Genesis 32–33

Preparing to Meet Esau

32Jacob went on his way, and God’s angels met him. ^c2When he saw them, Jacob said, “This is God’s camp.” So he called that place Mahanaim. ^de

³Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. ⁴He commanded them, “You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now. ⁵I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male and female slaves. I have sent this message to inform my lord, in order to seek your favor.’ ” ^f

⁶When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—and he has 400 men with him.” ^g7Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; he divided the people with him into two camps, along with the flocks, cattle, and camels. ⁸He thought, “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it, the remaining one can escape.” ^h

⁹Then Jacob said, “God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, ⁱthe Lord who said to me, ‘Go back to your land and to your family, and I will cause you to prosper,’ ^j10I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two camps. ¹¹Please rescue me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid of him; otherwise, he may come and attack me, the mothers, and their children. ¹²You have said, ‘I will cause you to prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’ ” ^k

¹³He spent the night there and took part of what he had brought with him as a gift for his brother Esau: ^l14200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, ¹⁵30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. ¹⁶He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them, “Go on ahead of me, and leave some distance between the herds.”

¹⁷And he told the first one: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to? Where are you going? And whose animals are these ahead of you?’ ¹⁸then tell him, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau. And look, he is behind us.’ ”

¹⁹He also told the second one, the third, and everyone who was walking behind the animals, “Say the same thing to Esau when you find him. ²⁰You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’ ” For he thought, “I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me. After that, I can face him, and perhaps he will forgive me.”

²¹So the gift was sent on ahead of him while he remained in the camp that night. ²²During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female slaves, and his 11 sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok. ^m23He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.

Jacob Wrestles with God

²⁴Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. ⁿ²⁵When the man saw that He could not defeat him, He struck Jacob’s hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip. ²⁶Then He said to Jacob, “Let Me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me.”

²⁷“What is your name?” the man asked.

“Jacob,” he replied.

²⁸“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” ^oHe said. “It will be Israel ^pbecause you have struggled with God ^qand with men and have prevailed.”

²⁹Then Jacob asked Him, “Please tell me Your name.”

But He answered, “Why do you ask My name?” ^rAnd He blessed him there.

³⁰Jacob then named the place Peniel, ^s“For I have seen God face to face,” he said, “and I have been delivered.” ^t31The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel ^uv—limping because of his hip. ³²That is why, to this day, the Israelites don’t eat the thigh muscle that is at the hip socket: because He struck Jacob’s hip socket at the thigh muscle. ^w

Jacob Meets Esau

33Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female slaves. ²He put the female slaves and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. ³He himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground ^xseven times until he approached his brother.

⁴But Esau ran to meet him, hugged him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then they wept. ^y5When Esau looked up and saw the women and children, he asked, “Who are these with you?”

He answered, “The children God has graciously given your servant.” ^z6Then the female slaves and their children approached him and bowed down. ⁷Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.

⁸So Esau said, “What do you mean by this whole procession ^aI met?” ^b

“To find favor with you, my lord,” ^che answered.

⁹“I have enough, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what you have.”

¹⁰But Jacob said, “No, please! If I have found favor with you, take this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing God’s face, since you have accepted me. ¹¹Please take my present that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have everything I need.” So Jacob urged him until he accepted.

¹²Then Esau said, “Let’s move on, and I’ll go ahead of you.”

¹³Jacob replied, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and I have nursing sheep and cattle. If they are driven hard for one day, the whole herd will die. ¹⁴Let my lord go ahead of his servant. I will continue on slowly, at a pace suited to the livestock and the children, until I come to my lord at Seir.”

¹⁵Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.”

But he replied, “Why do that? Please indulge me, ^dmy lord.” ^e

¹⁶That day Esau started on his way back to Seir, ¹⁷but Jacob went on to Succoth. He built a house for himself and stalls for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth. ^fg

¹⁸After Jacob came from Paddan-aram, he arrived safely ^hat Shechem ⁱin the land of Canaan and camped in front of the city. ¹⁹He purchased a section of the field where he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for 100 qesitahs. ^jk20And he set up an altar there and called it “God, the God of Israel.” ^l