Genesis 32 - Prayer Tents

As Jacob started on his way again, angels of God came to meet him.H3290H1980H1870H4397H430H62932When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, "This is God's camp!" So he named the place Mahanaim

.H3290H7200H559H430H4264H7121H8034H4725H4266

Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau

3Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother, Esau, who was living in the region of Seir in the land of Edom.H3290H7971H4397H6440H6215H251H776H8165H7704H1234He told them, "Give this message to my master Esau: 'Humble greetings from your servant Jacob. Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban,H6680H559H559H113H6215H5650H3290H559H1481H3837H3095and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.'"H7794H2543H6629H5650H8198H7971H5046H113H4672H2580H58696After delivering the message, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, "We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you—with an army of 400 men!"H4397H7725H3290H559H935H251H6215H1980H7125H3967H3767Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups.H3290H3966H3372H3334H2673H5971H6629H1241H1581H8147H42648He thought, "If Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape."H559H6215H935H259H4264H5221H4264H7604H64139Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O LORD, you told me, 'Return to your own land and to your relatives.' And you promised me, 'I will treat you kindly.'H3290H559H430H1H85H430H1H3327H3068H559H7725H776H4138H319010I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps!H6994H2617H571H6213H5650H4731H5674H3383H8147H426411O LORD, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children.H5337H3027H251H3027H6215H3373H935H5221H517H5921H112112But you promised me, 'I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.'"H559H3190H3190H7760H2233H2344H3220H5608H723013Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to his brother, Esau.H3885H3915H3947H935H3027H4503H6215H25114200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams,H3967H5795H6242H8495H3967H7353H6242H3521530 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys.H7970H3243H1581H1121H705H6510H6235H6499H6242H860H6235H589516He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants, "Go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds."H5414H3027H5650H5739H559H5650H5674H6440H7760H7305H996H5739H996H573917He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group: "When my brother, Esau, meets you, he will ask, 'Whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals?'H6680H7223H559H6215H251H6298H7592H559H3212H644018You must reply, 'They belong to your servant Jacob, but they are a gift for his master Esau. Look, he is coming right behind us.'"H559H5650H3290H4503H7971H113H6215H31019Jacob gave the same instructions to the second and third herdsmen and to all who followed behind the herds: "You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him.H1571H6680H8145H7992H1980H310H5739H559H1697H1696H6215H467220And be sure to say, 'Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.'" Jacob thought, "I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me."H559H1571H5650H3290H310H559H3722H6440H4503H1980H6440H310H7200H6440H5375H644021So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp.H5674H4503H5674H6440H3885H3915H4264

Jacob Wrestles with God

22During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them.H6965H3915H3947H8147H802H8147H8198H6240H259H3206H5674H4569H299923After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.H3947H5674H5158H567424This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break.H3290H3498H79H376H5927H783725When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob's hip and wrenched it out of its socket.H7200H3201H5060H3409H3709H3290H3409H3363H7926Then the man said, "Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!" But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."H559H7971H7837H5927H559H7971H518H128827"What is your name?" the man asked. He replied, "Jacob."H559H8034H559H329028"Your name will no longer be Jacob," the man told him. "From now on you will be called Israel

, because you have fought with God and with men and have won."H559H8034H559H3290H3478H8280H430H582H320129"Please tell me your name," Jacob said. "Why do you want to know my name?" the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.H3290H7592H559H5046H8034H559H2088H7592H8034H128830Jacob named the place Peniel (which means "face of God"), for he said, "I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared."H3290H7121H8034H4725H6439H7200H430H6440H6440H5315H533731The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel

, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip.H5674H6439H8121H2224H6760H340932(Even today the people of Israel don't eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob's hip.)H1121H3478H398H1517H5384H3709H3409H3117H5060H3709H3290H3409H1517H5384