The 39 books of the Old Testament
The Scriptures of Israel trace creation, covenant, Torah, land, kingship, worship, wisdom, exile, and prophetic hope. Read them first in their own literary world, then within the Bible's wider Christian canon.
Pentateuch
5 books
Genesis
Beginnings, creation, human rebellion, covenant, and the family of Abraham.
50 chapters · Read overviewExodus
Israel's deliverance, covenant at Sinai, God's presence, and a people formed for worship.
40 chapters · Read overviewLeviticus
Holiness, sacrifice, priesthood, purity, atonement, and life near God's presence.
27 chapters · Read overviewNumbers
Israel's wilderness journey, rebellion, divine faithfulness, and preparation for the land.
36 chapters · Read overviewDeuteronomy
Moses renews the covenant and calls Israel to remember, love, and obey God.
34 chapters · Read overviewHistorical Books
12 books
Joshua
Israel enters the land, confronts conflict, distributes inheritance, and renews covenant.
24 chapters · Read overviewJudges
Cycles of rebellion, oppression, deliverance, and the cost of covenant unfaithfulness.
21 chapters · Read overviewRuth
Loyal love, providence, belonging, redemption, and a family line leading toward David.
4 chapters · Read overview1 Samuel
Samuel, Saul, and David mark Israel's transition from judges to monarchy.
31 chapters · Read overview2 Samuel
David's reign displays covenant promise alongside the consequences of power and sin.
24 chapters · Read overview1 Kings
Solomon, the temple, a divided kingdom, and prophetic confrontation with idolatry.
22 chapters · Read overview2 Kings
The kingdoms decline toward exile while prophets bear witness to God's word.
25 chapters · Read overview1 Chronicles
Israel's story retold through genealogy, David, worship, and preparation for the temple.
29 chapters · Read overview2 Chronicles
Judah's kings and temple life are traced from Solomon to exile and return.
36 chapters · Read overviewEzra
Exiles return, rebuild the temple, and renew their life around Scripture and covenant.
10 chapters · Read overviewNehemiah
Jerusalem's walls and community are rebuilt through prayer, leadership, and reform.
13 chapters · Read overviewEsther
Courage and hidden providence preserve a threatened Jewish community in Persia.
10 chapters · Read overviewWisdom & Poetry
5 books
Job
Suffering, protest, limited human knowledge, friendship, and encounter with the sovereign God.
42 chapters · Read overviewPsalms
Israel's prayerbook gives language for praise, lament, trust, wisdom, kingship, and hope.
150 chapters · Read overviewProverbs
Wisdom for character, speech, work, relationships, justice, money, and reverence for God.
31 chapters · Read overviewEcclesiastes
A searching reflection on mortality, work, pleasure, wisdom, and life as God's gift.
12 chapters · Read overviewSong of Solomon
Poetry celebrating desire, beauty, mutual love, longing, and covenant affection.
8 chapters · Read overviewMajor Prophets
5 books
Isaiah
Judgment and hope, God's holiness, the servant, restored Zion, and new creation.
66 chapters · Read overviewJeremiah
A prophet warns Judah, laments its fall, and announces a promised new covenant.
52 chapters · Read overviewLamentations
Poetic grief after Jerusalem's destruction holds devastation and hope together.
5 chapters · Read overviewEzekiel
Visions of glory, judgment, responsibility, restoration, a new heart, and renewed presence.
48 chapters · Read overviewDaniel
Faithfulness in exile and apocalyptic visions of empires under God's lasting kingdom.
12 chapters · Read overviewMinor Prophets
12 books
Hosea
A wounded marriage becomes a sign of covenant betrayal and God's persistent love.
14 chapters · Read overviewJoel
Disaster summons repentance while the day of the LORD brings judgment and Spirit-filled hope.
3 chapters · Read overviewAmos
God confronts worship severed from justice and calls a prosperous society to account.
9 chapters · Read overviewObadiah
Edom's pride and violence face judgment as God's kingdom brings justice.
1 chapter · Read overviewJonah
A reluctant prophet discovers God's compassion for enemies and creation.
4 chapters · Read overviewMicah
Judgment on corrupt power is joined to hope for a shepherd-king and restored remnant.
7 chapters · Read overviewNahum
Nineveh's violent empire falls, bringing sobering justice and relief to the oppressed.
3 chapters · Read overviewHabakkuk
A prophet questions violence and learns watchful trust while waiting for justice.
3 chapters · Read overviewZephaniah
The day of the LORD exposes pride and promises purification, joy, and restoration.
3 chapters · Read overviewHaggai
Returned exiles are called to reorder priorities and rebuild the temple.
2 chapters · Read overviewZechariah
Night visions and prophetic oracles encourage rebuilding and anticipate God's coming king.
14 chapters · Read overviewMalachi
God challenges compromised worship and promises a messenger before the coming day.
4 chapters · Read overviewA four-question reading method
- 01
What kind of writing is this?
Narrative, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, Gospel, letter, and apocalyptic vision communicate in different ways.
- 02
Where am I in the story?
Locate the passage in its book, covenant setting, historical moment, and the canon's unfolding movement.
- 03
What does the text emphasize?
Observe structure, repetition, contrast, characters, claims, commands, promises, and unresolved tension.
- 04
What response fits?
Move toward faithful belief and practice without turning every description into a command or every promise into a private guarantee.
Place the Old Testament in the whole Bible
After reading these books in their own setting, continue into the New Testament and compare its use of Israel's Scriptures. The Old Testament overview explains the major covenant, kingdom, wisdom, exile, and prophetic movements, while the complete Psalms collection gives those movements a language of worship and prayer.