The First Book of Moses: Genesis

⭑ Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 32 -

And Jacob has gone on his way, and messengers of God come on him;

and Jacob says, when he has seen them, “This [is] the camp of God”; and he calls the name of that place “Two Camps.”

And Jacob sends messengers before him to his brother Esau, toward the land of Seir, the field of Edom,

and commands them, saying, “Thus you say to my lord, to Esau, Thus said your servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban, and I linger until now;

and I have ox, and donkey, flock, and manservant, and maidservant, and I send to declare to my lord, to find grace in his eyes.”

And the messengers return to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother, to Esau, and he is also coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him”;

and Jacob fears exceedingly, and is distressed, and he divides the people who [are] with him, and the flock, and the herd, and the camels, into two camps,

and says, “If Esau comes to one camp, and has struck it—then the camp which is left has been for an escape.”

And Jacob says, “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, YHWH who says to me, Return to your land and to your family, and I do good with you:

I have been unworthy of all the kind acts and of all the truth which You have done with your servant—for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.

Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I am fearing him, lest he come and has struck me—mother beside sons;

and You have said, I certainly do good with you, and have set your seed as the sand of the sea, which is not numbered because of the multitude.”

And he lodges there during that night, and takes from that which is coming into his hand, a present for his brother Esau:

female goats two hundred, and male goats twenty, ewes two hundred, and rams twenty,

suckling camels and their young ones thirty, cows forty, and bullocks ten, female donkeys twenty, and foals ten;

and he gives into the hand of his servants every drove by itself, and says to his servants, “Pass over before me, and a space you put between drove and drove.”

And he commands the first, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you, and has asked you, saying, Whose [are] you? And to where do you go? And whose [are] these before you?

Then you have said, Your servant Jacob’s: it [is] a present sent to my lord, to Esau; and behold, he also [is] behind us.”

And he commands also the second, also the third, also all who are going after the droves, saying, “According to this manner do you speak to Esau in your finding him,

and you have also said, Behold, your servant Jacob [is] behind us”; for he said, “I pacify his face with the present which is going before me, and afterward I see his face; it may be he lifts up my face”;

and the present passes over before his face, and he has lodged during that night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles with God

And he rises in that night, and takes his two wives, and his two maidservants, and his eleven children, and passes over the passage of Jabbok;

and he takes them, and causes them to pass over the brook, and he causes that which he has to pass over.

And Jacob is left alone, and One wrestles with him until the ascending of the dawn;

and He sees that He is not able for him, and He comes against the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh is disjointed in his wrestling with Him;

and He says, “Send Me away, for the dawn has ascended”: and he says, “I do not send You away, except You have blessed me.”

And He says to him, “What [is] your name?” And he says, “Jacob.”

And He says, “Your name is no longer called Jacob, but Israel; for you have reigned with God and with men, and prevail.”

And Jacob asks and says, “Please declare Your Name”; and He says, “Why [is] this, you ask for My Name?” And He blesses him there.

And Jacob calls the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is delivered”;

and the sun rises on him when he has passed over Penuel, and he is halting on his thigh;

therefore the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew which shrank, which [is] on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because He came against the hollow of Jacob’s thigh, against the sinew which shrank.

Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s army.” He called the name of that place Mahanaim.(a)

Jacob sent messengers in front of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom.

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.

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.’”

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.”

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.

He said, “If Esau comes to the one company, and strikes it, then the company which is left will escape.”

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,’

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.

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.

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.’”

He stayed there that night, and took from that which he had with him a present for Esau, his brother:

two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,

thirty milk camels and their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.

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.”

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?’

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.’”

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.

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.”

So the present passed over before him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles with God

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.

He took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had.

Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day.

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.

The man said, “Let me go, for the day breaks.” Jacob said, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.”

He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob”.

He said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

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.

Jacob called the name of the place Peniel;(b) for he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

The sun rose on him as he passed over Peniel, and he limped because of his thigh.

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.

Footnotes

(a)32:2 “Mahanaim” means “two camps”.

(b)32:30 Peniel means “face of God”.