After Ya•a•qovꞋ had completed his military preparations, then he prayed:¹ "Ël•oh•imꞋ of my father, Avᵊrâ•hâmꞋ and Ël•oh•imꞋ of my father, Yi•tzᵊkhâqꞋ; י‑‑ה, Who told me, 'Return to your native land and I'll be good to you,' I'm the least of the kha•sid•imꞋ, and [least] of the ë•mëtꞋ that You have done with Your servant – having enabled me, by my ma•qeilꞋ, to pass over this region of Ya•rᵊd•einꞋ.

"But now, I've become two camps. Rescue me, please, from the hand of my brother, Ei•sauꞋ; because I'm terrified of him that he will come and wipe me out – the mother on top of the children.

"But You said, 'I will do absolute good with you, making your seed like the sand of the sea that cannot be counted because they're so many.'"

So Ya•a•qovꞋ lodged there that night. The next day he decided that it would be wise to send a mi•nᵊkh•âhꞋ ahead to his brother, to appease him. So he separated from his main herds 5 smaller herds as a mi•nᵊkh•âhꞋ for his elder twin brother, Ei•sauꞋ:

1. 200 nanny goats with 20 billygoats,
2. 200 ewes with 20 rams,
3. 30 nursing camels with their calves,
4. 30 cows with 10 bulls, and
5. 20 jenny donkeys with 10 foals.

He turned each herd over to one of his ranch hands with orders to take them to Ei•sauꞋ, one at a time with an interval between each herd, and, when Ei•sauꞋ inquired who was grazing in his territory, that the ranch hand should answer: "This herd is a mi•nᵊkh•âhꞋ to a•don•iꞋ Ei•sauꞋ from your servant, Ya•a•qovꞋ. Look, he is coming behind us."

He ordered the 2^nd through 5^th ranch hands to do the same with the herds they were leading to Ei•sauꞋ.

So he sent the herds before him while he lodged another night on the northern bank of NaꞋkhal יַבֹּק. That night, having decided it would be safer for his family and property to be further north from the naꞋkhal, he packed up everyone and everything in his rear camp, with all of his herds, and moved them to a safer distance north of the naꞋkhal.

Ei•sauꞋ Arrives Covertly, Under Cover Of Darkness

Then, going out alone in front of his forward group of warrior ranch-hands, who remained on the northern bank, Ya•a•qovꞋ crossed to the southern bank of NaꞋkhal יַבֹּק by himself, remaining alone, with the naꞋkhal as a defensible barrier (by bow) separating himself and Ei•sauꞋ from Ya•a•qovꞋ's family and possessions.

The Fight Between Ei•sauꞋ and Ya•a•qovꞋ

"The Battle Familial Millennial In פְּנִיאֵל"

Later that night, an ish ² battled Ya•a•qovꞋ until nearly sunrise.

Each being baron of their own respectable livestock empire, Ei•sauꞋ and Ya•a•qovꞋ were each nobles not to be seen by underlings rolling around fighting with each other rolling around in the dirt, the dust and their own blood. Sunrise would expose the ignoble fighting in the dirt of both to Ya•a•qovꞋ's family and cowboy-warriors – an embarrassment neither was willing to bear.

Unable to force his younger twin to concede, Ei•sauꞋ struck³ Ya•a•qovꞋ in the hollow of one of his butt cheeks, damaging Ya•a•qovꞋ's sciatic nerve, maiming him, leaving him with a permanent limp for life. Yet, despite his injury, Ya•a•qovꞋ achieved some kind of controlling, joint-lock hold, exerting pain on Ei•sauꞋ, from which Ei•sauꞋ could not extricate himself. Even with his injury, Ya•a•qovꞋ proved that, his years as a herdsman had made him tougher than his hunter-twin.

"Let me go!" Ei•sauꞋ pleaded. "It's almost sunrise and everyone will see us rolling around fighting in the dirt."

"Everyone will see that I have you down and beaten until I decide to let you up, you mean" Ya•a•qovꞋ retorted. "Well, good. Let them see I've beaten you! Either you submit and promise on your honor with a bᵊrâkh•âhꞋ to acknowledge that I won or you stay here with your face in the dirt for everyone to wake up, come across the naꞋkhal looking for me, and mock and humiliate you!"