¹⁵ Then Rebekah took the best clothes^(A) of Esau her older son,^(B) which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. ¹⁶ She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins.^{(C) 17} Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

¹⁸ He went to his father and said, “My father.”

“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”^(D)

¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn.^(E) I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game,^(F) so that you may give me your blessing.”^(G)

²⁰ Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

“The Lord your God gave me success,^(H)” he replied.

²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you,^(I) my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

²² Jacob went close to his father Isaac,^(J) who touched^(K) him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” ²³ He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau;^(L) so he proceeded to bless him.

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba^(A) and set out for Harran.^{(B) 11} When he reached a certain place,^(C) he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head^(D) and lay down to sleep. ¹² He had a dream^(E) in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.^{(F) 13} There above it^[a] stood the Lord,^(G) and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.^(H) I will give you and your descendants the land^(I) on which you are lying.^{(J) 14} Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you^(K) will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.^(L) All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^{[b](M) 15} I am with you^(N) and will watch over you^(O) wherever you go,^(P) and I will bring you back to this land.^(Q) I will not leave you^(R) until I have done what I have promised you.^(S)”^(T)

¹⁶ When Jacob awoke from his sleep,^(U) he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!^(V) This is none other than the house of God;^(W) this is the gate of heaven.”

¹⁸ Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head^(X) and set it up as a pillar^(Y) and poured oil on top of it.^{(Z) 19} He called that place Bethel,^[c](AA) though the city used to be called Luz.^(AB)

⁹ Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham,^(A) God of my father Isaac,^(B) Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’^{(C) 10} I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness^(D) you have shown your servant. I had only my staff^(E) when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps.^{(F) 11} Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid^(G) he will come and attack me,^(H) and also the mothers with their children.^{(I) 12} But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand^(J) of the sea, which cannot be counted.^(K)’”

¹³ He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift^(L) for his brother Esau:

²¹ So Jacob’s gifts^(A) went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles With God

²² That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons^(B) and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.^{(C) 23} After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions.^{(D) 24} So Jacob was left alone,^(E) and a man^(F) wrestled with him till daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip^(G) so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”^(H)

²⁷ The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,”^(I) he answered.

²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name^(J) will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,^[a](K) because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”^(L)

²⁹ Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”^(M)

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”^(N) Then he blessed^(O) him there.

³⁰ So Jacob called the place Peniel,^[b] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face,^(P) and yet my life was spared.”

³¹ The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,^[c](Q) and he was limping because of his hip.