Genesis 32
New American Standard Bible 1995
Jacob’s Fear of Esau
32 Now as Jacob went on his way, (A)the angels of God met him. 2 Jacob said when he saw them, “This is God’s [a]camp.” So he named that place [b](B)Mahanaim.
3 Then Jacob (C)sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of (D)Seir, the [c]country of (E)Edom. 4 He also commanded them saying, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, “I have sojourned with Laban, and (F)stayed until now; 5 (G)I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, (H)that I may find favor in your sight.”’”
6 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore (I)he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 Then Jacob was (J)greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies; 8 for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and [d]attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”
9 Jacob said, “O (K)God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘(L)Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will [e]prosper you,’ 10 [f]I am unworthy (M)of all the lovingkindness and of all the [g]faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. 11 (N)Deliver me, I pray, (O)from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and [h]attack me and the (P)mothers with the children. 12 For You said, ‘(Q)I will surely [i]prosper you and (R)make your [j]descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.’”
13 So he spent the night there. Then he [k]selected from what [l]he had with him a (S)present for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on before me, and put a space between droves.” 17 He commanded the [m]one in front, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a present sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.’” 19 Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the droves, saying, “After this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20 and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the present passed on before him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.
22 Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the (T)Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had.
Jacob Wrestles
24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man (U)wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “(V)I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 (W)He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but [n]Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29 Then (X)Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob named the place [o]Peniel, for he said, “(Y)I have seen God face to face, yet my [p]life has been preserved.” 31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over (Z)Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. 32 Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.
Footnotes
- Genesis 32:2 Or company
- Genesis 32:2 I.e. Two Camps, or Two Companies
- Genesis 32:3 Lit field
- Genesis 32:8 Lit smites
- Genesis 32:9 Lit do good with you
- Genesis 32:10 Lit I am less than all
- Genesis 32:10 Or truth
- Genesis 32:11 Lit smite
- Genesis 32:12 Lit do good with
- Genesis 32:12 Lit seed
- Genesis 32:13 Lit took
- Genesis 32:13 Lit had come to his hand
- Genesis 32:17 Lit first
- Genesis 32:28 I.e. he who strives with God; or God strives
- Genesis 32:30 I.e. the face of God
- Genesis 32:30 Lit soul
Genesis 32
Tree of Life Version
32 Early in the morning Laban got up, kissed his grandchildren and daughters and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned to his place. 2 While Jacob left on his way, the angels of God met him. 3 Then Jacob said when he saw them, “This is God’s camp”, and he named that place Mahanaim.
Parashat Vayishlach
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
4 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. 5 He also commanded them saying, “This is what you should say to my lord, to Esau: ‘This is what your servant Jacob said: I’ve been staying with Laban, and have lingered until now. 6 Now I’ve come to possess oxen and donkeys, flocks, male servants and female servants. I sent word to tell my lord, in order to find favor in your eyes.’”
7 The messengers returned to Jacob saying, “We went to your brother, to Esau, and he’s also coming out to meet you—and 400 men with him.”
8 So Jacob became extremely afraid and distressed. He divided the people with him, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, 9 for he thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and strikes it, the camp that’s left will escape.”
10 Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Adonai, who said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will do good with you.’ 11 I am unworthy of all the proofs of mercy and of all the dependability that you have shown to your servant. For with only my staff I crossed over this Jordan, and now I’ve become two camps. 12 Deliver me, please, from my brother’s hand, from Esau’s hand, for I’m afraid of him that he’ll come and strike me—the mothers with the children. 13 You Yourself said, ‘I will most certainly do good with you, and will make your seed like the sand of the sea that cannot be counted because of its abundance.’”
14 So he stayed overnight there. Then from all that had come into his possession he took an offering for Esau his brother: 15 200 female goats, 20 billy goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 16 30 milking camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. 17 He put them in the hands of his servants, each herd by itself, and he said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put a gap between each of the herds.” 18 Then he commanded the first one saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do all these before you belong?’ 19 then you are to say, ‘To your servant, to Jacob—it’s an offering sent to my lord, to Esau. And look, he’s also behind us.’” 20 And he also commanded the second one, the third one, and all those who were going behind the flocks, saying, “Say the same exact thing to Esau when you find him. 21 Then you are to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is also behind us.’” For he thought, “Let me appease him with the offering that goes ahead of me, and afterward see his face, perhaps he’ll lift up my face.” 22 So the offering passed over ahead of him, while he spent that night in the camp.
23 Then he got up that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok. 24 He took them and sent them across the stream, and he sent across whatever he had.
Jacob Wrestles With God
25 So Jacob remained all by himself. Then a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn. [a] 26 When He saw that He had not overcome him, He struck the socket of his hip, so He dislocated the socket of Jacob’s hip when He wrestled with him. 27 Then He said, “Let Me go, for the dawn has broken.”
But he said, “I won’t let You go unless You bless me.”
28 Then He said to him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he said.
29 Then He said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but rather Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and you have overcome.”
30 Then Jacob asked and said, “Please tell me Your name.”
But He said, “What’s this—you are asking My name?” Then He blessed him there.
31 So Jacob named the place Peniel, “for I’ve seen God face to face, and my life has been spared.”
32 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed by Peniel—limping because of his hip. 33 That is why the children of Israel do not eat the tendon of the hip socket, to this very day, because He struck the socket of Jacob’s thigh on the tendon of the hip.
Footnotes
- Genesis 32:26 Or, rolled around in the dust.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.