וַֽיְהִי־לִי֙ שׁ֣וֹר וַחֲמ֔וֹר צֹ֖אן וְעֶ֣בֶד וְשִׁפְחָ֑ה וָֽאֶשְׁלְחָה֙ לְהַגִּ֣יד לַֽאדֹנִ֔י לִמְצֹא־חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֶֽיךָ׃
I have acquired cattle, asses, sheep, and male and female slaves; and I send this message to my lord in the hope of gaining your favor.’”
Genesis 32:6/5 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)
If you take the controversial opinion that I do, which is that Jacob is not a trickster, but is actually a slow and naive man who is easily tricked and manipulated by everyone around him, this passage actually seems like he’s trying to tell his older brother: “look – I did it! Be proud of me! I was able to do it without anyone’s help, save for God.”