Thus "local tradition" looks at the world differently than the empire; it tells an alternative and opposing story to that of empire centered on the covenant with YHWH. This local tradition is joined to the memory of empire by its opposition to the empire: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Exodus 20:2). YHWH is the decisive agent for departure (Exodus) from the empire.
