Genesis 32:13-34:31

New International Version

¹³ He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift^(A) for his brother Esau: ¹⁴ two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams,^{(B) 15} thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.^{(C) 16} He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”^(D)

¹⁷ He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ ¹⁸ then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant^(E) Jacob. They are a gift^(F) sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’”

¹⁹ He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁰ And be sure to say, ‘Your servant^(G) Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts^(H) I am sending on ahead;^(I) later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”^{(J) 21} So Jacob’s gifts^(K) went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles With God

²² That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons^(L) and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.^{(M) 23} After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions.^{(N) 24} So Jacob was left alone,^(O) and a man^(P) wrestled with him till daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip^(Q) so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”^(R)

²⁷ The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,”^(S) he answered.

²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name^(T) will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,^[a](U) because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”^(V)

²⁹ Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”^(W)

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”^(X) Then he blessed^(Y) him there.

³⁰ So Jacob called the place Peniel,^[b] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face,^(Z) and yet my life was spared.”

³¹ The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,^[c](AA) and he was limping because of his hip. ³² Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip,^(AB) because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

Jacob Meets Esau

33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men;^(AC) so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.^{(AD) 2} He put the female servants and their children^(AE) in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph^(AF) in the rear. ³ He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground^(AG) seven times^(AH) as he approached his brother.

⁴ But Esau^(AI) ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.^(AJ) And they wept.^{(AK) 5} Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.

Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.^(AL)”

⁶ Then the female servants and their children^(AM) approached and bowed down.^{(AN) 7} Next, Leah and her children^(AO) came and bowed down.^(AP) Last of all came Joseph and Rachel,^(AQ) and they too bowed down.

⁸ Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”^(AR)

“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,”^(AS) he said.

⁹ But Esau said, “I already have plenty,^(AT) my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”

¹⁰ “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes,^(AU) accept this gift^(AV) from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God,^(AW) now that you have received me favorably.^{(AX) 11} Please accept the present^(AY) that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me^(AZ) and I have all I need.”^(BA) And because Jacob insisted,^(BB) Esau accepted it.

¹² Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”

¹³ But Jacob said to him, “My lord^(BC) knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young.^(BD) If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. ¹⁴ So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the flocks and herds^(BE) before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.^(BF)”

¹⁵ Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”

“But why do that?” Jacob asked. “Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”^(BG)

¹⁶ So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.^{(BH) 17} Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth,^(BI) where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.^[d]

¹⁸ After Jacob came from Paddan Aram,^[e](BJ) he arrived safely at the city of Shechem^(BK) in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. ¹⁹ For a hundred pieces of silver,^[f] he bought from the sons of Hamor,^(BL) the father of Shechem,^(BM) the plot of ground^(BN) where he pitched his tent.^{(BO) 20} There he set up an altar^(BP) and called it El Elohe Israel.^[g]

Dinah and the Shechemites

34 Now Dinah,^(BQ) the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. ² When Shechem^(BR) son of Hamor^(BS) the Hivite,^(BT) the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.^{(BU) 3} His heart was drawn to Dinah^(BV) daughter of Jacob;^(BW) he loved^(BX) the young woman and spoke tenderly^(BY) to her. ⁴ And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”^(BZ)

⁵ When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled,^(CA) his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.

⁶ Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.^{(CB) 7} Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked^(CC) and furious,^(CD) because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in^[h] Israel^(CE) by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.^(CF)

⁸ But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.^{(CG) 9} Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.^{(CH) 10} You can settle among us;^(CI) the land is open to you.^(CJ) Live in it, trade^[i] in it,^(CK) and acquire property in it.^(CL)”

¹¹ Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes,^(CM) and I will give you whatever you ask. ¹² Make the price for the bride^(CN) and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”

¹³ Because their sister Dinah had been defiled,^(CO) Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully^(CP) as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. ¹⁴ They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised.^(CQ) That would be a disgrace to us. ¹⁵ We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition^(CR) only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.^{(CS) 16} Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.^(CT) We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.^{(CU) 17} But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”

¹⁸ Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹⁹ The young man, who was the most honored^(CV) of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.^{(CW) 20} So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city^(CX) to speak to the men of their city. ²¹ “These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it;^(CY) the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.^{(CZ) 22} But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,^(DA) as they themselves are. ²³ Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?^(DB) So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.^(DC)”

²⁴ All the men who went out of the city gate^(DD) agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.

²⁵ Three days later, while all of them were still in pain,^(DE) two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon^(DF) and Levi,^(DG) Dinah’s brothers, took their swords^(DH) and attacked the unsuspecting city,^(DI) killing every male.^{(DJ) 26} They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword^(DK) and took Dinah^(DL) from Shechem’s house and left. ²⁷ The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city^(DM) where^[j] their sister had been defiled.^{(DN) 28} They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys^(DO) and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.^{(DP) 29} They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children,^(DQ) taking as plunder^(DR) everything in the houses.^(DS)

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble^(DT) on me by making me obnoxious^(DU) to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.^(DV) We are few in number,^(DW) and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”

³¹ But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?^(DX)”