Today is the 16th day of January. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is fantastic to be here with you today as we gather and find a place around the global campfire here and move forward together.

We are still continuing our journey through the book of Genesis in the Old Testament and we are with Jacob who has fled Laban.

After 20 years in his service, he's taken his entire household and is going back home.

On his way, he has sent messengers to Esau, his brother. If we remember right.

Last time we saw Jacob and Esau together, Esau wanted to kill Jacob for all of the trickery, the fatherly blessing, the inheritance, the birthright that was taken through deception.

Last time they parted company, it was not on good terms and Jacob is a little freaked out about it. And that's where we pick up the story.

Genesis chapter 32 verse 13 through 34 verse 31.

He spent the night there and took part of what he had brought with him as a gift for his brother Esau.

200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys.

He entrusted them to his slaves as separate herds and said to them, go on ahead of me and leave some distance between the herds.

And he told the first one, when my brother Esau meets you and asks, who do you belong to? Where are you going and whose animals are these ahead of you?

Then tell him, they belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau and look.

He is behind us. He also told the second one, the third and everyone who was walking behind the animals, say the same thing to Esau when you find him.

You are also to say, look, your servant Jacob is right behind us. For he thought, I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me.

After that, I can face him and perhaps he will forgive me. So the gift was sent on ahead of him while he remained in the camp that night.

During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two slave women and his eleven sons and crossed the fort of J-bok.

He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.

When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he struck Jacob's hip socket as they wrestled and dislocated his hip.

Then he said to Jacob, let me go for it is daybreak. But Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me.

What is your name? The man asked. Jacob, he replied.

Your name will no longer be Jacob, he said. It will be Israel. Because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.

Then Jacob asked him, please tell me your name. But he answered, why do you ask my name? And he blessed him there.

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