Genesis 32

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of Gods met him.

2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed,t “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.s
3 Jacob sent messengers on aheadt to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the regiont of Edom.4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servants Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now.

5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sentt this messaget to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”
6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.”7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels.

8 “If Esau attacks one camp,”t he thought,t “then the other camp will be able to escape.”t
9 Then Jacob prayed,t “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you saidt to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’t10 I am not worthy of all the faithful lovet you have shownt your servant. With only my walking stickt I crossed the Jordan,t but now I have become two camps.11 Rescue me,t I pray, from the handt of my brother Esau,t for I am afraid he will comet and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children.s

12 But youts said, ‘I will certainly make you prospert and will maket your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’”t
13 Jacobt stayed there that night. Then he sentt as a gifts to his brother Esau14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.16 He entrusted them tot his servants, who divided them into herds.t He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.”17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd,t “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong?t Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’t

18 then you must say,t ‘They belongt to your servant Jacob.t They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau.t In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’”t
19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.t20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’”t Jacob thought,t “I will first appease himt by sending a gift ahead of me.t After that I will meet him.t Perhaps he will accept me.”t

21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of himt while he spent that night in the camp.t
22 During the night Jacob quickly tookt his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sonst and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.s23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions.t24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a mans wrestleds with him until daybreak.t

25 When the mant saw that he could not defeat Jacob,t he struckt the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.
26 Then the mant said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.”t “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied,t “unless you bless me.”s27 The man asked him,t “What is your name?”s He answered, “Jacob.”

28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him,t “but Israel,s because you have foughts with God and with men and have prevailed.”
29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.”s “Whyt do you ask my name?” the man replied.t Then he blessedt Jacobt there.

30 So Jacob named the place Peniel,s explaining,t “Certainlyt I have seen God face to faces and have survived.”ts
31 The sun roset over him as he crossed over Penuel,s butt he was limping because of his hip.

32 That is why to this days the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struckt the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew.

GENESIS 32

Jacob Gets Ready //To Meet Esau

1 As Jacob was on his way back home, some of God's angels came and met him.

2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God's camp.” So he named the place Mahanaim.t
3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead to Esau, who lived in the land of Seir, also known as Edom. 4 Jacob told them to say to Esau, “Master, I am your servant! I have lived with Laban all this time,

5 and now I own cattle, donkeys, and sheep, as well as many slaves. Master, I am sending these messengers in the hope that you will be kind to me.”

6 When the messengers returned, they told Jacob, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is heading this way with 400 men.”
7 Jacob was so frightened that he divided his people, sheep, cattle, and camels into two groups.

8 He thought, “If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape.”

9 Then Jacob prayed:
You, [Lord], are the God who was worshiped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful. 10 I don't deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals. 11 Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well.

12 t But you have promised that I would be a success and that someday it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the grains of sand along the seashore.
13 After Jacob had spent the night there, he chose some animals as gifts for Esau:

14-15 200 female goats and 20 males, 200 female sheep and 20 males, 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, and 20 female donkeys and 10 males.
16 Jacob put servants in charge of each herd and told them, “Go ahead of me and keep a space between each herd.” 17 Then he said to the servant in charge of the first herd, “When Esau meets you, he will ask whose servant you are. He will want to know where you are going and who owns those animals in front of you.

18 So tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, who is coming this way. He is sending them as a gift to his master Esau.’ ”
19 Jacob also told the men in charge of the second and third herds and those who followed to say the same thing when they met Esau. 20 And Jacob told them to be sure to say that he was right behind them. Jacob hoped the gifts would make Esau friendly, so Esau would be glad to see him when they met.

21 Jacob's men took the gifts on ahead of him, but he spent the night in camp.

Jacob's Name //Is Changed to Israel

24 t Afterwards, Jacob went back and spent the rest of the night alone.
A man came and fought with Jacob until just before daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not win, he struck Jacob on the hip and threw it out of joint.

26 They kept on wrestling until the man said, “Let go of me! It's almost daylight.”
“You can't go until you bless me,” Jacob replied.

27 Then the man asked, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.

28  t The man said, “From now on, your name will no longer be Jacob. You will be called Israel, t because you have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won.”

29  t Jacob said, “Now tell me your name.”
“Don't you know who I am?” he asked. And he blessed Jacob.
30 Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive.” So he named the place Peniel.t 31 The sun was coming up as Jacob was leaving Peniel. He was limping because he had been struck on the hip, 32 and the muscle on his hip joint had been injured. That's why even today the people of Israel don't eat the hip muscle of any animal.