English Standard Version

International Standard Version

1Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

1 As Jacob went on his way, angels from God met him.

2And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s camp!” So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

2As he was watching them, Jacob said, "This must be God's camp," so he named that place Mahanaim.

3And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom,

3Then Jacob sent messengers ahead of him into the land of Seir (that is, into the territory of Edom) to meet his brother Esau.

4instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now.

4He instructed them, "This is what you are to say to my master Esau: 'Your servant Jacob told me to tell you, "I've journeyed to stay with Laban and I've remained there until now.

5I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.’”

5I now have cattle, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants. I'm sending this message to you, sir, so that you'll show favor to me."'"

6And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.”

6Later, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, "We went to your brother Esau. He's now coming to meet you—and he has 400 men with him!"

7Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps,

7Feeling mounting terror and distress, Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, doing the same with the flocks, the cattle, and the camels.

8thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.”

8Jacob was thinking, "If Esau comes to one group and attacks it, then the remaining group may escape."

9And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’

9Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, O God of my father Isaac, O LORD, you who told me, 'Return to your country and to your relatives and I'll cause things to go well for you.'

10I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.

10I'm unworthy of all your gracious love, your faithfulness, and everything that you've done for your servant. When I first crossed over this river, I had only my staff. But now I've become two groups.

11Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.

11Deliver me from my brother Esau's control, because I'm terrified of him, and I'm afraid that he's coming to attack me, the mothers, and their children.

12But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”

12Now, you promised me that 'I'm certainly going to cause things to go well with you, and I'm going to make your offspring as numerous as the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.'"

13So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him he took a present for his brother Esau,

13Jacob spent the night there. Out of everything that he had brought with him, he chose a gift for his brother Esau—

14two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,

14200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams,

15thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.

1530 milking camels with their young, 40 cows with ten bulls, and 20 female donkeys with ten male donkeys.

16These he handed over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me and put a space between drove and drove.”

16He entrusted them into the care of his servants, one herd at a time. Then he told his servants, "Go in front of me, making sure there's plenty of space between herds."

17He instructed the first, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’

17To the first group he said, "When you meet my brother Esau, if he asks, 'To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And to whom do these herds belong?'

18then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he is behind us.’”

18then you are to reply, 'We're from your servant Jacob. The herds are a gift. He's sending them to my master, Esau. Look! There he is, coming along behind us.'"

19He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the same thing to Esau when you find him,

19He issued similar instructions to the second and third group, as well as to all the others who drove the herds that followed: "This is how you are to speak to Esau when you find him.

20and you shall say, ‘Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he thought, “I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”

20You are to tell him, 'Look! Your servant Jacob is coming along behind us.'" Jacob was thinking, "I'll pacify him with the presents that are being sent ahead of me. Then, when I meet him, perhaps he'll accept me."

21So the present passed on ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.

21So the presents went ahead of him, while he spent that night in the camp.

22The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.

22Later that night, he woke up, quickly took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven children, and forded the river at Jabbok.

23He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.

23He took them across the river, along with all his possessions.

24And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.

24And so Jacob was left alone, and he struggled with a man until daybreak.

25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.

25When the man realized that he hadn't yet won the struggle, he injured the socket of Jacob's thigh, dislocating it as he wrestled with him,

26Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

26and said, "Let me go, because the dawn has come." "I won't let you go," Jacob replied, "unless you bless me."

27And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”

27Then the man asked him, "What's your name?" "Jacob," he responded

28Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

28"Your name won't be Jacob anymore," the man replied, "but Israel, because you exerted yourself against both God and men, and you've emerged victorious."

29Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him.

29"Please," Jacob inquired, "Tell me your name." But he asked, "Why are you asking about my name?" And he blessed Jacob there.

30So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.”

30Jacob would later call that place Peniel, because "I saw God face to face, but my life was spared."

31The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

31The sun was rising above Jacob as he crossed over from Peniel, limping due to his wounded thigh.

32Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh.

32Therefore, to this day the Israelis do not eat the hip tendon that connects to the thigh socket, because he had injured the socket of the thigh where the tendon connected to Jacob's hip.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

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