Hebrew Bible

=== Narrative ===
The Tanakh begins with the [[Genesis creation narrative]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Collins |first=John J. |title=Introduction to the Hebrew Bible |publisher=Fortress Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-5064-4598-4 |edition=3rd |place=Minneapolis, US |page=13 |author-link=John J. Collins}}</ref> Genesis 12–50 traces Israelite origins to the [[Patriarchs (Bible)|patriarchs]]: [[Abraham]], his son [[Isaac]], and grandson [[Jacob]]. God promises Abraham and his descendants blessing and land. The covenant God makes with Abraham is signified by [[Brit milah|male circumcision]]. The children of Jacob become the ancestors of the [[twelve tribes of Israel]]. Jacob's son [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] is sold into slavery by his brothers, but he becomes a powerful man in Egypt. During a famine, Jacob and his family settle in Egypt.<ref>{{cite book |last=Carr |first=David M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p08lEAAAQBAJ |title=The Hebrew Bible: A Contemporary Introduction to the Christian Old Testament and the Jewish Tanakh |publisher=Wiley Blackwell |year=2021 |isbn=9781119636670 |edition=2nd |pages=52–53 |author-link=David M. Carr}}</ref>   

Jacob's descendants lived in Egypt for 430 years. After [[the Exodus]], the Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years.{{Sfn|Collins|2018|p=13}} God gives the Israelites the [[Law of Moses]] to guide their behavior. The law includes rules for both religious ritual and ethics {{Crossreference|(see [[Ethics in the Bible]])}}. This moral code requires justice and care for the poor, widows, and orphans. The biblical story affirms God's unconditional love for his people, but he still punishes them when they fail to live by the covenant.<ref>{{cite book |last=Goodman |first=Martin |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofjudaism0000good_z2n1 |title=A History of Judaism |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-846-14155-3 |page=38 |author-link=Martin Goodman (historian) |url-access=registration}}</ref>

God leads Israel into the [[promised land]] of [[Canaan]],{{Sfn|Goodman|2017|p=38}} which they conquer after five years. For the next 470 years, the Israelites were led by [[Hebrew Bible judges|judges]]. Afterwards, the government transitioned to a monarchy. The [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|united Kingdom of Israel]] was ruled first by [[Saul]] and then by [[David]] and his son [[Solomon]]. It was Solomon who built the [[First Temple]] in [[Jerusalem]].{{Sfn|Collins|2018|p=13}} After Solomon's death, the united kingdom split into the northern [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]] with its capital at [[Samaria (ancient city)|Samaria]] and the southern [[Kingdom of Judah]] centered at Jerusalem.{{Sfn|Goodman|2017|p=23}}

The northern kingdom survived for 200 years until it was conquered by the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyrians]] in 722 BCE. The Kingdom of Judah survived for longer, but it was conquered by the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylonians]] in 586 BCE. The Temple was destroyed, and many Judeans were [[Babylonian captivity|exiled to Babylon]]. In 539 BCE, Babylon was conquered by [[Cyrus the Great in the Bible|Cyrus the Great]] of Persia, who allowed the exiles to [[Return to Zion|return to Judah]]. Between 520 and 515 BCE, the Temple was rebuilt {{Crossreference|(see [[Second Temple]])}}.{{Sfn|Collins|2018|pp=13–14}}