Jacob Wrestles With God

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

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

“Jacob,”^(H) he answered.

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

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

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

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

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

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.^{(A) 2} He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice^(B) against my adversary.’

⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”^(C)

⁶ And the Lord^(D) said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out^(E) to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man^(F) comes,^(G) will he find faith on the earth?”