Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

1And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2And Jacob said when he saw them, “This is the camp of God.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.†

3And Jacob sent messengers† before him to Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. 4And he commanded them, saying, “Thus you⁺ shall say to my lord, to Esau, thus says your servant Jacob: ‘With Laban I have sojourned and I have delayed until now. 5And I have oxen and donkeys, flock, and menservants and maidservants. And I have sent to declare to my lord, to find favor in your eyes.’”

6And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother, to Esau, and he is also coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”

7And Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. And he divided the people who were with him, and the flock and the cattle and the camels, into two camps, 8and he said, “If Esau comes to the one camp and strikes it, then the remaining camp shall be for an escape.”

9And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, YHWH, the One saying to me, ‘Return to your land and to your kindred, and I will do good with you,’ 10I am not worthy of all the kindnesses and of all the faithfulness that You have done for Your servant. For with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 11Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and strike me—mother with sons. 12And You said, ‘I will surely do good with you and I will make your seed as the sand of the sea, which shall not be counted for multitude.’”

13And he lodged there that night, and he took from what is coming into his hand as a gift for Esau his brother: 14Two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams. 15And thirty nursing camels and their young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys. 16And he gave them into the hand of his servants, every herd by itself, and he said to his servants, “Pass over before me and put some distance between herd and between herd.”

17And he commanded the first one, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom are you? And where are you going? And to whom are these before you?’ 18Then you shall say, ‘To your servant Jacob; it is a gift, sent to my lord, to Esau. And behold, he is also behind us.’”

19And he commanded also the second one, also the third one, also all those going after the herds, saying, “In this manner you⁺ shall speak to Esau when you⁺ find him. 20And you⁺ shall say also, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he said, “I will cover his face† with the gift that goes before my face, and after that I will see his face; perhaps he will lift up my face.†”

21And the gift passed over before his face, and he lodged that night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles with God

22And he rose that night and he took his two wives and his two maidservants and his one and ten sons, and he passed over the ford of Jabbok. 23And he took them and caused them to pass over the stream, and he caused to pass over what belonged to him.

24And Jacob was left alone, and a man† wrestled with him until the breaking of the dawn. 25And he saw that he did not prevail against him, and he touched the socket of his hip, and the socket of the hip of Jacob was out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26And he said, “Send me away, for the dawn has broken.”

And he said, “I will not send you away, unless you bless me.”

27And 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;† for you have striven with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”

29And Jacob asked and said, “Tell me, please, Your name.”

And he said, “Why do you ask this about My name?” And he blessed him there.

30And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel:† “For I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been delivered.”

31And the sun rose on him as he passed over Penuel,† and he was limping on his hip. 32Upon thus the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew tendon which is on the socket of the hip to this day, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the sinew tendon.