It is through Abraham, the spiritual father of faithful Christians (Romans 4:16) and "Friend of God" (James 2:23), that God started what would become the nation of Israel through his grandson Jacob (the founder of the twelve tribes of Israel).
Abraham was originally named Abram (Genesis 17:1-5). He left his home in Ur of the Chaldees to live in Haran, but soon moved from there to live in the land of Canaan. Sarah, whose original name was Sarai, was the wife of Abraham. After God healed her so that she could have a family, she gave birth at 90 to Isaac. Sarah is the only woman in the Bible where her age at death, one-hundred and twenty-seven (127), is recorded.
The First Son
Hagar was an Egyptian woman who was the handmaid of Sarah. Because she could not have children Sarah gave her to Abraham. Soon after this occurred Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. Keturah, the second wife of Abraham, likely married him after the death of Sarah. Keturah bore him six boys.
Miracle Children
Isaac, Sarah's only child, was miraculously born after God healed Sarah of being unable to produce children. Isaac's wife Rebekah bore him two sons. He lived longer, at 180 years, than either his father (175 years) or his son Jacob (147 years). Rebekah, wife of Isaac, was healed of being barren after the couple prayed to God for a miracle. She gave birth to twin boys Esau and Jacob.
Esau, also called Edom, received his name from the fact that he was born red and hairy (Genesis 25:25). He sold his birthright, and the blessings that came with it, to Jacob for a bowl of lentil soup. He is the founder of the Edomites that lived in the land of Canaan.
The Grandson
Jacob was the twin-brother of Esau and grandson of Abraham. He stole Esau's blessing from their father by pretending to be him when Isaac was old and unable to see very well. To escape the wrath of his brother, Jacob flees to a relative named Laban. Jacob works fourteen years for Laban and marries his daughters Leah and Rachel.
After wrestling with a man all night (who was actually Jesus is human form) Jacob's name is changed to Israel (Genesis 32). The children born through Jacob, in their birth order, are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah, Joseph and Benjamin.
Slave Wives
Bilhah was a slave girl Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. Because Rachel could not have children she gave Bilhah to Jacob. Two sons were produced out of this arrangement. Leah was the oldest daughter of Laban and sister to Rachel. Laban, although he agreed to have Jacob marry Rachel after he worked for him for seven years, deceived Jacob into marrying Leah first (Genesis 29). Leah and Jacob produced six boys and one girl.
Zilpah was a slave girl given to Leah by her father. When Leah believed she could bare no more children she gave the slave girl to Jacob (Genesis 30). She produced two of Jacob's sons. Rachel was the younger daughter of Laban.
Jacob, because of Laban's deception, had to work fourteen years to earn the right to marry Rachel. After God miraculously healed her of being unable to bare children she gave birth to Joseph. She later died giving birth to Benjamin. Rachel is the first woman recorded in the Bible as dying in childbirth.
David, who represented the 13th generation from Abraham in the family tree, was the youngest son of Jesse. He becomes king in 1010 B.C. at about the age of 30. He ruled over the tribe of Judah for 7 1/2 years, then over a united Israel, until his death in 970 B.C. King David won military battles that expanded Israel's kingdom. He conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites, made it his capital and eventually brought the Ark of the Covenant to it.