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 33

Jacob Meets Esau

1 Jacob looked upt and saw that Esau was comingt along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants.2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them.s3 But Jacobt himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approachedt his brother.4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept.5 When Esaut looked upt and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacobt replied, “The children whom God has graciously givent your servant.”6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down.t

7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.
8 Esaut then asked, “What did you intendt by sending all these herds to meet me?”t Jacobt replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.”9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.”10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said.t “If I have found favor in your sight, acceptt my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me,t it is as if I have seen the face of God.ts

11 Please take my presentt that was brought to you, for God has been generoust to me and I have all I need.”t When Jacob urged him, he took it.t
12 Then Esaut said, “Let’s be on our way!t I will go in front of you.”13 But Jacobt said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young,t and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young.t If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die.

14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children,t until I come to my lord at Seir.”

15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.”t “Why do that?” Jacob replied.t “My lord has already been kind enough to me.”t
16 So that same day Esau made his way backt to Seir.

17 Butt Jacob traveled to Succoths where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was calledt Succoth.s
18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped neart the city.19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought itt from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money.t

20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.”t

Genesis 34

Dinah and the Shechemites

1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meett the young woment of the land.2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her,t and sexually assaulted her.t3 Then he became very attachedt to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her.t4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.”t

5 Whent Jacob heard that Shechemt had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silents until they came in.
6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah.t

7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news.t Theyt were offendedt and very angry because Shechemt had disgraced Israelt by sexually assaultingt Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed.t
8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter.t Please give her to him as his wife.9 Intermarry with us.ts Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves.t

10 You may livet among us, and the land will be open to you.t Live in it, travel freely in it,t and acquire property in it.”
11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’st father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of met I’ll give.t

12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive,t and I’ll givet whatever you askt of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”
13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechemt had violated their sister Dinah.14 They said to them, “We cannot givet our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgracet to us.15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must becomet like us by circumcisingt all your males.16 Then we will givet you our daughters to marry,t and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people.

17 But if you do not agree to our termst by being circumcised, then we will taket our sistert and depart.”
18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem.t19 The young man did not delay in doing what they askedt because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinaht badly. (Now he was more importantt than anyone in his father’s household.)t20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gates of their city and spoke to the men of their city,21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enought for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry.t22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demandt that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised.

23 If we do so,t won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”
24 All the men who assembled at the city gatet agreed witht Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gatet was circumcised.25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his swordt and went to the unsuspecting cityt and slaughtered every male.26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left.27 Jacob’s sons killed themt and looted the city because their sister had been violated.t28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields.t

29 They captured as plundert all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruint on me by making me a foul odort among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. It am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!”

31 But Simeon and Levi replied,t “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”