Genesis 32

Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

1As Jacob went on his way, some angels met him. 2When he saw them, he said, “This is God's camp”; so he called the place Mahanaim.#32.2 Mahanaim: This name in Hebrew means “two camps”.

3Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the country of Edom. 4He instructed them to say: “I, Jacob, your obedient servant, report to my master Esau that I have been staying with Laban and that I have delayed my return until now. 5I own cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and slaves. I am sending you word, sir, in the hope of gaining your favour.”

6When the messengers came back to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you. He has 400 men with him.” 7Jacob was frightened and worried. He divided into two groups the people who were with him, and also his sheep, goats, cattle, and camels. 8He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks the first group, the other may be able to escape.”

9Then Jacob prayed, “God of my grandfather Abraham and God of my father Isaac, hear me! You told me, LORD, to go back to my land and to my relatives, and you would make everything go well for me. 10I am not worth all the kindness and faithfulness that you have shown me, your servant. I crossed the Jordan with nothing but a walking stick, and now I have come back with these two groups. 11Save me, I pray, from my brother Esau. I am afraid — afraid that he is coming to attack us and destroy us all, even the women and children. 12#Gen 22.17Remember that you promised to make everything go well for me and to give me more descendants than anyone could count, as many as the grains of sand along the seashore.”

13-15After spending the night there, Jacob chose from his livestock as a present for his brother Esau: 200 female goats and twenty males, 200 female sheep and twenty males, thirty milk camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten males. 16He divided them into herds and put one of his servants in charge of each herd. He said to them, “Go ahead of me, and leave a space between each herd and the one behind it.” 17He ordered the first servant, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who is your master? Where are you going? Who owns these animals in front of you?’ 18you must answer, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. He sends them as a present to his master Esau. Jacob himself is just behind us.’ ” 19He gave the same order to the second, the third, and to all the others who were in charge of the herds: “This is what you must say to Esau when you meet him. 20You must say, ‘Yes, your servant Jacob is just behind us.’ ” Jacob was thinking, “I will win him over with the gifts, and when I meet him, perhaps he will forgive me.” 21He sent the gifts on ahead of him and spent that night in camp.

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

22That same night Jacob got up, took his two wives, his two concubines, and his eleven children, and crossed the River Jabbok. 23After he had sent them across, he also sent across all that he owned, 24#Hos 12.3–4but he stayed behind, alone.

Then a man came and wrestled with him until just before daybreak. 25When the man saw that he was not winning the struggle, he struck Jacob on the hip, and it was thrown out of joint. 26The man said, “Let me go; daylight is coming.”

“I won't, unless you bless me,” Jacob answered.

27“What is your name?” the man asked.

“Jacob,” he answered.

28 # Gen 35.10 The man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have struggled with God and with men, and you have won; so your name will be Israel.”#32.28 Israel: This name sounds like the Hebrew for “he struggles with God” or “God struggles”.

29 # Judg 13.17–18 Jacob said, “Now tell me your name.”

But he answered, “Why do you want to know my name?” Then he blessed Jacob.

30Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive”; so he named the place Peniel.#32.30 Peniel: This name sounds like the Hebrew for “the face of God”. 31The sun rose as Jacob was leaving Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32Even today the descendants of Israel do not eat the muscle which is on the hip joint, because it was on this muscle that Jacob was struck.

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Bereshis 32

1And Ya'akov went on his derech, and the malachim of Elohim met him.

2 And when Ya'akov saw them, he said, This is Mahaneh Elohim; and he called the shem of that makom (place) Machanayim.

[VAYISHLAH]

3 And Ya'akov sent malachim before him to Esav achiv unto Eretz Se'ir, the country of Edom.

4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto adoni Esav; Thy eved Ya'akov saith thus, I have sojourned with Lavan, and stayed there until now;

5 And I have shor (oxen), and chamor, tzon, and eved, and shifchah; and I have sent to tell adoni, that I may find chen (grace) in thy sight.

6 And the malachim returned to Ya'akov, saying, We came to Esav achicha, and also he cometh to meet thee, and arba me'ot ish with him.

7 Then Ya'akov was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided HaAm that was with him, and the tzon, and bakar, and the gemalim, into two machanot;

8 And said, If Esav come to the one machaneh, and attack it, then the other machaneh which is left shall escape.

9 And Ya'akov said, O Elohei Avi Avraham, and Elohei Avi Yitzchak, Hashem which saidst unto me, Shuv l'aretzecha and to thy moledet (kindred), and I will deal well with thee;

10 I am not worthy of the least of all the chasadim, and of all the emes, which Thou hast showed unto Thy eved; for with my makal (rod, staff) I passed over this Yarden; and now I am become two machanot.

11 Save me, now, from the yad achi, from the yad Esav; for I fear him, lest he will come and attack me, em with banim.

12 But Thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy zera as the chol of the yam, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

13 And he spent there that same night; and took of that which came to his yad a minchah for Esav achiv;

14 Two hundred female goats, and twenty male goats, two hundred rechelim (ewes), and twenty eilim (rams),

15 Thirty nursing gemalim with their colts, forty parot (cows), and ten parim (bulls), twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys.

16 And he delivered them into the yad of his avadim, every herd by itself; and said unto his avadim, Pass over before me, and keep a space between herd and herd.

17 And he commanded the rishon, saying, When Esav achi meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? And to where goest thou? And whose are these [animals] before thee?

18 Then thou shalt say, They are of thy eved Ya'akov; it is a minchah sent unto adoni Esav; and, hinei, also he is behind us.

19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the adarim (herds), saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esav, when ye find him.

20 And say ye moreover, Hinei, thy eved Ya'akov is behind us. For he said, Akhapperah (I will appease, cover) his face with the minchah that goeth ahead of me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.

21 So went the minchah (present) over ahead of him; but he himself stayed balailah in the machaneh.

22 And he rose up that night, and took his two nashim and his two shifchot, and his eleven yeladim, and passed over the ma'avar (ford) Yabbok.

23 And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over [all] that he had.

24 And Ya'akov was left by himself; and there wrestled an ish with him until the shachar (dawn, sunup).

25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he struck his hip socket; so Ya'akovʼs hip socket dislocated while he wrestled with him.

26 And he said, Let me go, for shachar breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, unless thou make a berakhah upon me.

27 And he said unto him, What is shemecha? And he said, Ya'akov.

28 And he said, Shimcha shall be called no more Ya'akov, but Yisroel: for sarita im Elohim ([yisrah=to prevail + El=G-d = Yisroel] ye have striven with Elohim) and with anashim, and hast overcome.

29 And Ya'akov asked him, and said, Tell me, now, shemecha. And he said, Why is it that thou dost ask after shmi? And he made a brocha upon him there.

30 And Ya'akov called the shem of the makom (place) Peniel (Face of G-d): for I have seen Elohim panim el panim, and my nefesh is saved.

31 And as he passed over Penuel the shemesh rose upon him, and he limped upon his hip.

32 Therefore the Bnei Yisroel eat not of the sinew of the thigh vein (sciatic nerve) which is upon the hip socket, unto this day; because he touched the hip socket of Ya'akov in the sinew of the thigh vein.

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