Beginning
Jacob Meets Esau
32 When Jacob also went his way, the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So Jacob named that place Mahanaim.[a]
3 Jacob’s brother Esau was living in the area called Seir in the country of Edom. Jacob sent messengers to Esau. 4 Jacob told the messengers, “Give this message to my master Esau: ‘This is what Jacob, your servant, says: I have lived with Laban and have remained there until now. 5 I have cattle, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants. I send this message to you and ask you to accept us.’”
6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you. And he has 400 men with him.”
7 Then Jacob was very afraid and worried. He divided the people who were with him into two camps. He also divided all the flocks, herds and camels into two camps. 8 Jacob thought, “Esau might come and destroy one camp. But the other camp can run away and be saved.”
9 Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham! God of my father Isaac! Lord, you told me to return to my country and my family. You said that you would do good to me. 10 I am not worthy of the kindness and continual goodness you have shown me. The first time I traveled across the Jordan River, I had only my walking stick. But now I own enough to have two camps. 11 Please save me from my brother Esau. I am afraid he will come and kill all of us, even the mothers with the children. 12 You said to me, ‘I will do good to you. I will make your children as many as the sand of the seashore. There will be too many to count.’”
13 Jacob stayed there for the night. He prepared a gift for Esau from what he had with him. 14 It was 200 female goats and 20 male goats, 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep. 15 There were 30 female camels and their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. 16 Jacob gave each separate flock of animals to one of his servants. Then he said to them, “Go ahead of me and keep some space between each herd.” 17 Jacob gave them their orders. To the servant with the first group of animals he said, “My brother Esau will come to you. He will ask you, ‘Whose servant are you? Where are you going? Whose animals are these?’ 18 Then you will answer, ‘These animals belong to your servant Jacob. He sent them as a gift to you my master, Esau. And Jacob also is coming behind us.’”
19 Jacob ordered the second servant, the third servant and all the other servants to do the same thing. He said, “Say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 Say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’” Jacob thought, “If I send this gift ahead of me, maybe Esau will forgive me. Then when I see him, perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So Jacob sent the gift to Esau. But Jacob stayed that night in the camp.
Jacob Wrestles with God
22 During the night Jacob rose and crossed the Jabbok River at the crossing. He took his 2 wives, his 2 slave girls and his 11 sons with him. 23 He sent his family and everything he had across the river. 24 But Jacob stayed behind alone. And a man came and wrestled with him until the sun came up. 25 The man saw that he could not defeat Jacob. So he struck Jacob’s hip and put it out of joint. 26 Then the man said to Jacob, “Let me go. The sun is coming up.”
But Jacob said, “I will let you go if you will bless me.”
27 The man said to him, “What is your name?”
And he answered, “Jacob.”
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. Your name will now be Israel,[b] because you have wrestled with God and with men. And you have won.”
29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.”
But the man said, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 So Jacob named that place Peniel.[c] He said, “I have seen God face to face. But my life was saved.” 31 Then the sun rose as he was leaving that place. Jacob was limping because of his leg. 32 So even today the people of Israel do not eat the muscle that is on the hip joint of animals. This is because Jacob was touched there.
Jacob Shows His Bravery
33 Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming. With him were 400 men. So Jacob divided his children among Leah, Rachel and the two slave girls. 2 Jacob put the slave girls with their children first. Then he put Leah and her children behind them. And he put Rachel and Joseph last. 3 Jacob himself went out in front of them. He bowed down flat on the ground seven times as he was walking toward his brother.
4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob. Esau put his arms around him and hugged him. Then Esau kissed him, and they both cried. 5 Esau looked up and saw the women and children. He asked, “Who are these people with you?”
Jacob answered, “These are the children God has given me. God has been good to me, your servant.”
6 Then the two slave girls and their children came up to Esau. They bowed down flat on the earth before him. 7 Then Leah and her children came up to Esau. They also bowed down flat on the earth. Last of all, Joseph and Rachel came up to Esau. And they, too, bowed down flat before him.
8 Esau said, “I saw many herds as I was coming here. Why did you bring them?”
Jacob answered, “They were to please you, my master.”
9 But Esau said, “I already have enough, my brother. Keep what you have.”
10 Jacob said, “No! Please! If I have pleased you, then please accept the gift I give you. I am very happy to see your face again. It is like seeing the face of God because you have accepted me. 11 So I beg you to accept the gift I give you. God has been very good to me. And I have more than I need.” And because Jacob begged, Esau accepted the gift.
12 Then Esau said, “Let us get going. I will travel with you.”
13 But Jacob said to him, “My master, you know that the children are weak. And I must be careful with my flocks and their young ones. If I force them to go too far in one day, all the animals will die. 14 So, my master, you go on ahead of me, your servant. I will follow you slowly. I will let the animals and the children set the speed at which we travel. I will meet you, my master, in Edom.”
15 So Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”
“No, thank you,” said Jacob. “I only want to please you, my master.” 16 So that day Esau started back to Edom. 17 But Jacob went to Succoth. There he built a house for himself. And he made shelters for his animals. That is why the place was named Succoth.[d]
18 Jacob left Northwest Mesopotamia. And he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. He camped east of the city. 19 He bought a part of the field where he had camped. He bought it from the sons of Hamor father of Shechem for 100 pieces of silver. 20 He built an altar there and named it after God, the God of Israel.
Dinah Is Attacked
34 Dinah was the daughter of Leah and Jacob. At this time Dinah went out to visit the women of that land. 2 Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that land, saw Dinah. He took her and raped her. 3 Shechem fell in love with Dinah, and he spoke kindly to her. 4 He told his father, Hamor, “Please get this girl for me so I can marry her.”
5 Jacob learned how Shechem had disgraced his daughter. But Jacob’s sons were out in the field with the cattle. So Jacob said nothing until they came home. 6 And Hamor father of Shechem went to talk with Jacob.
7 When Jacob’s sons heard what had happened, they came in from the field. They were very angry, because Shechem had done such a wicked thing to Israel. It was wrong for him to have raped Jacob’s daughter. A thing like this should not be done.
8 But Hamor talked to the brothers of Dinah. He said, “My son Shechem is deeply in love with Dinah. Please let him marry her. 9 Marry our people. Give your women to our men as wives. And take our women for your men as wives. 10 You can live in the same land with us. You will be free to own land and to trade here.”
11 Shechem also talked to Jacob and to Dinah’s brothers. He said, “Please accept my offer. I will give anything you ask. 12 Ask as much as you want for the payment for the bride. I will give it to you. Just let me marry Dinah.”
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father with lies. They were angry because Shechem had disgraced their sister Dinah. 14 The brothers said to them, “We cannot allow you to marry our sister. You are not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15 But we will allow you to marry her if you do this one thing: Every man in your town must be circumcised like us. 16 Then your men can marry our women, and our men can marry your women. Then we will live in your land and become one people. 17 If you refuse to be circumcised, we will take Dinah and leave.”
18 What they asked seemed fair to Hamor and Shechem. 19 So Shechem went quickly to be circumcised because he loved Jacob’s daughter.
Now Shechem was the most respected man in his family. 20 So Hamor and Shechem went to the gate of their city. They spoke to the men of their city. They said, 21 “These people want to be friends with us. So let them live in our land and trade here. There is enough land for all of us. Let us marry their women. And we can let them marry our women. 22 But our men must agree to one thing. All our men must agree to be circumcised as they are. Then they will agree to live in our land. And we will be one people. 23 If we do this, their cattle and their animals will belong to us. Let us do what they say, and they will stay in our land.” 24 All the men who had come to the city gate heard this. And they agreed with Hamor and Shechem. And every man was circumcised.
25 Three days later the men who were circumcised were still in pain. Two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi (Dinah’s brothers), took their swords. They made a surprise attack on the city. And they killed all the men there. 26 Simeon and Levi killed Hamor and his son Shechem. Then they took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and left. 27 Jacob’s sons went among the dead bodies and stole everything that was in the city. This was to pay them back for what Shechem had done to their sister. 28 So the brothers took the flocks, herds and donkeys. And they took everything in the city and in the fields. 29 They took every valuable thing those people owned. They even took the wives and children and everything that was in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have caused me a lot of trouble. Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites who live in the land will hate me. There are only a few of us. If they join together to attack us, my people and I will be destroyed.”
31 But the brothers said, “We will not allow our sister to be treated like a prostitute.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.