Genesis 32
Living Bible
32 1-2 So Jacob and his household[a] started on again. And the angels of God came to meet him. When he saw them he exclaimed, “God lives here!” So he named the place “God’s territory!”
3 Jacob now sent messengers to his brother, Esau, in Edom, in the land of Seir, 4 with this message: “Hello from Jacob! I have been living with Uncle Laban until recently, 5 and now I own oxen, donkeys, sheep, goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform you of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to us.”
6 The messengers returned with the news that Esau was on the way to meet Jacob—with an army of 400 men! 7 Jacob was frantic with fear. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups; 8 for he said, “If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape.”
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of Abraham my grandfather, and of my father Isaac—O Jehovah who told me to return to the land of my relatives, and said that you would do me good— 10 I am not worthy of the least of all your loving-kindnesses shown me again and again just as you promised me. For when I left home[b] I owned nothing except a walking stick! And now I am two armies! 11 O Lord, please deliver me from destruction at the hand of my brother Esau, for I am frightened—terribly afraid that he is coming to kill me and these mothers and my children. 12 But you promised to do me good, and to multiply my descendants until they become as the sands along the shores—too many to count.”
13-15 Jacob stayed where he was for the night, and prepared a present for his brother Esau: 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 30 milk camels, with their colts, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, 10 male donkeys.
16 He instructed his servants to drive them on ahead, each group of animals by itself, separated by a distance between. 17 He told the men driving the first group that when they met Esau and he asked, “Where are you going? Whose servants are you? Whose animals are these?”— 18 they should reply: “These belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present for his master Esau! He is coming right behind us!”
19 Jacob gave the same instructions to each driver, with the same message. 20 Jacob’s strategy was to appease Esau with the presents before meeting him face-to-face! “Perhaps,” Jacob hoped, “he will be friendly to us.” 21 So the presents were sent on ahead, and Jacob spent that night in the camp.
22-24 But during the night he got up and wakened[c] his two wives and his two concubines and eleven sons, and sent them across the Jordan River at the Jabbok ford with all his possessions, then returned again to the camp and was there alone; and a Man wrestled with him until dawn. 25 And when the Man saw that he couldn’t win the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket.
26 Then the Man said, “Let me go, for it is dawn.”
But Jacob panted, “I will not let you go until you bless me.”
27 “What is your name?” the Man asked.
“Jacob,” was the reply.
28 “It isn’t anymore!” the Man told him. “It is Israel—one who has power with God. Because you have been strong with God, you shall prevail with men.”
29 “What is your name?” Jacob asked him.
“No, you mustn’t ask,” the Man told him. And he blessed him there.
30 Jacob named the place “Peniel” (“The Face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is spared.” 31 The sun rose as he started on, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 (That is why even today the people of Israel don’t eat meat from near the hip, in memory of what happened that night.)
Footnotes
- Genesis 32:1 So Jacob and his household, implied. God’s territory, literally, “Two encampments.”
- Genesis 32:10 left home, literally, “passed over this Jordan.”
- Genesis 32:22 and wakened, implied.
Genesis 32
English Standard Version
Jacob Fears Esau
32 Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God's (A)camp!” So he called the name of that place (B)Mahanaim.[a]
3 And Jacob sent[b] messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of (C)Seir, the country of Edom, 4 instructing them, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, ‘I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now. 5 I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, in order that (D)I may find favor in your sight.’”
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and (E)he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.” 7 Then Jacob was (F)greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, 8 thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.”
9 And Jacob said, (G)“O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who (H)said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ 10 (I)I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. 11 Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for (J)I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. 12 But (K)you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”
13 So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him he took (L)a present for his brother Esau, 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milking camels and their calves, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 These he handed over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on ahead of me and put a space between drove and drove.” 17 He instructed the first, “When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, ‘To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you?’ 18 then you shall say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a present sent to my lord Esau. And moreover, he is behind us.’” 19 He likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves, “You shall say the same thing to Esau when you find him, 20 and you shall say, ‘Moreover, your servant Jacob is behind us.’” For he thought, “I may appease him[c] with the present that goes ahead of me, and afterward I shall see his face. Perhaps he will accept me.”[d] 21 So the present passed on ahead of him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.
Jacob Wrestles with God
22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children,[e] and crossed the ford of the (M)Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. 24 And Jacob was left alone. And (N)a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, (O)“I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, (P)“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,[f] for (Q)you have striven with God and (R)with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, (S)“Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,[g] saying, “For (T)I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed (U)Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh.
Footnotes
- Genesis 32:2 Mahanaim means two camps
- Genesis 32:3 Or had sent
- Genesis 32:20 Hebrew appease his face
- Genesis 32:20 Hebrew he will lift my face
- Genesis 32:22 Or sons
- Genesis 32:28 Israel means He strives with God, or God strives
- Genesis 32:30 Peniel means the face of God
Genesis 32
New King James Version
Esau Comes to Meet Jacob
32 So Jacob went on his way, and (A)the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God’s (B)camp.” And he called the name of that place [a]Mahanaim.
3 Then Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother (C)in the land of Seir, (D)the [b]country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, (E)“Speak thus to my lord Esau, ‘Thus your servant Jacob says: “I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. 5 (F)I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that (G)I may find favor in your sight.” ’ ”
6 Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and (H)he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7 So Jacob was greatly afraid and (I)distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies. 8 And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and [c]attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”
9 (J)Then Jacob said, (K)“O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord (L)who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the (M)mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with (N)my staff, and now I have become two companies. 11 (O)Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and [d]attack me and (P)the mother with the children. 12 For (Q)You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the (R)sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”
13 So he lodged there that same night, and took what [e]came to his hand as (S)a present for Esau his brother: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals. 16 Then 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.” 17 And 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?’ 18 then 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.’ ” 19 So 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; 20 and also say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.’ ” For he said, “I will (T)appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21 So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp.
Wrestling with God
22 And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, (U)and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them, sent them [f]over the brook, and sent over what he had. 24 Then Jacob was left alone; and (V)a Man wrestled with him until the [g]breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He [h]touched the socket of his hip; and (W)the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And (X)He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.”
But he said, (Y)“I will not let You go unless You bless me!”
27 So He said to him, “What is your name?”
He said, “Jacob.”
28 And He said, (Z)“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but [i]Israel; for you have (AA)struggled with God and (AB)with men, and have prevailed.”
29 Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.”
And He said, (AC)“Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He (AD)blessed him there.
30 So Jacob called the name of the place [j]Peniel: “For (AE)I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” 31 Just as he crossed over [k]Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He [l]touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank.
Footnotes
- Genesis 32:2 Lit. Double Camp
- Genesis 32:3 Lit. field
- Genesis 32:8 Lit. strikes
- Genesis 32:11 Lit. strike
- Genesis 32:13 he had received
- Genesis 32:23 across
- Genesis 32:24 dawn
- Genesis 32:25 struck
- Genesis 32:28 Lit. Prince with God
- Genesis 32:30 Lit. Face of God
- Genesis 32:31 Lit. Face of God; same as Peniel, v. 30
- Genesis 32:32 struck
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
