1 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, 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: 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.
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. 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; 8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall 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: 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. 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. 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.
13 And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; 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. 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? 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. 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. 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. 21 So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company. 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. 23 And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 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. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 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. 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. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. 31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. 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.
1 雅各继续他的路程, 神的众使者遇见他。(本节在《马索拉抄本》为32:2)
2 雅各看见他们, 就说: "这是 神的军队。"于是给那地方起名叫玛哈念。
3 雅各先派使者到西珥地, 就是以东的地区, 他的哥哥以扫那里去,
4 吩咐他们说: "你们要对我主以扫这样说: ‘你的仆人雅各这样说: 我在拉班那里寄居, 一直到现在。
5 我拥有牛、驴、羊群、仆婢, 现在派人来报告我主, 希望得到你的欢心。’"
6 使者回到雅各那里说: "我们到了你哥哥以扫那里, 他带着四百人, 正迎着你来。"
7 雅各感到非常惧怕和焦虑, 就把随行的人、羊群、牛群和骆驼, 分成两队,
8 心里想: "即使以扫来击杀这一队, 余下的一队还可以逃脱。"
9 雅各说: "耶和华, 我祖亚伯拉罕的 神, 我父以撒的 神啊, 你曾经对我说过: ‘回到你自己的故乡, 到你的亲族那里去, 我必厚待你。’
10 你向你仆人所施的一切慈爱和信实, 我实在不配得。从前我只拿着我的手杖过这约旦河; 现在我却拥有这两队人马了。
11 求你救我脱离我哥哥以扫的手, 因为我怕他来击杀我, 连母亲和孩子也击杀了。
12 你曾经说过: ‘我必厚待你, 使你的后裔好像海边的沙一样, 多到不可胜数。’"
13 那天晚上, 雅各在那里过夜。然后从他所拥有的牲畜中, 取出一部分, 作为给他哥哥以扫的礼物,
14 就是母山羊二百只、公山羊二十只、母绵羊二百只、公绵羊二十只、
15 哺乳的母骆驼三十匹, 各带着驹子, 母牛四十头、公牛十头、母驴二十头、公驴十头。
16 雅各把这些分成一队一队, 交在仆人的手里, 又对仆人说: "你们先过去, 每队之间要留一段距离。"
17 他又吩咐走在最前的仆人说: "我哥哥以扫遇见你的时候, 如果问你: ‘你的主人是谁?你要到哪里去?在你前面的这些牲畜是谁的?’
18 你就要回答: ‘是你仆人雅各的, 是送给我主以扫的礼物, 他自己也在我们后面。’"
19 他又吩咐第二个、第三个和所有跟在队伍后面的人说: "你们遇见以扫的时候, 都要这样对他说。
20 你们还要说: ‘你的仆人雅各在我们后面。’"因为他心里想: "我先送礼物去, 借此与他和解, 然后再与他见面, 或者他会原谅我。"
21 于是礼物先过去了; 那天晚上雅各在营中过夜。
22 雅各那夜起来, 带着他的两个妻子、两个婢女和十一个孩子, 都过了雅博渡口。
23 他带着他们, 先打发他们过河, 然后又打发他所有的都过去。
24 只留下雅各一人, 有一个人来与他摔角, 直到天快亮的时候。
25 那人见自己不能胜过他, 就在他的大腿窝上打了一下。于是, 雅各与那人摔角的时候, 大腿窝脱了节。
26 那人说: "天快亮了, 让我走吧。"雅各说: "如果你不给我祝福, 我就不让你走。"
27 那人问他: "你叫什么名字?"他回答: "雅各。"
28 那人说: "你的名字不要再叫雅各, 要叫以色列, 因为你与 神与人较力, 都得了胜。"
29 雅各问他, 说: "请把你的名告诉我。"那人回答: "为什么问我的名呢?"他就在那里给雅各祝福。
30 于是, 雅各给那地方起名叫毗努伊勒, 意思说: "我面对面看见了 神, 我的性命仍得保全。"
31 雅各经过毗努伊勒的时候, 太阳刚刚出来, 照在他身上。他因为大腿的伤, 跛脚行走。
32 因此, 以色列人直到现在都不吃大腿窝上的筋, 因为那人在雅各的大腿窝上的筋打了一下。