NLT One Year Bible - Flipbook - Page 60
J A N U A R Y
1 6
When I see him in person, perhaps he
will be friendly to me.” 21So the gifts
were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself
spent that night in the camp.
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. 23After taking them to the other side, he sent over
all his possessions.
24This left Jacob all alone in the camp,
and a man came and wrestled with him
until the dawn began to break. 25 When
the man saw that he would not win the
match, he touched Jacob’s hip and
wrenched it out of its socket. 26Then the
man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is
breaking!”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go
unless you bless me.”
27 “What is your name?” the man
asked.
He replied, “Jacob.”
28“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.”
29“Please tell me your name,” Jacob
said.
“Why do you want to know my name?”
the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob
there.
30 Jacob 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.” 31The sun was rising
as Jacob left Peniel,* and he was limping
because of the injury to his hip. 32(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.)
33:1Then
Jacob looked up and saw Esau
coming with his 400 men. So he divided
the children among Leah, Rachel, and
his two servant wives. 2He put the servant wives and their children at the
front, Leah and her children next, and
Rachel and Joseph last. 3 Then Jacob
went on ahead. As he approached his
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brother, he bowed to the ground seven
times before him. 4Then Esau ran to
meet him and embraced him, threw his
arms around his neck, and kissed him.
And they both wept.
5 Then Esau looked at the women and
children and asked, “Who are these
people with you?”
“These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant,” Jacob
replied. 6Then the servant wives came
forward with their children and bowed
before him. 7Next came Leah with her
children, and they bowed before him.
Finally, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed before him.
8“And what were all the flocks and
herds I met as I came?” Esau asked.
Jacob replied, “They are a gift, my
lord, to ensure your friendship.”
9“My brother, I have plenty,” Esau answered. “Keep what you have for yourself.”
10But Jacob insisted, “No, if I have
found favor with you, please accept this
gift from me. And what a relief to see
your friendly smile. It is like seeing the
face of God! 11Please take this gift I have
brought you, for God has been very gracious to me. I have more than enough.”
And because Jacob insisted, Esau finally
accepted the gift.
12“Well,” Esau said, “let’s be going. I
will lead the way.”
13But Jacob replied, “You can see, my
lord, that some of the children are very
young, and the flocks and herds have
their young, too. If they are driven too
hard, even for one day, all the animals
could die. 14Please, my lord, go ahead of
your servant. We will follow slowly, at a
pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children. I will meet you at
Seir.”
15“All right,” Esau said, “but at least let
me assign some of my men to guide and
protect you.”
Jacob responded, “That’s not necessary. It’s enough that you’ve received me
warmly, my lord!”
16So Esau turned around and started
back to Seir that same day. 17 Jacob, on
