Genesis 32; Genesis 33; Genesis 34

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Genesis 32

1 Jacob also went on his way. The angels of God met him.
2 Jacob saw them. He said, "This is the army of God!" So he named that place Mahanaim.
3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau. Esau lived in the land of Seir. It was also called the country of Edom.
4 Jacob told the messengers what to do. He said, "Here's what you must tell my master Esau. 'Your servant Jacob says, "I've been staying with Laban. I've remained there until now.
5 I have cattle and donkeys and sheep and goats. I also have male and female servants. Now I'm sending this message to you. I hope I can please you." ' "
6 The messengers came back to Jacob. They said, "We went to your brother Esau. He's coming now to meet you. He has 400 men with him."
7 Jacob was very worried and afraid. So he separated the people who were with him into two groups. He also separated the flocks and herds and camels.
8 He thought, "Esau may come and attack one group. If he does, the group that's left can escape."
9 Then Jacob prayed, "You are the God of my grandfather Abraham. You are the God of my father Isaac. "Lord, you are the one who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives. Then I will give you success.'
10 You have been very kind and faithful to me. But I'm not worthy of any of this. When I crossed this Jordan River, all I had was my walking stick. But now I've become two groups.
11 "Please save me from the hand of my brother Esau. I'm afraid he'll come and attack me and the mothers with their children.
12 But you have said, 'I will certainly give you success. I will make your children as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. People will not be able to count them.' "
13 Jacob spent the night there. He chose a gift for his brother Esau from what he had with him.
14 He chose 200 female goats and 20 male goats. He chose 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep.
15 He chose 30 female camels with their little ones. He chose 40 cows and ten bulls. And he chose 20 female donkeys and ten male donkeys.
16 He put each herd by itself. Then he put his servants in charge of them. He said to his servants, "Go on ahead of me. Keep some space between the herds."
17 Jacob spoke to his servant who was leading the way. He said, "My brother Esau will meet you. He'll ask, 'Who is your master? Where are you going? And who owns all of these animals in front of you?'
18 "Then say to Esau, 'They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift to you from him. And he is coming behind us.' "
19 He also spoke to the second and third servants. He told them and all of the others who followed the herds what to do. He said, "Say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.
20 Make sure you say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.' " Jacob was thinking, "I'll make peace with him with these gifts I'm sending on ahead. When I see him later, maybe he'll welcome me."
21 So Jacob's gifts went on ahead of him. But he himself spent the night in the camp.
22 That night Jacob got up. He took his two wives, his two female servants and his 11 sons and sent them across the Jabbok River.
23 After they had crossed the stream, he sent over everything he owned.
24 So Jacob was left alone. A man struggled with him until morning.
25 The man saw that he couldn't win. So he touched the inside of Jacob's hip. As Jacob struggled with the man, Jacob's hip was twisted.
26 Then the man said, "Let me go. It is morning." But Jacob replied, "I won't let you go unless you bless me."
27 The man asked him, "What is your name?" "Jacob," he answered.
28 Then the man said, "Your name will not be Jacob anymore. Instead, it will be Israel. You have struggled with God and with men. And you have won."
29 Jacob said, "Please tell me your name." But he replied, "Why do you want to know my name?" Then he blessed Jacob there.
30 So Jacob named the place Peniel. He said, "I saw God face to face. But I'm still alive!"
31 The sun rose above Jacob as he passed by Peniel. He was limping because of his hip.
32 That's why the people of Israel don't eat the meat attached to the inside of the hip. They don't eat it to this very day. It's because the inside of Jacob's hip was touched.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica.   All rights reserved worldwide.

Genesis 33

1 Jacob looked up. And there was Esau, coming with his 400 men! So Jacob separated the children. He put them with Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.
2 He put the servants and their children in front. He put Leah and her children next. And he put Rachel and Joseph last.
3 He himself went on ahead. As he came near his brother, he bowed down to the ground seven times.
4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob. He hugged him and threw his arms around his neck. He kissed him, and they cried.
5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. "Who are these people with you?" he asked. Jacob answered, "They are the children God has so kindly given to me."
6 Then the female servants and their children came near and bowed down.
7 Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel. They bowed down too.
8 Esau asked, "Why did you send all of those herds I saw?" "I hoped I could do something to please you," Jacob replied.
9 But Esau said, "I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself."
10 "No, please!" said Jacob. "If I've pleased you, accept this gift from me. Seeing your face is like seeing the face of God. You have welcomed me so kindly.
11 Please accept the present that was brought to you. God has been gracious to me. I have everything I need." Jacob wouldn't give in. So Esau accepted it.
12 Then Esau said, "Let's be on our way. I'll go with you."
13 But Jacob said to him, "You know that the children are young. You also know that I have to take care of the cows and female sheep that are nursing their little ones. If the animals are driven hard for just one day, all of them will die.
14 "So you go on ahead of me. I'll move along only as fast as the herds and the children can go. I'll go slowly until I come to you in Seir."
15 Esau said, "Then let me leave some of my men with you." "Why do that?" Jacob asked. "I just hope I've pleased you."
16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.
17 But Jacob went to Succoth. There he built a place for himself. He also made shelters for his livestock. That's why the place is named Succoth.
18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan. He camped where he could see the city.
19 For 100 pieces of silver he bought a piece of land. He got it from the sons of Hamor. Hamor was the father of Shechem. Jacob set up his tent on that piece of land.
20 He also set up an altar there. He named it El Elohe Israel.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica.   All rights reserved worldwide.

Genesis 34

1 Dinah was the daughter Leah had by Jacob. Dinah went out to visit the women of the land.
2 Hamor the Hivite was the ruler of that area. When his son Shechem saw Dinah, he took her and raped her.
3 Then his heart longed for Jacob's daughter Dinah. He fell in love with her and spoke tenderly to her.
4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me that woman. I want her to be my wife."
5 Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been made "unclean." His sons were in the fields with his livestock. So he kept quiet about it until they came home.
6 Then Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.
7 Jacob's sons had come in from the fields. They came as soon as they heard what had happened. They were filled with sadness and anger. Shechem had done a very terrible thing. He had forced Jacob's daughter to have sex with him. He had done something that should never be done in Israel.
8 But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem wants your daughter. Please give her to him to be his wife.
9 "Let your people and ours get married to each other. Give us your daughters as our wives. You can have our daughters as your wives.
10 You can settle among us. Here is the land. Live in it. Trade in it. Buy property in it."
11 Then Shechem spoke to Dinah's father and brothers. He said, "I want to please you. I'll give you anything you ask.
12 Make the price for the bride as high as you want to. I'll pay anything you ask me. Just give me the woman. I want to get married to her."
13 Their sister Dinah had been made "unclean." So Jacob's sons lied to Shechem and his father Hamor.
14 They said to them, "We can't do it. We can't give our sister to a man who isn't circumcised. That would bring shame on us.
15 We'll agree, but only on one condition. You will have to become like us. You will have to circumcise all of your males.
16 "Then we'll give you our daughters as your wives. And we'll take your daughters as our wives. We'll settle among you and become one people with you.
17 But if you won't agree to it, then we'll take our sister and go."
18 Their offer seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem.
19 The young man was the most honored of all of the men in his father's family. He didn't lose any time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter.
20 Hamor and his son Shechem went to the city gate. They spoke to the other men in town.
21 "These men are friendly toward us," they said. "Let them live in our land. Let them trade in it. The land has plenty of room for them. We can get married to their daughters. And they can marry ours.
22 "But they will agree to live with us as one people only on one condition. All of our males must be circumcised, just as they are.
23 "Won't their livestock and their property belong to us? Won't all of their animals become ours? So let's say yes to them. Then they'll settle among us."
24 All of the men who went out through the city gate agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem. So every male in the city was circumcised.
25 Three days later, all of them were still in pain. Then Simeon and Levi took their swords. They were Jacob's sons and Dinah's brothers. They attacked the city when the people didn't expect it. They killed every male.
26 They also killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords. Then they took Dinah from Shechem's house and left.
27 Jacob's other sons found the dead bodies. They robbed the city where their sister had been made "unclean."
28 They took the flocks and herds and donkeys. They took everything that was in the city and out in the fields.
29 They carried everything away. And they took all of the women and children. They took away everything that was in the houses.
30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me. Now I'm like a very bad smell to the Canaanites and Perizzites who live in this land. There aren't many of us. They may join together against me and attack me. Then I and my family will be destroyed."
31 But they replied, "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?"
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica.   All rights reserved worldwide.