Genesis 32

1Jacob also went on the journey he had begun: and the angels of God met him.

2And when he saw them, he said: These are the camps of God, and he called the name of that place Mahanaim, that is, Camps.

3And he sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir to the country of Edom:

4And he commanded them, saying: Thus shall ye speak to my lord Esau: Thus saith thy brother Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban, and have been with him until this day.

5I have oxen, and asses, and sheep, and menservants, and womenservants: and now I send a message to my lord, that I may find favour in thy sight.

6And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: We came to Esau thy brother, and behold he cometh with speed to meet thee with four hundred men.

7Then Jacob was greatly afraid; and in his fear divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the sheep, and the oxen, and the camels, into two companies,

8Saying: If Esau come to one company and destroy it, the other company that is left shall escape.

9And Jacob said: O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who saidst to me: Return to thy land and to the place of thy birth, and I will do well for thee,

10I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, and of thy truth which thou hast fulfilled to thy servant. With my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I return with two companies.

11Deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am greatly afraid of him: lest perhaps he come, and kill the mother with the children.

12Thou didst say that thou wouldst do well by me, and multiply my seed like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

13And when he had slept there that night, he set apart, of the things which he had, presents for his brother Esau.

14Two hundred she goats, twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,

15Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and twenty bulls, twenty she asses, and ten of their foals.

16And he sent them by the hands of his servants, every drove by itself, and he said to his servants: Go before me, and let there be a space between drove and drove.

17And he commanded the first, saying: If thou meet my brother Esau, and he ask thee: Whose art thou? or whither goest thou? or whose are these before thee?

18Thou shalt answer: Thy servant Jacob’s: he hath sent them as a present to my lord Esau: and he cometh after us.

19In like manner he commanded the second and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying: Speak ye the same words to Esau, when ye find him.

20And ye shall add: Thy servant Jacob himself also followeth after us: for he said: I will appease him with the presents that go before, and afterwards I will see him, perhaps he will be gracious to me.

21So the presents went before him, but himself lodged that night in the camp.

22And rising early he took his two wives, and his two handmaids, with his eleven sons, and passed over the ford of Jaboc.

23And when all things were brought over that belonged to him,

24He remained alone: and behold a man wrestled with him till morning.

25And when he saw that he could not overcome him, he touched the sinew of his thigh, and forthwith it shrank.

26And he said to him: Let me go, for it is break of day. He answered: I will not let thee go except thou bless me.

27And he said: What is thy name? He answered: Jacob.

28But he said: Thy name shall not be called Jacob, but Israel: for if thou hast been strong against God, how much more shalt thou prevail against men?

29Jacob asked him, Tell me by what name art thou called? He answered: Why dost thou ask my name? And he blessed him in the same place.

30And Jacob called the name of the place Phanuel, saying: I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been saved.

31And immediately the sun rose upon him, after he was past Phanuel; but he halted on his foot.

32Therefore the children of Israel, unto this day, eat not the sinew, that shrank in Jacob’s thigh: because he touched the sinew of his thigh and it shrank.

1Jacob quoque abiit itinere quo cœperat: fueruntque ei obviam angeli Dei.

2Quos cum vidisset, ait: Castra Dei sunt hæc: et appellavit nomen loci illius Mahanaim, id est, Castra.

3Misit autem et nuntios ante se ad Esau fratrem suum in terram Seir, in regionem Edom:

4præcepitque eis, dicens: Sic loquimini domino meo Esau: Hæc dicit frater tuus Jacob: Apud Laban peregrinatus sum, et fui usque in præsentem diem.

5Habeo boves, et asinos, et oves, et servos, et ancillas: mittoque nunc legationem ad dominum meum, ut inveniam gratiam in conspectu tuo.

6Reversique sunt nuntii ad Jacob, dicentes: Venimus ad Esau fratrem tuum, et ecce properat tibi in occursum cum quadringentis viris.

7Timuit Jacob valde: et perterritus divisit populum qui secum erat, greges quoque et oves, et boves, et camelos, in duas turmas,

8dicens: Si venerit Esau ad unam turmam, et percusserit eam, alia turma, quæ relicta est, salvabitur.

9Dixitque Jacob: Deus patris mei Abraham, et Deus patris mei Isaac: Domine qui dixisti mihi: Revertere in terram tuam, et in locum nativitatis tuæ, et benefaciam tibi:

10minor sum cunctis miserationibus tuis, et veritate tua quam explevisti servo tuo. In baculo meo transivi Jordanem istum: et nunc cum duabus turmis regredior.

11Erue me de manu fratris mei Esau, quia valde eum timeo: ne forte veniens percutiat matrem cum filiis.

12Tu locutus es quod benefaceres mihi, et dilatares semen meum sicut arenam maris, quæ præ multitudine numerari non potest.

13Cumque dormisset ibi nocte illa, separavit de his quæ habebat, munera Esau fratri suo,

14capras ducentas, hircos viginti, oves ducentas, et arietes viginti,

15camelos fœtas cum pullis suis triginta, vaccas quadraginta, et tauros viginti, asinas viginti et pullos earum decem.

16Et misit per manus servorum suorum singulos seorsum greges, dixitque pueris suis: Antecedite me, et sit spatium inter gregem et gregem.

17Et præcepit priori, dicens: Si obvium habueris fratrem meum Esau, et interrogaverit te: Cujus es? aut, Quo vadis? aut, Cujus sunt ista quæ sequeris?

18respondebis: Servi tui Jacob, munera misit domino meo Esau, ipse quoque post nos venit.

19Similiter dedit mandata secundo, et tertio, et cunctis qui sequebantur greges, dicens: Iisdem verbis loquimini ad Esau cum inveneritis eum.

20Et addetis: Ipse quoque servus tuus Jacob iter nostrum insequitur. Dixit enim: Placabo illum muneribus quæ præcedunt, et postea videbo illum: forsitan propitiabitur mihi.

21Præcesserunt itaque munera ante eum, ipse vero mansit nocte illa in castris.

22Cumque mature surrexisset, tulit duas uxores suas, et totidem famulas cum undecim filiis, et transivit vadum Jaboc.

23Traductisque omnibus quæ ad se pertinebant,

24mansit solus: et ecce vir luctabatur cum eo usque mane.

25Qui cum videret quod eum superare non posset, tetigit nervum femoris ejus, et statim emarcuit.

26Dixitque ad eum: Dimitte me: jam enim ascendit aurora. Respondit: Non dimittam te, nisi benedixeris mihi.

27Ait ergo: Quod nomen est tibi? Respondit: Jacob.

28At ille: Nequaquam, inquit, Jacob appellabitur nomen tuum, sed Israël: quoniam si contra Deum fortis fuisti, quanto magis contra homines prævalebis?

29Interrogavit eum Jacob: Dic mihi, quo appellaris nomine? Respondit: Cur quæris nomen meum? Et benedixit ei in eodem loco.

30Vocavitque Jacob nomen loci illius Phanuel, dicens: Vidi Deum facie ad faciem, et salva facta est anima mea.

31Ortusque est ei statim sol, postquam transgressus est Phanuel: ipse vero claudicabat pede.

32Quam ob causam non comedunt nervum filii Israël, qui emarcuit in femore Jacob, usque in præsentem diem: eo quod tetigerit nervum femoris ejus, et obstupuerit.

1Likewise, Jacob continued on the journey that he had begun. And the Angels of God met him.

2When he had seen them, he said, “These are the Encampments of God.” And he called the name of that place Mahanaim, that is, ‘Encampments.’

3Then he also sent messengers before him to his brother Esau, in the land of Seir, in the region of Edom.

4And he instructed them, saying: “You shall speak in this way to my lord Esau: ‘Your brother Jacob says these things: “I have sojourned with Laban, and I have been with him until the present day.

5I have oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, and men servants, and women servants. And now I send an ambassador to my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.” ’ ”

6And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We went to your brother Esau, and behold, he rushes to meet you with four hundred men.”

7Jacob was very afraid. And in his terror, he divided the people who were with him, likewise the flocks, and the sheep, and the oxen, and the camels, into two companies,

8saying: “If Esau goes to one company, and strikes it, the other company, which is left behind, will be saved.”

9And Jacob said: “God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me: ‘Return to your land, and to the place of your nativity, and I will do well for you.’

10I am less than any of your compassions and your truth, which you have fulfilled to your servant. With my staff I crossed over this Jordan. And now I go back with two companies.

11Rescue me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am very afraid of him, lest perhaps he may come and strike down the mother with the sons.

12You did say that you would do well by me, and that you would expand my offspring like the sand of the sea, which, because of its multitude, cannot be numbered.”

13And when he had slept there that night, he separated, from the things that he had, gifts for his brother Esau:

14two hundred she-goats, twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,

15thirty milking camels with their young, forty cows, and twenty bulls, twenty she-donkeys, and ten of their young.

16And he sent them by the hands of his servants, each flock separately, and he said to his servants: “Pass before me, and let there be a space between flock and flock.”

17And he instructed the first, saying: “If you happen to meet my brother Esau, and he questions you: “Whose are you?” or, “Where are you going?” or, “Whose are these which follow you?”

18you shall respond: “Your servant Jacob’s. He has sent them as a gift to my lord Esau. And he is also coming after us.”

19Similarly, he gave orders to the second, and the third, and to all who followed the flocks, saying: “Speak these same words to Esau, when you find him.

20And you will add: ‘Your servant Jacob himself also follows after us, for he said: “I will appease him with the gifts that go ahead, and after this, I will see him; perhaps he will be gracious to me.” ’ ”

21And so the gifts went before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.

22And when he had arisen early, he took his two wives, and the same number of handmaids, with his eleven sons, and he crossed over the ford of Jabbok.

23And having delivered over all the things that belonged to him,

24he remained alone. And behold, a man wrestled with him until morning.

25And when he saw that he would not be able to overcome him, he touched the nerve of his thigh, and immediately it withered.

26And he said to him, “Release me, for now the dawn ascends.” He responded, “I will not release you, unless you bless me.”

27Therefore he said, “What is your name?” He answered, “Jacob.”

28But he said, “Your name will not be called Jacob, but Israel; for if you have been strong against God, how much more will you prevail against men?”

29Jacob questioned him, “Tell me, by what name are you called?” He responded, “Why do you ask my name?” And he blessed him in the same place.

30And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been saved.”

31And immediately the sun rose upon him, after he had crossed beyond Peniel. Yet in truth, he limped on his foot.

32For this reason, the sons of Israel, even to the present day, do not eat the nerve that withered in Jacob’s thigh, because he touched the nerve of his thigh and it was obstructed.