雅各預備見以掃

32 雅各繼續前行,遇見了上帝的天使。 雅各看見他們,就說:「這是上帝的軍隊!」於是稱那地方為瑪哈念[a]

雅各先派人到西珥,就是以東,去見他哥哥以掃, 並吩咐他們:「你們要這樣對我主以掃說,『你僕人雅各一直寄居在拉班家裡, 現在他帶了牛羊、驢和僕婢回來見你,派我們來報信,希望得到你的恩待。』」

報信的人回到雅各那裡,說:「我們到了你哥哥以掃那裡,他正帶著四百人前來見你。」 雅各聽了非常害怕,便把隨從、牛群、羊群和駱駝分成兩隊, 心想:「如果以掃來攻擊一隊,另一隊還可以逃生。」

他禱告說:「耶和華,我祖父亞伯拉罕和我父親以撒的上帝啊!你吩咐我回到家鄉和親族那裡,答應厚待我。 10 我不配蒙你以慈愛和信實相待,我先前過約旦河的時候,手上只有一根杖,現在卻有兩隊人丁家畜。 11 求你救我脫離我哥哥以掃的手,我怕他會來殺我和我的妻兒。 12 然而,你曾說,『我必厚待你,使你的後代多如海沙,不可勝數。』」

13 那天晚上,雅各就在那裡過夜,又挑選牲畜送給哥哥以掃作禮物: 14 母山羊二百隻、公山羊二十隻、母綿羊二百隻、公綿羊二十隻、 15 哺乳的駱駝三十頭及其小駱駝、母牛四十頭、公牛十頭、母驢二十頭、驢駒十頭。 16 雅各把牲畜每類分成一群,交給僕人看管,對他們說:「你們走在前頭,每群牲畜之間要保持一段距離!」 17 又吩咐走在最前面的僕人說:「我哥哥以掃遇到你的時候,如果問你是誰家的人?要到哪裡去?前頭這些牲畜是誰的? 18 你就說,『是僕人雅各要送給他主人以掃的禮物,他自己就跟在後面。』」 19 雅各又吩咐看管第二群、第三群及其餘牲畜的僕人遇見以掃時也要這樣回答, 20 並且一定要說:「你僕人雅各就在後面。」雅各想先用禮物去化解以掃的怨恨,或許見面時以掃會善待他。 21 於是,他派人先把禮物送過去,自己則留在營裡過夜。

雅各遇見上帝

22 那天晚上,雅各起來帶著兩個妻子、兩個婢女和十一個兒子渡過雅博渡口。 23 雅各把他們連同一切所有都送過河以後, 24 自己獨自留下。這時,有一個人來和他摔跤,直到黎明。 25 那人見勝不過雅各,就在他的大腿窩摸了一下,他大腿的關節就脫了臼。 26 那人說:「天亮了,讓我走吧!」但雅各說:「你不祝福我,我就不讓你走。」 27 那人問道:「你叫什麼名字?」他說:「我叫雅各。」 28 那人說:「你以後不要再叫雅各了,你要叫以色列,因為你跟上帝和人角力都得勝了。」

29 雅各說:「請你告訴我你的名字。」那人說:「你為什麼問我的名字?」他就在那裡給雅各祝福。 30 雅各稱那地方為毗努伊勒,因為他說:「我當面見過上帝,竟能活命。」 31 雅各經過毗努伊勒的時候,太陽出來了,那時他的大腿瘸了。 32 以色列人至今都不吃大腿窩的筋,因為那人摸過雅各大腿窩的筋。

Footnotes

  1. 32·2 瑪哈念」意思是「兩營軍隊」。

32 And Jacob hath gone on his way, and messengers of God come upon him;

and Jacob saith, when he hath seen them, `This [is] the camp of God;' and he calleth the name of that place `Two Camps.'

And Jacob sendeth messengers before him unto Esau his brother, towards the land of Seir, the field of Edom,

and commandeth them, saying, `Thus do ye say to my lord, to Esau: Thus said thy servant Jacob, With Laban I have sojourned, and I tarry until now;

and I have ox, and ass, flock, and man-servant, and maid-servant, and I send to declare to my lord, to find grace in his eyes.'

And the messengers turn back unto Jacob, saying, `We came in unto thy brother, unto Esau, and he also is coming to meet thee, and four hundred men with him;'

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

and saith, `If Esau come in unto the one camp, and have smitten it -- then the camp which is left hath been for an escape.'

And Jacob saith, `God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Jehovah who saith unto me, Turn back to thy land, and to thy kindred, and I do good with thee:

10 I have been unworthy of all the kind acts, and of all the truth which Thou hast done with thy servant -- for, with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.

11 `Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I am fearing him, less he come and have smitten me -- mother beside sons;

12 and Thou -- Thou hast said, I certainly do good with thee, and have set thy seed as the sand of the sea, which is not numbered because of the multitude.'

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

14 she-goats two hundred, and he-goats twenty, ewes two hundred, and rams twenty,

15 suckling camels and their young ones thirty, cows forty, and bullocks ten, she-asses twenty, and foals ten;

16 and he giveth into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and saith unto his servants, `Pass over before me, and a space ye do put between drove and drove.'

17 And he commandeth the first, saying, `When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and hath asked thee, saying, Whose [art] thou? and whither goest thou? and whose [are] these before thee?

18 then thou hast said, Thy servant Jacob's: it [is] a present sent to my lord, to Esau; and lo, he also [is] behind us.'

19 And he commandeth also the second, also the third, also all who are going after the droves, saying, `According to this manner do ye speak unto Esau in your finding him,

20 and ye have said also, Lo, thy servant Jacob [is] behind us;' for he said, `I pacify his face with the present which is going before me, and afterwards I see his face; it may be he lifteth up my face;'

21 and the present passeth over before his face, and he hath lodged during that night in the camp.

22 And he riseth in that night, and taketh his two wives, and his two maid-servants, and his eleven children, and passeth over the passage of Jabbok;

23 and he taketh them, and causeth them to pass over the brook, and he causeth that which he hath to pass over.

24 And Jacob is left alone, and one wrestleth with him till the ascending of the dawn;

25 and he seeth that he is not able for him, and he cometh against the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh is disjointed in his wrestling with him;

26 and he saith, `Send me away, for the dawn hath ascended:' and he saith, `I send thee not away, except thou hast blessed me.'

27 And he saith unto him, `What [is] thy name?' and he saith, `Jacob.'

28 And he saith, `Thy name is no more called Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast been a prince with God and with men, and dost prevail.'

29 And Jacob asketh, and saith, `Declare, I pray thee, thy name;' and he saith, `Why [is] this, thou askest for My name?' and He blesseth him there.

30 And Jacob calleth the name of the place Peniel: for `I have seen God face unto face, and my life is delivered;'

31 and the sun riseth on him when he hath passed over Penuel, and he is halting on his thigh;

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

Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

32 [a]Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God(A) met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!”(B) So he named that place Mahanaim.[b](C)

Jacob sent messengers(D) ahead of him to his brother Esau(E) in the land of Seir,(F) the country of Edom.(G) He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord(H) Esau: ‘Your servant(I) Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban(J) and have remained there till now. I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants.(K) Now I am sending this message to my lord,(L) that I may find favor in your eyes.(M)’”

When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”(N)

In great fear(O) and distress(P) Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups,[c](Q) and the flocks and herds and camels as well. He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group,[d] the group[e] that is left may escape.”

Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham,(R) God of my father Isaac,(S) Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’(T) 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness(U) you have shown your servant. I had only my staff(V) when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps.(W) 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid(X) he will come and attack me,(Y) and also the mothers with their children.(Z) 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand(AA) of the sea, which cannot be counted.(AB)’”

13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift(AC) for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,(AD) 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.(AE) 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”(AF)

17 He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant(AG) Jacob. They are a gift(AH) sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”

19 He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say, ‘Your servant(AI) Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts(AJ) I am sending on ahead;(AK) later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”(AL) 21 So Jacob’s gifts(AM) 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(AN) and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.(AO) 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions.(AP) 24 So Jacob was left alone,(AQ) and a man(AR) wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip(AS) 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.”(AT)

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

“Jacob,”(AU) he answered.

28 Then the man said, “Your name(AV) will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[f](AW) because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”(AX)

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

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

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

31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,[h](BC) and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip,(BD) because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 32:1 In Hebrew texts 32:1-32 is numbered 32:2-33.
  2. Genesis 32:2 Mahanaim means two camps.
  3. Genesis 32:7 Or camps
  4. Genesis 32:8 Or camp
  5. Genesis 32:8 Or camp
  6. Genesis 32:28 Israel probably means he struggles with God.
  7. Genesis 32:30 Peniel means face of God.
  8. Genesis 32:31 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel

Esau Comes to Meet Jacob

32 So Jacob went on his way, and (A)the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s (B)camp.” And he called the name of that place [a]Mahanaim.

Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother (C)in the land of Seir, (D)the [b]country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, (E)“Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: “I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. (F)I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that (G)I may find favor in your sight.” ’ ”

Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and (H)he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” So Jacob was greatly afraid and (I)distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies. And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and [c]attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”

(J)Then Jacob said, (K)“O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord (L)who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the (M)mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with (N)my staff, and now I have become two companies. 11 (O)Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and [d]attack me and (P)the mother with the children. 12 For (Q)You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the (R)sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

13 So he lodged there that same night, and took what [e]came to his hand as (S)a present for Esau his brother: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals. 16 Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.” 17 And he commanded the first one, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.’ ” 19 So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20 and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will (T)appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.

Wrestling with God

22 And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, (U)and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them, sent them [f]over the brook, and sent over what he had. 24 Then Jacob was left alone; and (V)a Man wrestled with him until the [g]breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He [h]touched the socket of his hip; and (W)the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And (X)He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.”

But he said, (Y)“I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

27 So He said to him, “What is your name?”

He said, “Jacob.”

28 And He said, (Z)“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but [i]Israel; for you have (AA)struggled with God and (AB)with men, and have prevailed.”

29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.”

And He said, (AC)“Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He (AD)blessed him there.

30 So Jacob called the name of the place [j]Peniel: “For (AE)I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” 31 Just as he crossed over [k]Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He [l]touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 32:2 Lit. Double Camp
  2. Genesis 32:3 Lit. field
  3. Genesis 32:8 Lit. strikes
  4. Genesis 32:11 Lit. strike
  5. Genesis 32:13 he had received
  6. Genesis 32:23 across
  7. Genesis 32:24 dawn
  8. Genesis 32:25 struck
  9. Genesis 32:28 Lit. Prince with God
  10. Genesis 32:30 Lit. Face of God
  11. Genesis 32:31 Lit. Face of God; same as Peniel, v. 30
  12. Genesis 32:32 struck