease him#Literally “let me cover his face” with the gift going before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will show me favor.”#Literally “lift up my face” 21So the gift passed on before him, but he himself spent that night in the camp.
Jacob Wrestles with God
22That night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23And he took them and sent them across the stream. Then he sent across all his possessions. 24And Jacob remained alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the dawn. 25And when he#That is, the man saw that he could not prevail against him, he struck his hip socket, so that Jacob’s hip socket was sprained as he wrestled with him. 26Then he#That is, the man said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27Then he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28And he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,#“Israel” means “he struggles with God,” or “God struggles” for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29Then Jacob asked and said, “Please tell me your name.” And he said, “Why do you ask this—for my name?” And he blessed him there. 30Then Jacob called the name of the place Peniel which means “I have seen God face to face and my life was spared.” 31Then the sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32Therefore the Israelites#Literally “sons/children of Israel” do not eat the sinew of the sciatic nerve that is upon the socket of the hip unto this day, because he struck the socket of the thigh of Jacob at the sinew of the sciatic nerve.
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