(BA) Genesis 32

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The text below is adapted, with various alterations, from JPS.

1 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. And Laban departed, and returned to his place. 2 And Jacob went on his way, and angels of God met him. 3 And Jacob said when he said them, This is God's camp. And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

4 And Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the field of Edom. 5 And he commanded them, This is what you are to say to my lord Esau, This is what your servant Jacob says, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now. 6 And I have oxen, and asses and flocks, and male and female slaves, and I have sent to tell my lord, in order to find favor in his sight.

7 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau, and he is on his way to meet you now, and four hundred men with him.

8 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. And he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two camps. 9 And he said, If Esau comes to one camp and strikes it, then the remaining camp will escape.

10 And Jacob said, O god of my father Abraham, and god of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, Return to your country, and to your relatives, and I will do you good; 11 I am not worthy of all the mercies and all the faithfulness which you have shown to your servant, for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 12 Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, because I fear him, that he might come and strike me, the mother with the children. 13 And you said, I will surely do you good, and make your seed like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted for number.

14 And he lodged there that night, and took, of what he had with him, a present for Esau his brother: 15 two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred years and twenty rams, 16 thirty milk camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. 17 And he put them in the hand of his servants, each drove by itself, and said to his servants, Pass over ahead of me, and put a space between each drove.

18 And he commanded those in front, saying, When Esau my brother meets you, and asks you, Whose are you? And where are you going? And whose are these in front of you?, 19 then say, They belong to your servant Jacob. It is a present sent to my lord Esau, and he is following behind us.

20 And he also commanded the second, and the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, This is how you are to speak to Esau when you find him. 21 Say, Your servant Jacob is also behind us. For he thought, I will appease him with the present going ahead and me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me. 22 So the present passed over ahead of him, and he himself stayed the night in the camp.

23 And he rose up that night, and took his wives, and his two female slaves, and his eleven children, and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok. 24 And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over what he had. 25 And Jacob was left alone, and there a man wrestled with him under daybreak. 26 And he saw that he was not able to beat him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him. 27 And he said, Let me go, because day is breaking.

And he said, I will not let you go, unless you bless me.

28 And he said to him, What is your name?

And he said, Jacob.

29 And he said, Your name will no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.

30 And Jacob asked him, and said, Please, tell me your name.

And he said, Why is it that you ask about my name? And he blessed him there.

31 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, Because I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 32 And the sun rose on him as he passed over Penuel, and he limped on his thigh. 33 That is why the children of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh-vein, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day; because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, in the sinew of the thigh-vein.

(32:3) "Mahanaim". JPS defines this as meaning "Two camps".

(32:31) "Peniel". JPS defines this as meaning, "The face of God".

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