Genesis 32 · Parashot Vayetze–Vayishlach

And early in the morning Lavan rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Lavan departed, and returned to his place.

And Ya῾aqov went on his way, and angels of God met him.

And when Ya῾aqov saw them, he said, This is God’s camp: and he called the name of that place Maĥanayim.

And Ya῾aqov sent messengers before him to ῾Esav his brother to the land of Se῾ir, the country of Edom.

And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall you speak to my lord ῾Esav; Thy servant Ya῾aqov says thus, I have sojourned with Lavan, and stayed there until now:

and I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favour in thy sight.

And the messengers returned to Ya῾aqov, saying, We came to thy brother ῾Esav, and also he is coming to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.

Then Ya῾aqov was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two camps;

and said, If ῾Esav come to the one camp, and smite it, then the camp which is left shall escape.

And Ya῾aqov said, O God of my father Avraham, and God of my father Yiżĥaq, the Lord Who did say to me, Return to thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:

I am unworthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shown Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Yarden; and now I am become two camps.

Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of ῾Esav: for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children.

And Thou didst say, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for ῾Esav his brother;

two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,

thirty milch camels with their colts, forty cows, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals.

And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself; and said to his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space between drove and drove.

And he commanded the foremost, saying, When ῾Esav my brother meets thee, and asks thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither dost thou go? and whose are these before thee?

Then thou shalt say, They are thy servant Ya῾aqov’s, it is a present sent to my lord ῾Esav: and, behold, also he is behind us.

And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, In this manner shall you speak to ῾Esav, when you find him.

And say moreover, Behold, thy servant Ya῾aqov is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterwards I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.

So the present went over before him: and he himself lodged that night in the camp.

And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford of Yabboq.

And he took them, and sent them over the wadi, and sent over that which he had.

And Ya῾aqov was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Ya῾aqov’s thigh was put out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

And he said, Let me go, for the day breaks. And he said, I will not let thee go, unless thou bless me.

And he said to him, What is thy name? And he said, Ya῾aqov.

And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Ya῾aqov, but Yisra᾽el: for thou hast contended with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

And Ya῾aqov asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Why is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

And Ya῾aqov called the name of the place Peni᾽el: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

And as he passed over Penu᾽el the sun rose upon him, and he limped upon his thigh.

Therefore the children of Yisra᾽el eat not of the sinew of the vein, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, to this day: because he touched the hollow of Ya῾aqov’s thigh in the sinew of the vein.