Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau 1 DBY And Jacob went on his way; and the angels of God met him. BSB BSB: Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
2 DBY And when Jacob saw them he said, This is the camp of God. And he called the name of that place Mahanaim. BSB BSB: When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim.
3 DBY And Jacob sent messengers before his face to Esau his brother, into the land of Seir, the fields of Edom. BSB BSB: Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4 DBY And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak to my lord, to Esau: Thy servant Jacob speaks thus — With Laban have I sojourned and tarried until now; BSB BSB: He instructed them, “You are to say to my master Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now.
5 DBY and I have oxen, and asses, sheep, and bondmen, and bondwomen; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favour in thine eyes. BSB BSB: I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”
6 DBY And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother, to Esau; and he also is coming to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. BSB BSB: When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you—he and four hundred men with him.”
7 DBY Then Jacob was greatly afraid, and was distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the sheep and the cattle and the camels, into two troops. BSB BSB: In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels.
8 DBY And he said, If Esau come to the one troop and smite it, then the other troop which is left shall escape. BSB BSB: He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.”
9 DBY And Jacob said, God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Jehovah, who saidst unto me: Return into thy country and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good, BSB BSB: Then Jacob declared, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told me, ‘Go back to your country and to your kindred, and I will make you prosper,’
10 DBY — I am too small for all the loving-kindness and all the faithfulness that thou hast shewn unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two troops. BSB BSB: I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps.
11 DBY Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, and the mother with the children. BSB BSB: Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me and the mothers and children with me.
12 DBY And thou saidst, I will certainly deal well with thee, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. BSB BSB: But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’”
13 DBY And he lodged there that night; and took of what came to his hand a gift for Esau his brother — BSB BSB: Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau:
14 DBY two hundred she-goats, and twenty he-goats; two hundred ewes, and twenty rams; BSB BSB: 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams,
15 DBY thirty milch camels with their colts; forty kine, and ten bulls; twenty she-asses, and ten young asses. BSB BSB: 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.
16 DBY And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself; and he said to his servants, Go on before me, and put a space between drove and drove. BSB BSB: He entrusted them to his servants in separate herds and told them, “Go on ahead of me, and keep some distance between the herds.”
17 DBY And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meets thee, and asks thee, saying, Whose art thou, and where goest thou, and whose are these before thee? BSB BSB: He instructed the one in the lead, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, where are you going, and whose animals are these before you?’
18 DBY — then thou shalt say, Thy servant Jacob's: it is a gift sent to my lord, to Esau. And behold, he also is behind us. BSB BSB: then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift, sent to my lord Esau. And behold, Jacob is behind us.’”
19 DBY And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, According to this word shall ye speak to Esau when ye find him. BSB BSB: He also instructed the second, the third, and all those following behind the herds: “When you meet Esau, you are to say the same thing to him.
20 DBY And, moreover, ye shall say, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will propitiate him with the gift that goes before me, and afterwards I will see his face: perhaps he will accept me. BSB BSB: You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I will appease Esau with the gift that is going before me. After that I can face him, and perhaps he will accept me.”
21 DBY And the gift went over before him; and he himself lodged that night in the camp. BSB BSB: So Jacob’s gifts went on before him, while he spent the night in the camp.
Jacob Wrestles with God 22 DBY And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok; BSB BSB: During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.
23 DBY and he took them and led them over the river, and led over what he had. BSB BSB: He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.
24 DBY And Jacob remained alone; and a man wrestled with him until the rising of the dawn. BSB BSB: So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
25 DBY And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the joint of his thigh; and the joint of Jacob's thigh was dislocated as he wrestled with him. BSB BSB: When the man saw that he could not overpower Jacob, he struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled.
26 DBY And he said, Let me go, for the dawn ariseth. And he said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me. BSB BSB: Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 DBY And he said to him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. BSB BSB: “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied.
28 DBY And he said, Thy name shall not henceforth be called Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast wrestled with God, and with men, and hast prevailed. BSB BSB: Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
29 DBY And Jacob asked and said, Tell me , I pray thee, thy name. And he said, How is it that thou askest after my name? And he blessed him there. BSB BSB: And Jacob requested, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 DBY And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel — For I have seen God face to face, and my life has been preserved. BSB BSB: So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
31 DBY And as he passed over Peniel, the sun rose upon him; and he limped upon his hip. BSB BSB: The sun rose above him as he passed by Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip.
32 DBY Therefore the children of Israel do not eat of the sinew that is over the joint of the thigh, to this day; because he touched the joint of Jacob's thigh — the sinew. BSB BSB: Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck near that tendon.