Abraham was a clan chief from Ur in Mesopotamia. Following God’s call, who promised him his own land and many descendants, he travelled west to Canaan. Abraham believed that God demanded his son Isaac as a sacrifice. However, God stopped Abraham at the last minute, and Abraham offered a ram instead, foreshadowing the Crucifixion. To find a wife for Isaac, Abraham sent a servant back to his native Mesopotamia. Rebekah was chosen to marry Isaac before Abraham’s death.
Isaac lived as a herdsman with Rebekah and had two sons with her: Jacob and Esau. Jacob envied Esau’s privilege as the elder son, so he tricked him into selling his birthright for pottage. Then, persuaded by Rebekah, Jacob deceived his blind father into giving him the blessing. When he found out, Esau threatened to kill Jacob, who promptly fled. Jacob had a dream showing a ladder to heaven and God renewing his promise to Abraham. Jacob then worked for his uncle Laban and married his daughters Leah and Rachel, before returning to his own land, still fearing Esau’s wrath. He overcame his baser nature by wrestling an angel, earning the name Israel. Jacob and Esau made peace. Jacob had 12 sons, and the two youngest with Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
Jacob favored Joseph, dressing him in a long-sleeved tunic and exempting him from physical labor with his brothers. Joseph told them about his dreams where he dominated them. The angry brothers sold him into slavery. Joseph ended up in Egypt enslaved to the captain of the pharaoh’s guard. He was promoted to a servant, but a slander sent him to jail with a butler and baker. Joseph interpreted their dreams, and caught the pharaoh’s eye. Joseph predicted a famine from the pharaoh’s dreams, so the pharaoh stocked grain, allowing Egypt to overcome the famine. Subsequently, many Hebrews, including Joseph’s family, settled there, where Joseph revealed himself. But a short while after Joseph’s death, the Egyptians enslaved the Hebrews.
Later, the pharaoh, concerned with the Hebrews’ population growth, ordered the death of all their baby boys. But a Hebrew woman left her son Moses in a cradle by the river, and the pharaoh’s daughter adopted him. Moses visited the Hebrew slaves. However, he killed an Egyptian overseer for whipping a Hebrew, before fleeing Egypt. Living as a shepherd, Moses saw a burning bush, and God ordered him to free his people. Moses returned to Egypt with his brother Aaron, and demanded that the pharaoh release his people. He refused, so God sent the Egyptians 10 plagues, after which the pharaoh relented. However, as the Hebrews crossed the Red Sea, the Pharaoh chased them but failed to stop their escape. When the Hebrews reached Mount Sinai, Moses went up the mountain and received the Ten Commandments. But when he returned, he saw his people worshipping a golden calf, and angrily destroyed the tablets. New ones were created and kept in the Ark of the Covenant. Moses led his people in the desert for 40 years, as Canaan seemed unconquerable. The Hebrews complained, and Moses angrily struck a stone twice with his staff, discovering a spring. However, he was banned from Canaan since his anger showed a lack of faith. Before his death, Moses made Joshua his successor.
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