Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau 1 UST Meanwhile Jacob continued on his journey{ toward home}{ with his family}, and{ some} angels from God met him. BSB BSB: Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
2 UST When Jacob saw the angels, he exclaimed,“This is God’ s army!” So he named that place Mahanaim,{ which means“two armies.”} BSB BSB: When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim.
3 UST Then Jacob sent{ some} messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau{ who was living} in the region of Seir,{ which was also called} the country of Edom. BSB BSB: Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
4 UST { Before they left,} he ordered them,“This{ is what} you must tell my master Esau:‘I, your servant Jacob, want you to know that I have been staying with{ our uncle} Laban all this time. 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 UST I{ now} own{ many} cattle, donkeys, and flocks, as well as{ many} male and female servants. I have sent this message to{ you,} sir, hoping that you will be kind{ to me}{ when I arrive}.’” 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 UST { After the messengers delivered Jacob’ s message,} they returned to Jacob and reported{ to him},“We went{ and spoke} to your brother Esau. Now he is on his way{ here} to meet you, but{ there are}{ also} 400 men{ coming} 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 UST { When Jacob heard that,} he was very frightened and worried. So he put{ all} the people{ and animals} that were with him into two{ large} groups, including{ his family, his servants and}{ all} his flocks{ of sheep and goats}, herds{ of cattle} and camels. BSB BSB: In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels.
8 UST { He did that} because he thought,“If Esau{ and his men} come and attack one group, then the other group might{ be able to} escape.” BSB BSB: He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.”
9 UST Then he prayed,“{ Dear} Yahweh, the God whom my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac served, you told me to go back to my country where my relatives live, and that you would cause me to prosper. 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 UST I am not worthy of how kind and faithful you have always been to{ me} as I have served you. When I{ first} crossed this Jordan{ River}, all that I owned was my walking stick, but now my family and belongings are enough to form two{ large} groups. 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 UST Please rescue me{ now} from my brother Esau, because I am afraid that he{ and his men} will come and attack me{ as well as}{ these} mothers and{ our} 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 UST But you promised me that you would greatly prosper me, and that you would make my descendants{ as numerous} as{ the grains of} sand on the seashore, which are so numerous that no one can count them all.” 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 UST Then Jacob spent the night there, and{ during that time} he selected many of his animals to give to his brother Esau, BSB BSB: Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau:
14 UST { including} 200 female goats and twenty male goats, 200 female sheep and twenty male sheep, BSB BSB: 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams,
15 UST thirty mother camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls,{ and} twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. BSB BSB: 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.
16 UST Jacob put his servants in charge of the animals, with each kind{ of animal} in a separate group. Then he ordered his servants,“Go ahead of me,{ one group at a time,} and keep{ some} distance between each group{ of animals}.” 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 UST He{ also} ordered the servant in charge of the first group{ of animals},“When my brother Esau meets you and asks you,‘Who is your master, and where are you headed? And who do these{ animals} belong to{ that you are driving} ahead of you?’ 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 UST then you are to tell{ him},‘Esau, sir, these{ animals} belong to Jacob who{ humbly} serves you. He has sent them to you as a gift. In fact, he is following us{ here}.’” 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 UST In the same way, Jacob ordered the servants who were in charge of the second and third groups{ of animals}, and all{ the servants} who were in charge of the{ other} groups,“When you meet Esau, tell him the same thing{ that I told the first servant}. 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 UST Especially be sure to tell{ him} that his servant Jacob is following you{ there}.”{ Jacob did all that,} because he thought that if he sent the gifts{ of animals} ahead of himself{ to Esau}, then Esau would stop being angry at him. He was hoping that when Esau saw the gifts, he would{ forgive him and} welcome him when they met in person. 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 UST So Jacob’ s servants{ went} ahead of Jacob with the{ animal} gifts{ for Esau}, while Jacob{ and his family} stayed{ behind} in the camp that night. 32:22-32 BSB BSB: So Jacob’s gifts went on before him, while he spent the night in the camp.
Jacob Wrestles with God 22 UST { Later} that{ same} night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives and his eleven sons across a shallow place in the Jabbok{ Stream}. 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 UST { After} he had taken them across the stream, he{ went back and} had his servants take{ all} his{ animals and other} belongings across{ the stream}{ too}. BSB BSB: He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.
24 UST Then Jacob was{ there} by himself{ for a while}, and a man{ came and} fought with him until daybreak. BSB BSB: So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
25 UST When the man realized that he was not able to defeat Jacob, he struck him on his hip, so that it went out of place as they fought with each other. 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 UST Then the man said{ to him},“Let go of me, because it is daybreak!” But Jacob replied,“{ No!} I will not let go of you until you{ first} 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 UST So the man asked him,“What{ is} your name?” He answered,“{ My name is} Jacob.” BSB BSB: “What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied.
28 UST Then the man said,“Your name will no longer be Jacob, but{ rather it will be} Israel,{ which means‘he who wrestles with God,’} because you have wrestled with God and with people, and you have won.” 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 UST Then Jacob asked{ the man} to tell him his name. But he replied,“There is no need for you to ask{ me} what my name is!” Then the man blessed Jacob 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 UST So Jacob named the place Peniel,{ which means“God’ s face,”} because{ he exclaimed},“I saw God’ s face{ here}, but{ yet} he allowed me to live!” BSB BSB: So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
31 UST The sun was shining as Jacob left Penuel{ and returned to his family}. He was limping{ as he walked} because of his hip{ injury}. BSB BSB: The sun rose above him as he passed by Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip.
32 UST That is why even today the people of Israel do not eat meat that comes from an{ animal’ s} hip joint, because that is the place on Jacob’ s hip that God struck{ and injured}. 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.