Bible ReaderThe 66 books of the Bible
Old Testament (39 books) and New Testament (27 books).
The Protestant Bible has 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament, the scriptures of ancient Israel, and 27 in the New Testament, which tells of Jesus and the early church. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include a few more books (the Apocrypha or deuterocanonical books), which are not on this site.
| Book | Group | Chapters | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis | OT, Law | 50 | The beginning: creation, the first people, the flood, and the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. |
| Exodus | OT, Law | 40 | The rescue of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt under Moses, the Ten Commandments and the building of the tabernacle. |
| Leviticus | OT, Law | 27 | Laws for worship, sacrifice, purity and holy living given to Israel at Mount Sinai. |
| Numbers | OT, Law | 36 | The years of Israel in the wilderness, the censuses of the tribes, and the journey toward the promised land. |
| Deuteronomy | OT, Law | 34 | Moses' final speeches before his death, restating the law and calling Israel to faithfulness to God. |
| Joshua | OT, History | 24 | Israel enters and settles the land of Canaan under Joshua. |
| Judges | OT, History | 21 | The time before kings, when leaders called judges, such as Deborah, Gideon and Samson, rescued Israel. |
| Ruth | OT, History | 4 | A short story of loyalty: Ruth, a woman from Moab, stays with her mother-in-law Naomi and becomes an ancestor of David. |
| 1 Samuel | OT, History | 31 | The prophet Samuel, the first king Saul, and the rise of the young David. |
| 2 Samuel | OT, History | 24 | The reign of King David, his victories, his great failure and the troubles in his family. |
| 1 Kings | OT, History | 22 | Solomon's reign and the temple, the division of the kingdom, and the prophet Elijah. |
| 2 Kings | OT, History | 25 | The later kings of Israel and Judah, the prophet Elisha, and the fall of both kingdoms. |
| 1 Chronicles | OT, History | 29 | Genealogies from Adam and a retelling of David's reign with a focus on worship. |
| 2 Chronicles | OT, History | 36 | Solomon, the temple, and the kings of Judah to the exile in Babylon. |
| Ezra | OT, History | 10 | The return of exiles from Babylon and the rebuilding of the temple and community. |
| Nehemiah | OT, History | 13 | Nehemiah rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem and renews the people's commitment to the law. |
| Esther | OT, History | 10 | A Jewish queen of Persia, Esther, and her cousin Mordecai save their people from a plot. |
| Job | OT, Wisdom | 42 | The suffering of a good man and his long conversation with friends and with God about why the innocent suffer. |
| Psalms | OT, Wisdom | 150 | 150 songs and prayers of praise, lament, thanks and trust, many ascribed to David. |
| Proverbs | OT, Wisdom | 31 | Short sayings on wisdom, work, speech, money and relationships, many ascribed to Solomon. |
| Ecclesiastes | OT, Wisdom | 12 | A reflective book that asks what lasting value there is in work, pleasure and wealth. |
| Song of Solomon | OT, Wisdom | 8 | A poem of love between a man and a woman. |
| Isaiah | OT, Prophets | 66 | Warning and comfort: judgement on Israel and the nations, and promises of a coming deliverer and a new age. |
| Jeremiah | OT, Prophets | 52 | The prophet who warned Judah before the Babylonian conquest and spoke of a new covenant. |
| Lamentations | OT, Prophets | 5 | Poems of grief over the destruction of Jerusalem. |
| Ezekiel | OT, Prophets | 48 | A prophet among the exiles in Babylon, with visions of God's glory and of the restoration of Israel. |
| Daniel | OT, Prophets | 12 | Daniel and his friends in Babylon, with stories of faithfulness and visions of the future of kingdoms. |
| Hosea | OT, Prophets | 14 | God's faithful love for an unfaithful people, pictured through the prophet's own marriage. |
| Joel | OT, Prophets | 3 | A plague of locusts becomes a call to repent and a promise that God will pour out his Spirit. |
| Amos | OT, Prophets | 9 | A shepherd-prophet speaks against injustice and empty religion. |
| Obadiah | OT, Prophets | 1 | The shortest book of the Old Testament: judgement on Edom. |
| Jonah | OT, Prophets | 4 | A reluctant prophet is sent to Nineveh, swallowed by a great fish, and learns about God's mercy. |
| Micah | OT, Prophets | 7 | Judgement on corruption and a call to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly. |
| Nahum | OT, Prophets | 3 | The fall of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. |
| Habakkuk | OT, Prophets | 3 | A prophet questions God about injustice and learns to trust. |
| Zephaniah | OT, Prophets | 3 | The coming day of the Lord and a promise of restoration. |
| Haggai | OT, Prophets | 2 | A call to the returned exiles to rebuild the temple. |
| Zechariah | OT, Prophets | 14 | Visions and promises to encourage the rebuilding of the temple and look to a coming king. |
| Malachi | OT, Prophets | 4 | The last book of the Old Testament: a call to honest worship and faithfulness. |
| Matthew | NT, Gospel | 28 | The life and teaching of Jesus, including the Sermon on the Mount, written with the Jewish scriptures in view. |
| Mark | NT, Gospel | 16 | The shortest and fastest Gospel: the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. |
| Luke | NT, Gospel | 24 | The life of Jesus with a focus on the poor, the outcast and on parables such as the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. |
| John | NT, Gospel | 21 | The life of Jesus told through signs and long conversations, with the statements beginning "I am". |
| Acts | NT, History | 28 | The spread of the early church from Jerusalem across the Roman world, including the work of Peter and Paul. |
| Romans | NT, Letter | 16 | Paul's long letter on sin, grace, faith and the Christian life. |
| 1 Corinthians | NT, Letter | 16 | Paul answers problems in the church at Corinth, with the chapters on love (13) and the resurrection (15). |
| 2 Corinthians | NT, Letter | 13 | Paul defends his ministry and writes about comfort in suffering and generous giving. |
| Galatians | NT, Letter | 6 | A letter about freedom: faith, not the law, as the basis of the Christian life. |
| Ephesians | NT, Letter | 6 | God's plan for the church and how to live in unity. |
| Philippians | NT, Letter | 4 | A warm letter of joy, written from prison. |
| Colossians | NT, Letter | 4 | The greatness of Christ and the new life of believers. |
| 1 Thessalonians | NT, Letter | 5 | Encouragement to a young church and teaching about the return of Christ. |
| 2 Thessalonians | NT, Letter | 3 | Further teaching about the return of Christ and steady work. |
| 1 Timothy | NT, Letter | 6 | Paul advises his younger colleague Timothy on leading the church. |
| 2 Timothy | NT, Letter | 4 | Paul's last letter, an appeal to Timothy to stay faithful. |
| Titus | NT, Letter | 3 | Instructions on order and good conduct in the churches of Crete. |
| Philemon | NT, Letter | 1 | A short personal letter asking a slave-owner to receive back a runaway slave as a brother. |
| Hebrews | NT, Letter | 13 | Jesus as greater than the prophets, angels and priests of the old covenant, with the chapter on faith (11). |
| James | NT, Letter | 5 | Practical teaching: faith shown in deeds, control of speech, patience and care for the poor. |
| 1 Peter | NT, Letter | 5 | Encouragement to believers who suffer for their faith. |
| 2 Peter | NT, Letter | 3 | A warning against false teachers and a call to grow in knowledge. |
| 1 John | NT, Letter | 5 | On love, light and assurance of faith. |
| 2 John | NT, Letter | 1 | A brief letter on truth and love. |
| 3 John | NT, Letter | 1 | A brief letter of praise for hospitality. |
| Jude | NT, Letter | 1 | A short warning to hold firmly to the faith. |
| Revelation | NT, Prophecy | 22 | Visions of the final victory of God, written in symbolic language to churches under pressure. |
The Bible text is the World English Bible, a modern English translation in the public domain. Christians differ in how they read and apply the Bible, and the notes on this site are plain descriptions, not teaching. Ask your own church or teacher about what it means for you.