Angel messengers met with Jacob

1Jacob and his relatives left that place, and they kept on going towards Jacob’s home country. On the way, some angel messengers from God came to meet Jacob.

2Jacob saw those angel messengers, and he said, “This place is God’s camp.” So Jacob called that place Mahanayim. That name means 2 camps.

Jacob got frightened of Esau

3Jacob’s brother Esau lived in the place called Seir, in Edom country. Jacob thought, “Maybe my brother still wants to kill me.” So when Jacob got near to Seir, he said to some of his men, “Go and talk to my brother Esau.

4I want him to know that I respect him, just like a work-man respects his boss. Tell Esau that I said, ‘I went and stayed with our uncle Laban for a long time, and now I’m coming back.

5I have cows, and bulls, and donkeys, and sheep, and goats, and I have men and women that work for me. I sent some men to say these things to you, and I hope that you will be happy with me.’” So those men went and told Esau those things.

6Then those men came back, and they said to Jacob, “We went and talked to your brother Esau, and now he is coming here to meet you. He has 400 men with him.”

7Jacob thought, “Maybe Esau and his men are coming to attack my camp.” Jacob was really frightened and worried. So he split up all the people that were with him into 2 camps. And he split up all his sheep and goats, and his cows, and his bulls, and his camels. He split up all those animals into 2 groups, and he put one group in one camp and the other group in the other camp.

8Jacob thought, “If Esau attacks one of those camps, maybe the people and the animals in the other camp will get away.”

9Then Jacob prayed to God, and he called God by his special name Yahweh. He said, “Yahweh, you are the God of my grand-father Abraham and the God of my father Isaac. You said to me, ‘Go back to your home country and your relatives, and I will be good to you.’

10God, you are my boss. You have been very good to me, just like you promised. I can always trust you. You did lots of good things for me, even though I’m not an important person. When I left my home country and I crossed over the Jordan River, I only had a walking stick with me. Now I’m going back to my home country, and I have lots and lots of people and animals with me. Yes, I have enough people and animals to make 2 camps.”

11Then Jacob said to God, “I’m frightened of my brother Esau. Maybe he will come and attack me and kill me, and even kill my wives and my kids. God, please save us from my brother.

12Remember that promise you made to me. You said, ‘I promise that I will be good to you, and I will give you a really big family. Lots of kids and grand-kids will be born into your family later on, and they will become a really big mob of people. Nobody will be able to count them, just like nobody can count all those little bits of sand that are at the beaches by the sea.’ Please be good to me and my family, God, just like you promised. Please don’t let my brother kill us.”

13Jacob stayed in that place that night. He wanted to give his brother Esau a present, so he picked some of his animals to give to Esau.

14He picked 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 female sheep, 20 male sheep,

1530 female camels with their babies, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.

16Jacob split up all those animals into groups, and he gave each group to one of his work-men to look after. He said to those work-men, “Take these groups of animals, and go ahead of me to meet my brother Esau. But don’t all go at the same time. I want one group to go first. A bit later, I want the 2nd group to go. Then a bit later, I want the 3rd group to go. Keep on doing that until all the groups go.”

17Then Jacob talked to the work-man that was in charge of that 1st group of animals. He said, “You are going to meet my brother Esau first. I reckon he will say to you, ‘Who is your boss? Where are you going? And who do these animals belong to?’

18Then I want you to say to him, ‘These animals belong to Jacob. He respects you, just like a work-man respects his boss. He sent these animals as a present for you. And he is coming to meet you too.’”

19Then Jacob talked to the work-men that were in charge of the other groups of animals. He said, “You will each meet my brother Esau, and I want you to say those same things to him.

20And make sure you say, ‘Jacob is coming to meet you. He respects you.’” Jacob thought, “Maybe my brother will stop being angry with me, because I’m sending my work-men to give him presents. They will give him those presents, and then I will go and meet him. Maybe he will be friendly to me.”

21So Jacob sent his work-men to give those animals to his brother Esau. But Jacob stayed in the camp.

A man wrestled with Jacob

22That same night, Jacob got his 2 wives, and his 2 working women, and his 11 sons, and all the other men and women in his camp, and all the animals, and everything that he owned, and they left the camp, and they crossed over the Jabbok River. They all crossed over at a place where the river wasn’t deep.

24But Jacob didn’t go with them. He stayed next to the river, and he was all alone. Then a man came and grabbed Jacob, and that man wrestled with Jacob. They kept on wrestling all night, until it was nearly time for the sun to come up.

25That other man saw that he couldn’t win, so he touched the joint at the top of Jacob’s leg, and Jacob’s leg bone came out of the joint while they were wrestling.

26Then that man said to Jacob, “Let me go. It’s nearly time for the sun to come up.” But Jacob said, “No. First, I want you to promise that you will make things go well for me. Then I will let you go.”

27The man said, “What is your name?” And Jacob said, “My name is Jacob.”

28Then the man said, “Now I’m giving you a new name. Your name will not be Jacob any more. You tried to fight with God and with people, and you won. So I’m giving you the name Israel.” That name Israel means fight with God.

29Then Jacob said to the man, “Please tell me your name.” But the man said, “You don’t need to ask my name.” Then he said to Jacob, “Things will go well for you.” And he left.

30Jacob knew that God talked to him through that man, so he said, “I met God, and I’m still alive.” Then Jacob named that place Penuel. That name means God’s face.

31Then the sun came up, and Jacob left Penuel and started walking towards his family. Jacob couldn’t walk very well, because that man made his leg bone come out of the joint.

32Later on, the Israel mob made a special law about their food. They said, “God touched the joint at the top of Jacob’s leg bone. So when we kill an animal and eat it, we will not eat the stringy bits that are on the top of that animal’s leg bone.” And the Israel mob still keep that law today.