1. As Jacob was on his way back home, some of God's angels came and met him.
2. When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is God's camp.” So he named the place Mahanaim.
3. Jacob sent messengers on ahead to Esau, who lived in the land of Seir, also known as Edom.
4. Jacob told them to say to Esau, “Master, I am your servant! I have lived with Laban all this time,
5. and now I own cattle, donkeys, and sheep, as well as many slaves. Master, I am sending these messengers in the hope that you will be kind to me.”
6. When the messengers returned, they told Jacob, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is heading this way with four hundred men.”
7. Jacob was so frightened that he divided his people, sheep, cattle, and camels into two groups.
8. He thought, “If Esau attacks one group, perhaps the other can escape.”
9. Then Jacob prayed:You, Lord, are the God who was worshipped by my grandfather Abraham and by my father Isaac. You told me to return home to my family, and you promised to be with me and make me successful.
10. I don't deserve all the good things you have done for me, your servant. When I first crossed the Jordan, I had only my walking stick, but now I have two large groups of people and animals.
11. Please rescue me from my brother. I am afraid he will come and attack not only me, but my wives and children as well.
12. But you have promised that I would be a success and that some day it will be as hard to count my descendants as it is to count the stars in the sky.
13. After Jacob had spent the night there, he chose some animals as gifts for Esau:
14-15. two hundred female goats and twenty males, two hundred female sheep and twenty males, thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten males.
16. Jacob put servants in charge of each herd and told them, “Go ahead of me and keep a space between each herd.”