Isaac later had two children, Jacob and Esau, with his wife Rebekah. After Isaac had grown old and blind, Jacob basically stole his brother's birthright and fled from his homeland. He would later become the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. .
The approximate dates for the period of Egyptian Bondage are from around 1700 B.C. until about 1250 B.C. The earlier of these dates would correspond to the Egyptian dynasty of the Hyksos, who were similar to the Israelites in two ways. They were both shepherd-kings, and Semitic in origin. The latter of these dates would roughly coincide with the reign of Ramses II, who was a hard taskmaker for the Israelites and ruled for 66 years. In this time period, Joseph, Jacob's favorite son, was sold into slavery and worked his way to be the servant of Potiphar, an Egyptian. While serving, he was thrown in jail for allegedly touching Potiphar's wife. During his time in jail, Joseph interpreted dreams. He interpreted the pharaoh's dreams correctly which resulted in his appointment to a higher position, preparing for a famine he himself predicted. After seven years of plenty, the famine came to pass and lasted for seven years. Egypt was prepared but its neighbors were not. People came from all around to get food. Joseph's brothers were among the hungry. Joseph forgave them for their betrayal and the family moved to Egypt. It is also known that in this time period, that the pharaoh ordered all male Israelite children to be killed for fear of their growing number. An Israelite woman named Jacobed saved her son from the pharaoh's order by putting her child in a basket and floated it down the Nile river. Her child was Moses, who later was called by God to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptians. After the pharoah refused to release the Israelites, God sent plagues upon the Egyptians including the death of the firstborn children. Pharaoh then relented. He attempted one last time to capture the Israelites by chasing them into the Red Sea, but all his men drowned.
