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Jacob got ready to meet his brother Esau
1 Some of God's angels met Jacob and his family as they started to leave the place where Jacob and Laban made a promise to each other.
2 When Jacob saw the angels he said, “This must be God's camp.” And so he called that place Ma-han-ayim which means 2 camps.
3 Jacob and all his family kept on walking south until they were almost back in Jacob's homeland. But Jacob was worried what his brother Esau would do when he heard that they were coming home. So Jacob sent some messengers to go and talk to Esau, who was living in a place called Seir in the country of Edom.
4 Jacob told his messengers to say, “Jacob has lived with his uncle Laban all this time but now he wants to work for you. You are his boss.
5 Jacob is a rich man now, he has a lot of cattle, sheep, donkeys and male and female workers. He told us to tell you this and he hopes that you are happy to see him.”
6 The messengers came back to Jacob and said, “We met your brother and gave him your message. He is coming, right now, to meet you with 400 men.”
7 Jacob was still frightened and worried what Esau was going to do and so he put all the people, animals and camels into 2 groups.
8 He said to himself, “If Esau attacks one group, maybe the other group will get away and not get hurt.”
9 Jacob cried out to God and said, “You are the God of my grandfather Abraham and my father Isaac. You told me to leave Laban's country and come back home. You said that you would look after me.
10 I know that I am nothing and I have not done anything good, but you have been very kind and good to me all the time. A long time ago, when I was running away from Esau, I left my country and crossed the Jordan River with just my walking stick. But now I have come back with a lot of people that are in 2 camps.
11 Please save us from my brother Esau. I am frightened that he will come and kill us all, even all the women and children.
12 You said that you would be good to me and give me a big family. You said that there would be so many people in my family nobody could count them, just like nobody can count all the bits of dirt on the ground.”
13 Jacob made his camp for the night there and got a present ready for Esau.
14-15 He picked 200 girl goats and 20 boys goats, 200 girl sheep and 20 boy sheep, 30 girl camels and their babies, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 girl donkeys and 10 boy donkeys.
16 Jacob put each mob of animals into groups by themselves and had different workmen look after each group of animals. He told his workmen, “I want you to walk ahead of us and do not let any group of animals get too close to any other group. Do not let them get mixed up.”
17 Then Jacob said to the workmen leading the first group of animals, “You will meet my brother Esau first, and he will say to you, ‘Who is your boss? Who owns these animals and where are you going?’
18 You have to say, ‘We work for Jacob. He told us that you are his boss, and that he wants to give you these animals as a present. Jacob is coming behind us.’ ”
19 Jacob told the workmen that were looking after all the other groups of animals to say the same thing.
20 And he said, “Make sure you say, ‘Your workman Jacob is coming behind us.’ ”
You see, Jacob thought, “If I send these presents to Esau, might be, he will not pay me back for when I tricked him, and maybe he will be pleased to see me again.”
21 Jacob sent all the animals as a present for Esau, but he stayed in his camp that night.
Jacob had a wrestle with God
22-23 In the night time, Jacob got up from his bed and took Leah, Rachel, Bilhah, Zilpah and his 11 sons to the other side of the Jabbok River. Then he went back to the old camp and told his workmen to take everything they owned over to the other side of the river too.
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24 When Jacob was alone in the old camp, a man came to him. Jacob and the man had a wrestle all night until the sun came up.
25 The man could not beat Jacob, so he hit Jacob on the hip so that he could not walk properly anymore.
26 The man said, “Let go of me. The sun is coming up!”
But Jacob said, “No way! I will only let you go if you bless me and do something good for me and make me strong.”
27 The man said, “What is your name?”
And Jacob answered, “My name is Jacob.”
28 The man said, “I am going to change your name to Israel. You see, you have had trouble from people and you have wrestled with God, but you are the winner. That is why I have changed your name to Israel.”
29 Then Jacob asked, “What is your name?”
But the man said, “Why do you ask me what my name is? You should know who I am.”
The Lord blessed Jacob to make him strong and then went away. He left Jacob alone.
30 Jacob said to himself, “I have seen God's face and I did not die.” So he called that place Peniel which means Face of God.
31-32 The sun came up and Jacob's hip was very sore and so he limped from Peniel across the Jabbok River to the rest of his people.
Even today the people of Israel do not eat the strings that hold an animal's leg to its hip. You see the man hit Jacob there and that is why they do not eat those strings.