Yakob Yɛ Ahoboa Kɔhyia Esau
1Yakob ne ne fiefoɔ toaa nʼakwantuo no so. Onyankopɔn abɔfoɔ bɛhyiaa no. 2Yakob hunuu wɔn no, ɔkaa sɛ, “Ɛha yɛ Onyankopɔn fie!” Enti ɔtoo saa beaeɛ hɔ edin “Mahanaim,” a asekyerɛ ne Onyankopɔn asase.
3Yakob somaa abɔfoɔ dii nʼanim kɔɔ ne nua Esau nkyɛn wɔ Seir a ɛwɔ Edom asase so. 4Nkra a ɔde maa wɔn nie: “Monka nkyerɛ me wura Esau sɛ, ‘Wʼakoa Yakob se, yɛn wɔfa Laban nkyɛn na makɔtena sɛ ɔhɔhoɔ ara de bɛsi ɛnnɛ yi. 5Ɛnnɛ deɛ, mewɔ anantwie ne mfunumu, nnwan ne mmirekyie, nkoa ne mfenaa bebree. Masoma mʼabɔfoɔ yi aba wo, me wura nkyɛn, sɛ wɔmmɛka nkyerɛ wo sɛ, mereba. Mewɔ anidasoɔ nso sɛ, mɛnya wʼanim animuonyam ama woagye me fɛ so.’ ”
6Asomafoɔ no sane baa Yakob nkyɛn no, wɔbɛka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Yɛkɔɔ wo nua Esau nkyɛn kɔkaa wo nkra no kyerɛɛ no, na ɔse ɔreba abɛhyia wo, na mmarima ahanan na wɔka ne ho reba.”
7Yakob de ehu ne awerɛhoɔ kyekyɛɛ nnipa a ɔne wɔn nam no ne mmoa no mu akuo mmienu. 8Ɔkaa wɔ ne tirim sɛ, “Sɛ ɛba sɛ, Esau ne ne dɔm no ba bɛto hyɛ ekuo baako so a, ekuo a ɛtɔ so mmienu no bɛdwane.”
9Afei, Yakob bɔɔ Awurade mpaeɛ sɛ, “Ao, Awurade Onyankopɔn a mʼagya Abraham ne mʼagya Isak somm wo, Ao, Awurade a woka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, ‘Sane kɔ wʼasase so ne wʼabusua mu, na mɛma woayɛ ɔdefoɔ.’ 10Wʼadɔeɛ a wode ayɛ me ne nokorɛ a woadi wʼakoa no mu kakra bi mpo, mfata me. Ɛda a mefirii fie kɔtwaa Asubɔnten Yordan no, na me poma nko ara na ɛkura me, nanso ɛnnɛ, me na mekura ɛdɔm ahodoɔ mmienu yi. 11Mesrɛ wo, gye me firi me nua Esau nsam. Mesuro sɛ ɔbɛto ahyɛ me ne me yerenom ne me mma so. 12Nanso, wo na woahyɛ me bɔ sɛ, ‘Nokorɛ mu, mɛma woanya wo ho, na mama wʼase afɛe ayɛ sɛ mpoano anwea a wɔntumi nkan.’ ”
13Saa ɛda no, ɔdaa hɔ. Na ɔyii nʼagyapadeɛ no bi sɛ akyɛdeɛ a ɔde bɛma ne nua Esau. 14Nneɛma no nie: Mmirekyibereɛ ahanu, mpapo aduonu, nnwammedeɛ ahanu, nnwennini aduonu. 15Nyoma bereɛ aduasa ne wɔn mma, anantwibereɛ aduanan, anantwinini edu, mfunumubereɛ aduonu, mfunumunini edu. 16Ɔkyekyɛɛ mmoa no mu akuakuo, de maa nʼasomfoɔ a ekuo baako biara hyɛ ɔsomfoɔ baako nsa. Ɔka kyerɛɛ nʼasomfoɔ no sɛ, “Monni mʼanim nkɔ, na mmom, momma akwan nneda mmoa akuakuo no ntam.”
17Yakob sane ka kyerɛɛ nʼasomfoɔ a wɔdi ɛkan no sɛ, “Sɛ me nua Esau hyia mo, na ɔbisa mo sɛ, ‘Hwan asomfoɔ ne mo? Mofiri he na morekɔ he na hwan mmoa na mode wɔn nam yi a,’ 18monka nkyerɛ no sɛ, ‘Mmoa no yɛ wʼakoa Yakob dea. Ne nyinaa yɛ akyɛdeɛ a ɔde rebrɛ ne wura Esau, na nʼankasa di akyire reba.’ ”
19Saa ara nso na Yakob ka kyerɛɛ nʼasomfoɔ a wɔtɔ so mmienu, mmiɛnsa ne wɔn a wɔdidi so a wɔde mmoa no rekɔ no sɛ, “Sɛ mohyia Esau a, monka saa asɛm korɔ no ara nkyerɛ no. Monka nka ho sɛ, 20‘Wʼakoa Yakob ankasa di yɛn akyiri reba.’ ” Ɛfiri sɛ, na Yakob ayɛ nʼadwene sɛ, “Mede akyɛdeɛ ahodoɔ a mede asoma adi ɛkan yi bɛpata no, na sɛ akyire no ɔhunu me a, wagye me ato mu.” 21Enti, wɔde Yakob akyɛdeɛ ahodoɔ no dii ɛkan kɔeɛ. Na nʼankasa deɛ, ɔdaa nʼatenaeɛ hɔ anadwo no.
Yakob Ne Onyankopɔn Atentam
22Anadwo no ara, Yakob sɔre faa ne yerenom baanu ne ne mfenaa baanu no ne ne mma dubaako no, de wɔn twaa Asubɔnten Yordan wɔ Yabok asutwareɛ hɔ. 23Ɔde wɔn twaa asubɔnten no wieeɛ no, ɔsane bɛfaa nʼagyapadeɛ a aka nyinaa de twaa asuo no. 24Afei, ɛkaa Yakob nko ara wɔ nʼatenaeɛ hɔ. Anadwo no, obi ne no bɛtentameeɛ ara kɔsii adekyeɛ wɛɛ. 25Ɛberɛ a ɔbarima a ɔne no tentameeɛ no hunuu sɛ ɔrentumi nni Yakob so no, ɔbɔɔ Yakob dwonku, ma ɛhwaneeɛ. 26Afei, ɔbarima no ka kyerɛɛ Yakob sɛ, “Adeɛ akye enti, gyaa me ma menkɔ.”
Nanso, Yakob buaa no sɛ, “Sɛ woanhyira me a, meremma wonkɔ.”
27Ɔbarima no bisaa Yakob sɛ, “Wo din de sɛn?”
Ɔbuaa sɛ, “Me din de Yakob.”
28Ɔbarima no kaa sɛ, “Ɛfiri ɛnnɛ, wɔremfrɛ wo Yakob bio, na mmom, wɔbɛfrɛ wo Israel, ɛfiri sɛ, wo ne Onyankopɔn ne nnipa atentam, na woadi nkonim.”
29Yakob bisaa sɛ, “Mesrɛ wo, wɔfrɛ wo sɛn?”
Ɔbarima no nso bisaa no sɛ, “Adɛn enti na worebisa me din?” Yei akyiri no, ɔhyiraa Yakob.
30Ɛmaa Yakob too beaeɛ hɔ edin Peniel, a asekyerɛ ne “Onyankopɔn Anim.” Na ɔkaa sɛ, “Mahunu Onyankopɔn animuanimu, nanso meda so te nkwa mu ara.”
31Yakob refiri Peniel no na owia agyina. Esiane ne dwonku a na ahwan no enti, na ɔtɔ gu ne nan no so. 32Ɛno enti na ɛbɛsi ɛnnɛ yi, Israelfoɔ nwe aboa dwonku koraa sɛ nkaedeɛ no. Saa ntini kɛseɛ a ɛwɔ Yakob dwonku no na ɔbarima a ɔne no tentameeɛ no bɔeɛ, maa Yakob dwonku hwaneeɛ no.
Jacob Gets Ready to Meet Esau
1Jacob also went on his way. The angels of God met him. 2Jacob saw them. He said, “This is the army of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.
3Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau. Esau lived in the land of Seir. It was also called the country of Edom. 4Jacob told the messengers what to do. He said, “Here’s what you must tell my master Esau. ‘Your servant Jacob says, “I’ve been staying with Laban. I’ve remained there until now. 5I have cattle and donkeys and sheep and goats. I also have male and female servants. Now I’m sending this message to you. I hope I can please you.” ’ ”
6The messengers came back to Jacob. They said, “We went to your brother Esau. He’s coming now to meet you. He has 400 men with him.”
7Jacob was very worried and afraid. So he separated the people with him into two groups. He also separated the flocks and herds and camels. 8He thought, “Esau might come and attack one group. If he does, the group that’s left can escape.”
9Then Jacob prayed, “You are the God of my grandfather Abraham. You are the God of my father Isaac. Lord, you are the one who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives. Then I will give you success.’ 10You have been very kind and faithful to me. But I’m not worthy of any of this. When I crossed this Jordan River, all I had was my walking stick. But now I’ve become two camps. 11Please save me from the hand of my brother Esau. I’m afraid he’ll come and attack me and the mothers with their children. 12But you have said, ‘I will surely give you success. I will make your children as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. People will not be able to count them.’ ”
13Jacob spent the night there. He chose a gift for his brother Esau from what he had with him. 14He chose 200 female goats and 20 male goats. He chose 200 female sheep and 20 male sheep. 15He chose 30 female camels with their little ones. He chose 40 cows and ten bulls. And he chose 20 female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16He put each herd by itself. Then he put his servants in charge of them. He said to his servants, “Go on ahead of me. Keep some space between the herds.”
17Jacob spoke to his servant who was leading the way. He said, “My brother Esau will meet you. He’ll ask, ‘Who is your master? Where are you going? And who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18Then say to Esau, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift to you from him. And Jacob is coming behind us.’ ”
19He also spoke to the second and third servants. He told them and all the others who followed the herds what to do. He said, “Say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20Make sure you say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’ ” Jacob was thinking, “I’ll make peace with him with these gifts I’m sending on ahead. When I see him later, maybe he’ll welcome me.” 21So Jacob’s gifts went on ahead of him. But he himself spent the night in the camp.
Jacob Wrestles With God
22That night Jacob got up. He took his two wives, his two female servants and his 11 sons and sent them across the Jabbok River. 23After they had crossed the stream, he sent over everything he owned. 24So Jacob was left alone. A man wrestled with him until morning. 25The man saw that he couldn’t win. So he touched the inside of Jacob’s hip. As Jacob wrestled with the man, Jacob’s hip was twisted. 26Then the man said, “Let me go. It is morning.”
But Jacob replied, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.”
27The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
28Then the man said, “Your name will not be Jacob anymore. Instead, it will be Israel. You have wrestled with God and with people. And you have won.”
29Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you want to know my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there.
30So Jacob named the place Peniel. He said, “I saw God face to face. But I’m still alive!”
31The sun rose above Jacob as he passed by Peniel. He was limping because of his hip. 32That’s why the Israelites don’t eat the meat attached to the inside of an animal’s hip. They don’t eat it to this day. It’s because the inside of Jacob’s hip was touched.
