The ancient history of the people of Israel revolved around two pivotal times of liberation through God's divine intervention. The first one was the Exodus from Egypt. After the Patriarchs of Israel moved to Egypt, the Israelites grew to be numerous and prosperous. The Egyptian Pharaoh became jealous of their success and started to oppress them and, in time, he even wanted to destroy them completely. But God raised up Moses and Aaron to lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land.
The Israelites settled in their new homeland and eventually established a prosperous kingdom. But they continually deviated from the Torah, the law God had given them through Moses. They often broke faith with God and worshipped the gods of other nations. In response, God allowed the enemies of Israel to subdue them. The northern lands were conquered by the Assyrians and then, in early 6th century BC, Jerusalem itself was taken by the Babylonians, who destroyed the Temple and carried off the sacred objects. They also deported the leading families of the Israelites to Babylon, thereby ushering in the decades long period known as the Babylonian Captivity.
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