9
"Afterward, their god told them to leave Mesopotamia and go to the land of Canaan, where they settled and became very rich in gold, silver, and livestock.
10
Later, when a famine struck all the land of Canaan, these Israelites, as they were later called, went down to Egypt and stayed there as long as there was enough food. While they were there, they became a large nation with so many people that they could not be counted.
11
So the king of Egypt turned against them. He took advantage of them and put them to work making bricks. He oppressed them and made them slaves.
12
But they prayed to their god, and he sent disasters that left the Egyptians helpless. When the Egyptians drove them out of the country,
13
their god dried up the Red Sea in front of them,
14
and then led them along the way to Sinai and Kadesh Barnea. "The Israelites drove out all the people who lived in the southern part of Canaan,
15
occupied the land of the Amorites, wiped out the people of Heshbon, crossed the Jordan River, and took possession of the entire mountain region.
16
They drove out the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Shechemites, and all the Girgashites. The Israelites have now lived in these mountains for a long time.
17
"Their god hates wickedness, and as long as they did not sin against him, they prospered.
18
But when they disobeyed him, they suffered heavy losses in many wars and were finally taken away as captives to a foreign country. The temple of their god was leveled and their cities were occupied by their enemies.