Jacob Wrestles with God

²² During the night Jacob rose and crossed the Jabbok River [^Ca tributary of the Jordan about 15 miles north of the Dead Sea in the Transjordan] at the crossing, taking with him his two wives, his two slave girls, and his eleven sons. ²³ He sent his family and everything he had across the ·river [wadi; ravine]. ²⁴ So Jacob was alone, and a man came and wrestled with him until ·the sun came up [daybreak]. ²⁵ When the man saw he could not defeat Jacob, he struck Jacob’s ·hip [hip socket] and put it out of joint [^Las he wrestled with him]. ²⁶ Then he said to Jacob, “Let me go. ·The sun is coming up [Daybreak is coming].”

But Jacob said, “I will ·let you go if you will [^Lnot let you go unless you] bless me.”

²⁷ The man said to him, “What is your name?”

And he answered, “Jacob.”

²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. Your name will now be Israel [^Csounds like “he wrestled/fought/strove with God” in Hebrew], because you have ·wrestled [fought; strove] with God and with people, and you have ·won [prevailed].”

²⁹ Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.”

But ·the man [^Lhe] said, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there.

³⁰ So Jacob named that place Peniel [^Csounds like “face of God” in Hebrew], saying, “I have seen God face to face, but my life was ·saved [spared].” ³¹ Then the sun rose as he was leaving that place, and Jacob was limping because of his ·leg [hip]. ³² So even today the people of Israel do not eat the muscle that is on the hip joint of animals [^Cthe sciatic muscle], because Jacob was touched there.