Jacob, Joseph & Egypt

Ya'akov took a stone and set it upright as a standing-stone.

Then Ya'akov said to his kinsmen, "Gather some stones"; and they took stones, made a pile of them and ate there by the pile of stones.

Lavan called it Y'gar-Sahaduta ["pile of witness" in Aramaic], while Ya'akov called it Gal-'Ed ["pile of witness" in Hebrew].

Lavan said, "This pile witnesses between me and you today."This is why it is called Gal-'Ed

and also HaMitzpah [the watchtower], because he said, "May ADONAI watch between me and you when we are apart from each other.

If you cause pain to my daughters, or if you take wives in addition to my daughters, then, even if no one is there with us, still God is witness between me and you."

Lavan also said to Ya'akov, "Here is this pile, and here is this standing-stone, which I have set up between me and you.

May this pile be a witness, and may the standing-stone be a witness, that I will not pass beyond this pile to you, and you will not pass beyond this pile and this standing-stone to me, to cause harm.

May the God of Avraham and also the god of Nachor, the god of their father, judge between us." But Ya'akov swore by the One his father Yitz'chak feared.

Ya'akov offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his kinsmen to the meal. They ate the food and spent the whole night on the mountain.

Early in the morning Lavan got up, kissed his sons and daughters, and blessed them. Then Lavan left and returned to his own place.

Ya'akov went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

When Ya'akov saw them, he said, "This is God's camp," and called that place Machanayim [two camps].

Ya'akov sent messengers ahead of him to 'Esav his brother toward the land of Se'ir, the country of Edom,

with these instructions: "Here is what you are to say to my lord 'Esav: 'Your servant Ya'akov says, "I have been living with Lavan and have stayed until now.

I have cattle, donkeys and flocks, and male and female servants. I am sending to tell this news to my lord, in order to win your favor."'"

The messengers returned to Ya'akov saying, "We went to your brother 'Esav, and he is coming to meet you; with him are four hundred men."

Ya'akov became greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people, flocks, cattle and camels with him into two camps,

saying, "If 'Esav comes to the one camp and attacks it, at least the camp that is left will escape."

Then Ya'akov said, "God of my father Avraham and God of my father Yitz'chak, ADONAI, who told me, 'Return to your country and your kinsmen, and I will do you good':

I'm not worthy of all the love and faithfulness you have shown your servant, since I crossed the Yarden with only my staff. But now I have become two camps.

Please! Rescue me from my brother 'Esav! I'm afraid of him, afraid he'll come and attack me, without regard for mothers or children.

You said, 'I will certainly do you good and make your descendants as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea, which are so many they can't be counted.'"

He stayed there that night; then he chose from among his possessions the following as a present for 'Esav his brother:

two hundred female goats and twenty males, two hundred female sheep and twenty males,