Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau 1 WBS 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 WBS And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: 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 WBS And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother, to the land of Seir, 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 WBS And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak to my lord Esau: Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there till 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 WBS And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and men-servants, and women-servants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. 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 WBS And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he 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 WBS Then Jacob was greatly afraid, and distressed: and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks, and herds, and camels, into two bands; BSB BSB: In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels.
8 WBS And said, If Esau shall come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left, will escape. BSB BSB: He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.”
9 WBS And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who saidst to me, Return to thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee; 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 WBS I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shown to thy servant: for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. 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 WBS Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he shall 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 WBS And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, 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 WBS And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present 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 WBS 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 WBS Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. BSB BSB: 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.
16 WBS And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said to his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt 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 WBS And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau, my brother, meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither 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 WBS Then thou shalt say, They are thy servant Jacob's: it is a present sent to my lord Esau: and behold also he 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 WBS And so he commanded the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, In this manner 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 WBS And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of 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 WBS So the present went over before him; and he himself lodged that night in the company. BSB BSB: So Jacob’s gifts went on before him, while he spent the night in the camp.
Jacob Wrestles with God 22 WBS And he arose that night, and took his two wives, and his two women-servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford 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 WBS And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that which he had. BSB BSB: He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.
24 WBS And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him, until the breaking of the day. BSB BSB: So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
25 WBS And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh: and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, 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 WBS And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh; 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 WBS 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 WBS And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power 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 WBS And Jacob asked him , and said, Tell me , I pray thee, thy name: And he said, why is it that thou dost ask 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 WBS And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is 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 WBS And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. BSB BSB: The sun rose above him as he passed by Penuel, and he was limping because of his hip.
32 WBS Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrunk, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, to this day; because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrunk. 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.