Abraham is a major character in the Old Testament of the Bible, and seems to have been a historical figure as well based off of genetic tests from the Jewish population. In the Bible, he is said to have been from the Mesopotamian city of Ur, before leaving the city to go to the land of Canaan, which was promised to him and his family by the Lord.
God, at one time, demanded the sacrifice of Abraham’s son Isaac. At the last moment, however, when it was clear that he was willing to kill his son, God told him to stop and kill a lamb instead. This was simply a test of Abraham, not a real human sacrifice.
Isaac doesn’t do much, but he does have two sons, Jacob and Esau. Esau is very brawny, but not too smart, and Jacob tricks him into giving up his rights as the elder brother. Esau swears vengeance, and Jacob flees to his uncle’s farm. He works for his uncle for 14 years, and married both of his uncle’s daughters. He returned home and was forgiven by Esau. From his wives he had twelve children, the youngest of whom was Joseph.
Joseph was Jacob’s favorite, and the other 11 sons hated him for it, so the sold him to slavery. He was eventually bought in Egypt, where he became known for being able to interpret dreams. The Pharaoh was having disturbing dreams, and sent for Joseph to decipher them. He declared that a famine was coming, and with that heads-up the Pharaoh was able to successfully stock up for the famine. Joseph also became a favorite of this Pharaoh, so when his family came to beg for food during the famine they were welcomed with open arms.
Eventually Joseph died, and so did the Pharaoh, and so the Hebrews were turned into slaves. Eventually Moses was born, and he was told by God to demand the freedom of the Hebrews. He did so, but the Pharaoh denied the request. God then visited the 10 plagues on the Egyptians, which forced the Pharaoh to let them leave. Moses the split the Red Sea, and the Jews walked to the other side in search of the land of Abraham.
They find Mt. Sinai, which Moses hikes up to the top of. There, he receives the Ten Commandments, which forms the law of the people of God. Moses, however, is cursed to never enter the Holy Land due to his lack of belief. So they wander for thirty years before he died, and they were allowed to enter the Holy Land.
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