King James Version KJV
Good News Translation GNT
1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
1
As Jacob went on his way, some angels met him.
2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
2
When he saw them, he said, "This is God's camp"; so he named the place Mahanaim.
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
3
Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the country of Edom.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:
4
He instructed them to say: "I, Jacob, your obedient servant, report to my master Esau that I have been staying with Laban and that I have delayed my return until now.
5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.
5
I own cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, and slaves. I am sending you word, sir, in the hope of gaining your favor."
6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
6
When the messengers came back to Jacob, they said, "We went to your brother Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you. He has four hundred men with him."
7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;
7
Jacob was frightened and worried. He divided into two groups the people who were with him, and also his sheep, goats, cattle, and camels.
8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
8
He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks the first group, the other may be able to escape."
9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
9
Then Jacob prayed, "God of my grandfather Abraham and God of my father Isaac, hear me! You told me, Lord, to go back to my land and to my relatives, and you would make everything go well for me.
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
10
I am not worth all the kindness and faithfulness that you have shown me, your servant. I crossed the Jordan with nothing but a walking stick, and now I have come back with these two groups.
11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
11
Save me, I pray, from my brother Esau. I am afraid - afraid that he is coming to attack us and destroy us all, even the women and children.
12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.
12
Remember that you promised to make everything go well for me and to give me more descendants than anyone could count, as many as the grains of sand along the seashore."
13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;
13
After spending the night there, Jacob chose from his livestock as a present for his brother Esau: 200 female goats and 20 males, 200 female sheep and 20 males, 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 males.
14 Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,
15 Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.
16 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.
16
He divided them into herds and put one of his servants in charge of each herd. He said to them, "Go ahead of me, and leave a space between each herd and the one behind it."
17 And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?
17
He ordered the first servant, "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, "Who is your master? Where are you going? Who owns these animals in front of you?'
18 Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us.
18
you must answer, "They belong to your servant Jacob. He sends them as a present to his master Esau. Jacob himself is right behind us.' "
19 And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him.
19
He gave the same order to the second, the third, and to all the others who were in charge of the herds: "This is what you must say to Esau when you meet him.
20 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me.
20
You must say, "Yes, your servant Jacob is right behind us.' " Jacob was thinking, "I will win him over with the gifts, and when I meet him, perhaps he will forgive me."
21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
21
He sent the gifts on ahead of him and spent that night in camp.
22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok.
22
That same night Jacob got up, took his two wives, his two concubines, and his eleven children, and crossed the Jabbok River.
23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
23
After he had sent them across, he also sent across all that he owned,
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
24
but he stayed behind, alone. Then a man came and wrestled with him until just before daybreak.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
25
When the man saw that he was not winning the struggle, he hit Jacob on the hip, and it was thrown out of joint.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
26
The man said, "Let me go; daylight is coming." "I won't, unless you bless me," Jacob answered.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
27
"What is your name?" the man asked. "Jacob," he answered.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
28
The man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have struggled with God and with men, and you have won; so your name will be Israel."
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
29
Jacob said, "Now tell me your name." But he answered, "Why do you want to know my name?" Then he blessed Jacob.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
30
Jacob said, "I have seen God face-to-face, and I am still alive"; so he named the place Peniel.
31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
31
The sun rose as Jacob was leaving Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.
32
Even today the descendants of Israel do not eat the muscle which is on the hip joint, because it was on this muscle that Jacob was hit.
The King James Version is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.