How to use these summaries
Each summary walks through one book from start to finish, with a chapter-by-chapter guide, its main themes and answers to common questions. Every chapter and verse mentioned links straight to the text, so you can check the summary against the Bible as you go. If you are new to the Bible, Genesis, Mark and Acts are good places to start.
Old Testament (39 books)
The Old Testament has 39 books, written mostly in Hebrew over roughly a thousand years. It runs from creation to Israel's return from exile.
The Law (Torah)
| Book | Chapters | Overview |
|---|
| Genesis | 50 | Creation, the fall, the flood, and the family of Abraham |
| Exodus | 40 | God frees Israel from Egypt and gives the law at Sinai |
| Leviticus | 27 | Laws for sacrifice, priesthood and holy living |
| Numbers | 36 | Israel's forty years in the wilderness |
| Deuteronomy | 34 | Moses' last speeches before Israel enters Canaan |
History
| Book | Chapters | Overview |
|---|
| Joshua | 24 | Israel crosses the Jordan and takes the promised land |
| Judges | 21 | A repeating cycle of sin, oppression and rescue |
| Ruth | 4 | A Moabite widow's loyalty and her place in David's family |
| 1 Samuel | 31 | Samuel, King Saul and the rise of David |
| 2 Samuel | 24 | David's reign as king of Israel |
| 1 Kings | 22 | Solomon, the temple and the split into two kingdoms |
| 2 Kings | 25 | The fall of Israel to Assyria and Judah to Babylon |
| 1 Chronicles | 29 | Genealogies from Adam, and David's reign told again |
| 2 Chronicles | 36 | Judah's kings from Solomon to the exile |
| Ezra | 10 | Exiles return home and rebuild the temple |
| Nehemiah | 13 | Jerusalem's walls are rebuilt in 52 days |
| Esther | 10 | A Jewish queen saves her people in Persia |
Poetry and wisdom
| Book | Chapters | Overview |
|---|
| Job | 42 | A righteous man suffers and argues with God |
| Psalms | 150 | Israel's songbook of praise, grief and prayer |
| Proverbs | 31 | Short sayings about living wisely |
| Ecclesiastes | 12 | A teacher searches for meaning under the sun |
| Song of Solomon | 8 | A love poem between a bride and her beloved |
Major prophets
| Book | Chapters | Overview |
|---|
| Isaiah | 66 | Judgment, comfort and the coming servant of the LORD |
| Jeremiah | 52 | Warnings before Jerusalem falls, and a promised new covenant |
| Lamentations | 5 | Five poems of grief over fallen Jerusalem |
| Ezekiel | 48 | A priest in exile sees God's glory leave and return |
| Daniel | 12 | Faithfulness in Babylon and visions of coming kingdoms |
Minor prophets
| Book | Chapters | Overview |
|---|
| Hosea | 14 | A prophet's marriage pictures God's love for unfaithful Israel |
| Joel | 3 | A locust plague and the day of the LORD |
| Amos | 9 | A shepherd from Judah condemns injustice in Israel |
| Obadiah | 1 | Judgment on Edom for turning on its brother nation |
| Jonah | 4 | A runaway prophet and a city that repents |
| Micah | 7 | Judgment, and a ruler to come from Bethlehem |
| Nahum | 3 | The fall of Nineveh, capital of Assyria |
| Habakkuk | 3 | A prophet asks why God allows injustice |
| Zephaniah | 3 | The day of the LORD and a humble remnant |
| Haggai | 2 | A call to finish rebuilding the temple |
| Zechariah | 14 | Night visions and a humble king riding a donkey |
| Malachi | 4 | God's case against careless priests and people after the exile |
New Testament (27 books)
The New Testament has 27 books, written in Greek within about seventy years of Jesus's death. It tells his story and how the first churches grew.
Gospels
| Book | Chapters | Overview |
|---|
| Matthew | 28 | Jesus as the promised king from David's line |
| Mark | 16 | The shortest and fastest-moving account of Jesus |
| Luke | 24 | A doctor's careful account of Jesus's life |
| John | 21 | Seven signs that point to Jesus as the Son of God |
Church history
| Book | Chapters | Overview |
|---|
| Acts | 28 | The church spreads from Jerusalem to Rome |
Letters of Paul
| Book | Chapters | Overview |
|---|
| Romans | 16 | The gospel explained: sin, grace and faith |
| 1 Corinthians | 16 | Answers for a divided church, including the chapter on love |
| 2 Corinthians | 13 | Paul defends his ministry and his weakness |
| Galatians | 6 | Made right with God by faith in Christ |
| Ephesians | 6 | Jews and Gentiles made one body in Christ |
| Philippians | 4 | Joy in Christ, written from prison |
| Colossians | 4 | Christ is supreme over everything |
| 1 Thessalonians | 5 | Encouragement about Jesus's return |
| 2 Thessalonians | 3 | Stand firm and keep working until the Lord comes |
| 1 Timothy | 6 | Instructions for leading a local church |
| 2 Timothy | 4 | Paul's last letter before his death |
| Titus | 3 | Sound teaching and good works on Crete |
| Philemon | 1 | A plea for a runaway slave named Onesimus |
General letters
| Book | Chapters | Overview |
|---|
| Hebrews | 13 | Jesus is the better priest and the better sacrifice |
| James | 5 | Real faith shows up in what you do |
| 1 Peter | 5 | Hope for Christians who suffer |
| 2 Peter | 3 | Warnings about false teachers and the Lord's return |
| 1 John | 5 | Love, truth and knowing you have eternal life |
| 2 John | 1 | Walk in love and watch for deceivers |
| 3 John | 1 | Welcome faithful teachers |
| Jude | 1 | Contend for the faith |
Prophecy
| Book | Chapters | Overview |
|---|
| Revelation | 22 | Visions of Christ's victory and the new creation |