Jacob's Fear of Esau

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 favor 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 the 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 with 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.

Jacob Wrestles with God

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.