3 He said to them:I want to know about these people who have settled in the hills of Canaan. You also live in Canaan, so tell me what cities they control, how large their army is, and what makes them powerful. Tell me who their king is and who commands their army.
4 And find out why they're the only nation in the west that refuses to surrender to me!
5 Achior the Ammonite leader answered:Sir, I am your loyal servant. Please listen as I tell you about the people who live up in the hill country near your army camp. I will be completely honest.
6 These Israelites are really descendants of the Babylonians.
7-8 But the Israelites refused to follow the customs of their ancestors or to worship the Babylonian gods. Instead, they started worshiping another God, the God of Heaven. The Babylonians immediately forced the Israelites to leave their country, and they settled in Mesopotamia and lived there a long time.
9 Later, their God told them to leave Mesopotamia and settle in Canaan, where they became very rich and owned a lot of gold and silver and livestock.
10 Some years later, a terrible famine forced the Israelites to leave Canaan and go to Egypt, where there was plenty food and water. And it wasn't long before they became a nation with too many people to count.