THE FIRST BOOK OF
MOSES,
called
G E N E S I S
Genesis 32 ©
Jacob, being encouraged by having met the host of the holy angels, sends messengers toward his brother Esau, vs. 1, etc. But, understanding that he was marching down to him with a great number of men, he divides his people, and cattle for fear in two bands, and prays to God in fervent and humble manner for help and deliverance, 6. Then he sends presents in advance to Esau, with certain order and charge, and gets his wives and children over the ford by night, 13. But stays behind himself on this side where God wrestles with him, gives him the name Israel, blesses him, and touches his thigh, so that he halted, 24.
AND Jacob went on his way, and 1the angelsa of God met him.
And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place 2Mahanaim.
And Jacob sent messengers 3before him to Esau his brother unto the land of 4Seir, the country of 5Edom.
And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto 6my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:
And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent 7to tell my lord, 8that I may find grace in thy sight.
¶And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and 9four hundred men with him.
10Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;
And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall 11escape.
¶And Jacob said, 12O God of my 13father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Returnb unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
14I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the 15truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my 16staff I passed over this 17Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother 18with the children.
And thou saidst, Ic will 19surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
¶And he lodged there that same night; and 20took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
Thirty milchd camels with their 21colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and 22ten foals.
And he 23delivered them into the hand of his servants, 24every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and 25put a space betwixt drove and drove.
And he commanded 26the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these 27before thee?
Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also 28he is behind us.
And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, 29On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.
And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For 30he said, 31I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure 32he will accept of me.
So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over 33the ford 34Jabbok.
And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
¶And 35Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled 36a man with him until the breaking of the day.
37And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched 38the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
Ande he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, 39I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
And he said unto him, 40What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
And he said, Thyf name shall be called 41no more Jacob, but 42Israel: for as a prince hast thou power 43with God and 44with men, and hast prevailed.
And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, 45Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And 46he blessed him there.
And Jacob called the name of the place 47Peniel: for I have seen 48God face to face, and 49my life is preserved.
And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
50Therefore the children of Israel eat not of 51the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he 52touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.