New King James Version

New Living Translation

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

1 As Jacob started on his way again, angels of God came to meet him.

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

2When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, “This is God’s camp!” So he named the place Mahanaim. Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau

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

3Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother, Esau, who was living in the region of Seir in the land of Edom.

4And he commanded them, saying, “Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: “I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now.

4He told them, “Give this message to my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob. Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban,

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

5and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.’”

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

6After delivering the message, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, “We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you—with an army of 400 men!”

7So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies.

7Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups.

8And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”

8He thought, “If Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape.”

9Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’:

9Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O LORD, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’

10I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.

10I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps!

11Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children.

11O LORD, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children.

12For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

12But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

13So he lodged there that same night, and took what came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother:

13Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to 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 milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.

1530 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.

16Then he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves.”

16He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants, “Go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds.”

17And he commanded the first one, saying, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going? Whose are these in front of you?’

17He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group: “When my brother, Esau, meets you, he will ask, ‘Whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals?’

18then you shall say, ‘They are your servant Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.’ ”

18You must reply, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, but they are a gift for his master Esau. Look, he is coming right behind us.’”

19So he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, “In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him;

19Jacob gave the same instructions to the second and third herdsmen and to all who followed behind the herds: “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.

20and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.”

20And be sure to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.”

21So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.

21So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp. Jacob Wrestles with God

22And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok.

22During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them.

23He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.

23After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.

24Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.

24This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break.

25Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.

25When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket.

26And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

26Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.”

27“What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.”

28And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

28“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

29Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.

29“Please tell me your name,” Jacob said. “Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.

30So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

30Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.”

31Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.

31The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip.

32Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.

32(Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.