(4) Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, (5) and instructed them as follows, “Thus shall you say, ‘To my lord Esau, thus says your servant Jacob: I stayed with Laban and remained until now; (6) I have acquired cattle, asses, sheep, and male and female slaves; and I send this message to my lord in the hope of gaining your favor.’”

(7) The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau; he himself is coming to meet you, and his retinue numbers four hundred.” (8) Jacob was greatly frightened; in his anxiety, he divided the people with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, (9) thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, the other camp may yet escape.”

(10) Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham’s [house] and God of my father Isaac’s [house], O יהוה, who said to me, ‘Return to your native land and I will deal bountifully with you’! (11) I am unworthy of all the kindness that You have so steadfastly shown Your servant: with my staff alone I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. (12) Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; else, I fear, he may come and strike me down, mothers and children alike. (13) Yet You have said, ‘I will deal bountifully with you and make your offspring as the sands of the sea, which are too numerous to count.’”

(14) After spending the night there, he selected from what was at hand these presents for his brother Esau: (15) 200 she-goats and 20 he-goats; 200 ewes and 20 rams; (16) 30 milch camels with their colts; 40 cows and 10 bulls; 20 she-asses and 10 he-asses. (17) These he put in the charge of his servants, drove by drove, and he told his servants, “Go on ahead, and keep a distance between droves.” (18) He instructed the one in front as follows, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, ‘Who’s your master? Where are you going? And whose [animals] are these ahead of you?’ (19) you shall answer, ‘Your servant Jacob’s; they are a gift sent to my lord Esau; and [Jacob] himself is right behind us.’” (20) He gave similar instructions to the second one, and the third, and all the others who followed the droves, namely, “Thus and so shall you say to Esau when you reach him. (21) And you shall add, ‘And your servant Jacob himself is right behind us.’” For he reasoned, “If I propitiate him with presents in advance, and then face him, perhaps he will show me favor.” (22) And so the gift went on ahead, while he remained in camp that night.

(23) That same night he arose, and taking his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, he crossed the ford of the Jabbok. (24) After taking them across the stream, he sent across all his possessions. (25) Jacob was left alone. And a figure wrestled with him until the break of dawn. (26) When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he wrenched Jacob’s hip at its socket, so that the socket of his hip was strained as he wrestled with him. (27) Then he said, “Let me go, for dawn is breaking.” But he answered, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” (28) Said the other, “What is your name?” He replied, “Jacob.” (29) Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.” (30) Jacob asked, “Pray tell me your name.” But he said, “You must not ask my name!” And he took leave of him there.

(31) So Jacob named the place Peniel, meaning, “I have seen a divine being face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” (32) The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping on his hip. (33) That is why the children of Israel to this day do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the socket of the hip, since Jacob’s hip socket was wrenched at the thigh muscle. (1) Looking up, Jacob saw Esau coming, with a retinue of four hundred. He divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maids, (2) putting the maids and their children first, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. (3) He himself went on ahead and bowed low to the ground seven times until he was near his brother. (4) Esau ran to greet him. He embraced him and, falling on his neck, he kissed him; and they wept. (5) Looking about, he saw the women and the children. “Who,” he asked, “are these with you?” He answered, “The children with whom God has favored your servant.”

(6) Then the maids, with their children, came forward and bowed low; (7) next Leah, with her children, came forward and bowed low; and last, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed low. (8) And he asked, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” He answered, “To gain my lord’s favor.” (9) Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let what you have remain yours.” (10) But Jacob said, “No, I pray you; if you would do me this favor, accept from me this gift; for to see your face is like seeing the face of God, and you have received me favorably. (11) Please accept my present which has been brought to you, for God has favored me and I have plenty.” And when he urged him, he accepted. (12) And [Esau] said, “Let us start on our journey, and I will proceed at your pace.” (13) But he said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail and that the flocks and herds, which are nursing, are a care to me; if they are driven hard a single day, all the flocks will die. (14) Let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I travel slowly, at the pace of the cattle before me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.” (15) Then Esau said, “Let me assign to you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “Oh no, my lord is too kind to me!” (16) So Esau started back that day on his way to Seir. (17) But Jacob journeyed on to Succoth, and built a house for himself and made stalls for his cattle; that is why the place was called Succoth. (18) Jacob arrived safe in the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan—having come thus from Paddan-aram—and he encamped before the city. (19) The parcel of land where he pitched his tent he purchased from the kin of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred kesitahs. (20) He set up an altar there, and called it El-elohe-yisrael.

(18) Jacob arrived safe in the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan—having come thus from Paddan-aram—and he encamped before the city. (19) The parcel of land where he pitched his tent he purchased from the kin of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred kesitahs. (20) He set up an altar there, and called it El-elohe-yisrael.

(1) The prophecy of Obadiah.
We have received tidings from GOD,
And an envoy has been sent out among the nations:“Up! Let us rise up against her for battle.”Thus said the Sovereign GOD concerning Edom: (2)I will make you least among nations,You shall be most despised.(3)Your arrogant heart has seduced you,You who dwell in clefts of the rock,In your lofty abode.You think in your heart,“Who can pull me down to earth?”(4)Should you nest as high as the eagle,Should your eyrie be lodged ’mong the stars,Even from there I will pull you down—declares GOD. (5)If thieves were to come to you,Marauders by night,They would steal no more than they needed.If vintagers came to you,They would surely leave some gleanings.How utterly you are destroyed!(6)How thoroughly rifled is Esau,How ransacked his hoards!(7)All your allies turned you backAt the frontier;Your own confederatesHave duped and overcome you;[Those who ate] your breadHave planted snares under you.He is bereft of understanding.(8)In that day—declares GOD—
I will make the wise vanish from Edom,Understanding from Esau’s mount.(9)Your warriors shall lose heart, O Teman,And no one on Esau’s mountShall survive the slaughter.(10)For the outrage to your brother Jacob,Disgrace shall engulf you,And you shall perish forever.(11)On that day when you stood aloof,When aliens carried off his goods,When foreigners entered his gatesAnd cast lots for Jerusalem,You were as one of them.(12)How could you gaze with glee
On your brother that day,On his day of calamity!How could you gloatOver the people of JudahOn that day of ruin!How could you loudly jeerOn a day of anguish!(13)How could you enter the gate of My peopleOn its day of disaster,Gaze in glee with the othersOn its misfortuneOn its day of disaster,And lay hands on its wealthOn its day of disaster!(14)How could you stand at the passesTo cut down its fugitives!How could you betray those who fledOn that day of anguish!(15)As you did, so shall it be done to you;Your conduct shall be requited.Yea, against all nationsThe day of GOD is at hand. (16)That same cup that you drank on My Holy Mount
Shall all nations drink evermore,Drink till their speech grows thick,And they become as though they had never been.(17)But on Zion’s mount a remnant shall survive,And it shall be holy.The House of Jacob shall dispossessThose who dispossessed them.(18)The House of Jacob shall be fire,And the House of Joseph flame,And the House of Esau shall be straw;They shall burn it and devour it,And no survivor shall be left of the House of Esau—for GOD has spoken. (19) Thus they shall possess the Negeb and Mount Esau as well, the Shephelah and Philistia. They shall possess the Ephraimite country and the district of Samaria, and Benjamin along with Gilead. (20) And that exiled force of Israelites [shall possess] what belongs to the Phoenicians as far as Zarephath, while the Jerusalemite exile community of Sepharad shall possess the towns of the Negeb. (21) For liberators shall march up on Mount Zion to wreak judgment on Mount Esau; and dominion shall be GOD’s.

(10)For the outrage to your brother Jacob,Disgrace shall engulf you,And you shall perish forever.(11)On that day when you stood aloof,When aliens carried off his goods,When foreigners entered his gatesAnd cast lots for Jerusalem,You were as one of them.(12)How could you gaze with glee
On your brother that day,On his day of calamity!How could you gloatOver the people of JudahOn that day of ruin!How could you loudly jeerOn a day of anguish!(13)How could you enter the gate of My peopleOn its day of disaster,Gaze in glee with the othersOn its misfortuneOn its day of disaster,And lay hands on its wealthOn its day of disaster!(14)How could you stand at the passesTo cut down its fugitives!How could you betray those who fledOn that day of anguish!(15)As you did, so shall it be done to you;Your conduct shall be requited.Yea, against all nationsThe day of GOD is at hand. (16)That same cup that you drank on My Holy Mount
Shall all nations drink evermore,Drink till their speech grows thick,And they become as though they had never been.(17)But on Zion’s mount a remnant shall survive,And it shall be holy.The House of Jacob shall dispossessThose who dispossessed them.(18)The House of Jacob shall be fire,And the House of Joseph flame,And the House of Esau shall be straw;They shall burn it and devour it,And no survivor shall be left of the House of Esau—for GOD has spoken.

(21) For liberators shall march up on Mount Zion to wreak judgment on Mount Esau; and dominion shall be GOD’s.