6. "Here is what God said to him. 'Your family after you will be strangers in a country that is not their own. They will be slaves and will be treated badly for 400 years.
7. But I will punish the nation that makes them slaves,' God said. 'After that, they will leave that country and worship me here.' (Genesis 15:13,14)
8. "Then God made a covenant with Abraham. God told him that circumcision would show who the members of the covenant were. Abraham became Isaac's father. He circumcised Isaac eight days after he was born. Later, Isaac became Jacob's father. Jacob had 12 sons. They became the founders of the 12 tribes of Israel.
9. "Jacob's sons were jealous of their brother Joseph. So they sold him as a slave. He was taken to Egypt. But God was with him.
10. He saved Joseph from all his troubles. God made Joseph wise. He helped him to become the friend of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made Joseph ruler over Egypt and his whole palace.
11. "There was not enough food for all Egypt and Canaan. This brought great suffering. Jacob and his sons couldn't find food.
12. But Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt. So he sent his sons on their first visit.
13. On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was. Pharaoh learned about Joseph's family.
14. "After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family. The total number of people was 75.
15. Then Jacob went down to Egypt. There he and his family died.
16. Some of their bodies were brought back to Shechem. They were placed in a tomb Abraham had bought. He had purchased it from Hamor's sons at Shechem for a certain amount of money.
17. "In Egypt the number of our people grew and grew. It was nearly time for God to make his promise to Abraham come true.
18. Another king became ruler of Egypt. He knew nothing about Joseph.
19. He was very evil and dishonest with our people. He beat them down. He forced them to throw out their newborn babies to die.
20. "At that time Moses was born. He was not an ordinary child. For three months he was taken care of by his family.
21. Then he was placed outside. But Pharaoh's daughter took him home. She brought him up as her own son.
22. Moses was taught all the knowledge of the people of Egypt. He became a powerful speaker and a man of action.
23. "When Moses was 40 years old, he decided to visit the people of Israel. They were his own people.