1 Jacó prossegui o seu caminho e encontrou uns anjos de Deus.

2 Ao vê-los, exclamou: "É aqui o acampamento de Deus!" Por isso deu àquele lugar o nome de Maanaim.

3 Despachou diante de si mensageiros a seu irmão Esaú, na terra de Seir, nos campos de Edom.

4 E deu-lhes esta ordem: "Eis o que direis ao meu senhor Esaú: Assim fala o teu servo Jacó: Habitei em casa de Labão onde estive até o dia de hoje.

5 Possuo bois, jumentos, ovelhas, servos e servas, e mando agora anunciá-lo ao meu senhor para encontrar graça diante dele."

6 Os mensageiros voltaram a Jacó, dizendo: "Fomos ter com Esaú: ele vem ao teu encontro com quatrocentos homens."

7 Jacó foi tomado de pavor e de angústia. Dividiu em dois grupos a gente que estava com ele, assim como as ovelhas, os bois e os camelos.

8 "Se Esaú, disse ele consigo, atacar um dos grupos e o destruir, ao menos o outro se salvará."

9 Depois Jacó disse: "Deus de meu pai Abraão, Deus de meu pai Isaac, Senhor que me dissesses: Volta para a tua terra, para o meio de tua parentela, e eu te beneficiarei,

10 eu sou indigno de todos os favores e de toda a fidelidade que tendes testemunhado ao vosso servo. Só tinha o meu bastão quando atravessei este Jordão, e eis que possuo agora dois acampamentos.

11 Salvai-me, eu vos peço, das mãos de meu irmão Esaú, pois temo que ele me venha atacar, sem poupar nem mãe nem filhos.

12 Entretanto, vós me dissestes: Eu te beneficiarei e tornarei tua posteridade inumerável como os grãos de areia do mar."

13 Jacó passou a noite naquele lugar. Escolheu entre os bens que possuía um presente para o seu irmão Esaú:

14 duzentas cabras, vinte bodes, duzentas ovelhas, vinte carneiros,

15 trinta camelas com suas crias, quarenta vacas, dez touros, vinte jumentas e dez jumentos.

16 Entregou-os aos servos, cada rebanho à parte, e disse-lhes: "Ide adiante de mim, e haja uma distância entre cada rebanho."

17 E deu esta ordem ao primeiro: "Quando meu irmão Esaú te encontrar e te perguntar quem és, aonde vais, e a quem pertence o rebanho que conduzes,

18 responderás: Pertence ao teu servo Jacó; é um presente que ele manda ao meu senhor Esaú; ele mesmo vem atrás de nós."

19 Deu a mesma ordem ao segundo, ao terceiro e a todos os que conduziam os rebanhos: "Quando encontrardes Esaú, disse ele, vós lhe direis a mesma coisa.

20 E direis que seu servo Jacó vos segue." "Eu o aplacarei, pensou ele, com este presente que me precede; e depois o verei pessoalmente; talvez me fará ele bom acolhimento."

21 Foi, pois, o presente adiante dele, e ele ficou aquela noite no acampamento.

22 Naquela mesma noite ele se levantou com suas duas mulheres, suas duas servas e seus onze filhos e passou o vau do Jaboc.

23 Tomou-os, e os fez passar a torrente com tudo o que lhe pertencia.

24 Jacó ficou só; e alguém lutava com ele até o romper da aurora.

25 Vendo que não podia vencê-lo, tocou-lhe aquele homem na articulação da coxa e esta deslocou-se, enquanto Jacó lutava com ele.

26 E disse-lhe: "Deixa-me partir, porque a aurora se levanta." "Não te deixarei partir respondeu Jacó, antes que me tenhas abençoado."

27 Ele perguntou-lhe: "Qual é o teu nome?" "Jacó."

28 "Teu nome não será mais Jacó, tornou ele, mas Israel, porque lutaste com Deus e com os homens, e venceste." Jacó perguntou-lhe:

29 "Peço-te que me digas qual é o teu nome." "Por que me perguntas o meu nome?", respondeu ele. E abençoou-o no mesmo lugar.

30 Jacó chamou àquele lugar Fanuel: "porque, disse ele, eu vi a Deus face a face, e conservei a vida".

31 O sol levantava-se no horizonte, quando ele passou Fanuel. E coxeava de uma perna.

32 É por isso que os israelitas, ainda hoje, não comem o nervo da articulação da coxa, porque aquele homem tinha tocado nesse nervo da articulação da coxa de Jacó.

1 Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 When he saw them, Jacob said, "This is God’s army." He called the name of that place Mahanaim.

3 Jacob sent messengers in front of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir, the field of Edom. 4 He commanded them, saying, "This is what you shall tell my lord, Esau: ‘This is what your servant, Jacob, says. I have lived as a foreigner with Laban, and stayed until now. 5 I have cattle, donkeys, flocks, male servants, and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.’" 6 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him." 7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. He divided the people who were with him, along with the flocks, the herds, and the camels, into two companies. 8 He said, "If Esau comes to the one company, and strikes it, then the company which is left will escape." 9 Jacob said, "God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, ‘Return to your country, and to your relatives, and I will do you good,’ 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the loving kindnesses, and of all the truth, which you have shown to your servant; for with just my staff I crossed over this Jordan; and now I have become two companies. 11 Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and strike me and the mothers with the children. 12 You said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which can’t be counted because there are so many.’"

13 He stayed there that night, and took from that which he had with him a present for Esau, his brother: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty milk camels and their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals. 16 He delivered them into the hands of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Pass over before me, and put a space between herd and herd." 17 He commanded the foremost, saying, "When Esau, my brother, meets you, and asks you, saying, ‘Whose are you? Where are you going? Whose are these before you?’ 18 Then you shall say, ‘They are your servant, Jacob’s. It is a present sent to my lord, Esau. Behold, he also is behind us.’" 19 He commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the herds, saying, "This is how you shall speak to Esau, when you find him. 20 You shall say, ‘Not only that, but behold, your servant, Jacob, is behind us.’" For, he said, "I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me."

21 So the present passed over before him, and he himself stayed that night in the camp.

22 He rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had. 24 Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day. 25 When he saw that he didn’t prevail against him, the man touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was strained as he wrestled. 26 The man said, "Let me go, for the day breaks."

Jacob said, "I won’t let you go unless you bless me."

27 He said to him, "What is your name?"

He said, "Jacob".

28 He said, "Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed."

29 Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name."

He said, "Why is it that you ask what my name is?" So he blessed him there.

30 Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for he said, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." 31 The sun rose on him as he passed over Peniel, and he limped because of his thigh. 32 Therefore the children of Israel don’t eat the sinew of the hip, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.