The Bible at a Glance

Old Testament

(Excerpt from “Pathway To Victory” summary pamphlet)

Genesis	Describes creation and God’s promise to Abraham and his family.
Exodus	God honors His covenant with Israel and provides the law.
Leviticus	Gives instructions for offerings and sacrifices.
Numbers	What happens when God’s people don’t obey.
Deuteronomy	Review of God’s law before the Israelites enter Canaan.
Joshua	God delivers the promised land to Israel.
Judges	Historic account of Israel’s leaders.
Ruth	God’s faithfulness and a picture of the kinsman-redeemer.
1 Samuel 2 Samuel	Israel becomes a monarchy.
1 Kings 2 Kings	History of the good—and bad—kings of Israel.
1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles	Histories of Israel and Judah for Jews in exile.
Ezra	God returns His people to the promised land and the temple is rebuilt.
Nehemiah	Jerusalem’s walls are reconstructed.
Esther	God’s sovereignty in all circumstances on display.
Job	Trusting in God amid suffering.
Psalms	A collection of poems for worship of God.
Proverbs	Practical wisdom and teaching for God’s people.
Ecclesiastes	Exploring the meaning of life.
Song of Songs	God’s gifts of love and joy in marriage.
Isaiah	Prophecies foretelling of Christ.
Jeremiah	God’s judgment of Judah prophesied.
Lamentations	Anguish over Judah’s desolation.
Ezekiel	Messages of warning and comfort for captive Jews.
Daniel	History of captivity and prophecies about Jesus Christ.
Hosea	Warning against Israel’s idolatry.
Joel	Urging Judah to turn back from sin.
Amos	Rebuke of Israel’s failures and prophecy of restoration.
Obadiah	Punishment of Edom prophesied.
Jonah	Reveals the depths of God’s love.
Micah	Predictions of punishment and restoration.
Nahum	God’s plans to punish the Assyrian Empire.
Habakkuk	Affirms God’s plan for justice against the wicked.
Zephaniah	Predicts Judah being overthrown for wickedness.
Haggai	Calls Judah to complete the temple.
Zechariah	Prophesies of hope for the Jewish remnant.
Malachi	Exhortation to make God first.

The Apocrypha Library (condensed)

(Excerpt from “The Complete Guide to the Bible” by Stephen M. Miller)

The Apocrypha are extra books in Christian bibles that didn’t make the Old Testament cut.  Written mainly between 300 BC and 70 AD, they weren’t considered reliable enough for the Jewish Bible.  Like the Old Testament, the Apocrypha spans many genres: history, romance, prayers, poems, songs, and wise sayings like the proverbs.

Tobit	This is the story of a Jewish man deported to Nineveh, in what is now Iraq.  Against Assyrian law, he bravely gives executed Jews a proper burial.
Judith	A Jewish widow, Judith saves her city from attacking Assyrians by going to Assyria’s camp, seducing the enemy General, and then cutting off his head.
Esther (additions)	With 107 extra verses, this Greek version of Esther’s story adds more than 50 references to God.  The Hebrew version doesn’t mention Him at all.
Wisdom of Solomon	Sounding a lot like Proverbs, this collection of wise sayings and essays points people to righteous living.
Sirach	Also known as Ecclesiasticus (“Church Book”), this 51 chapter book reads like a combo of Psalms and Proverbs.  It features songs and wise advice.
Baruch	Claiming to be the prophet Jeremiah’s assistant, Baruch writes a letter to Jews in Jerusalem.  Writing from exile in Babylon (modern day Iraq), he confesses the Jewish nation’s sins and prays for deliverance.
Letter of Jeremiah	Jeremiah writes a letter to the exiles in Babylon, warning them not to worship idols.
The Prayer of Azariah and the song of the Three Jews	This add-on to the book of Daniel is said to be the prayer and the song that Daniel’s three friends prayed and sang when Nebuchadnezzar put them in a furnace.
Susanna	A beautiful young woman, Susanna is wrongly accused of having an affair with a mystery man who runs away.  Jewish elders—in this case dirty old men—accuse her after she refuses to have sex with them.  Daniel proves the elders are lying.
Bel and the Dragon	Daniel uncovers hoaxes about two fake gods.  He proves that priests are sneaking into the temple at night to eat food left for Bel—which they claimed the god had been eating.  And he feeds a tar-covered hair ball to a “divine” dragon—probably a snake.  The ball swells, exploding the snake and proving it’s no god.
1 Maccabees	A Jewish priest leads a revolt against Syrian occupiers, winning Israel’s independence.
2 Maccabees	More on the war of independence and how God helped the Jews.
1 Esdras	Repackaging much of the material in Ezra, this book tells about the fall of Jerusalem, the exile of Jews into Babylon, and their return home to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.
Prayer of Manasseh	King Manasseh, perhaps the most evil Jewish king who ever lived, confesses his sins in a 15-verse prayer.  This is the king who sacrificed his son to an idol.
Psalm 151	David’s song after killing Goliath.
3 Maccabees	Contrary to what the title suggests, this isn’t the Jewish war of independence, part 3.  Instead, it’s about God protecting Jews in Egypt from a king who tries to trample them with a herd of elephants.
2 Esdras	The prophet Ezra’s visions of the end times.
4 Maccabees	This is set in the days just before the revolt against Syria, described in 1 Maccabees.  The writer urges Jews to keep observing Jewish laws even though the Syrians are executing Jews who don’t abandon their faith.

New Testament

(Excerpt from “Pathway To Victory” summary pamphlet)

Matthew	Establishes Jesus in the line of David as king.
Mark	Reveals Jesus as a suffering servant.
Luke	Shows Jesus as compassionate Savior of all.
John	Shows Jesus is God’s one and only Son.
Acts	A history of the early church that shows the Holy Spirit at work.
Romans	Outlines the need for—and way to—salvation in Christ.
1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians	Deals with division and encourages us to love one another.
Galatians	A defense of salvation by faith, not works.
Ephesians	The basics for following Jesus.
Philippians	Shows us where true joy comes from.
Colossians	Correction of false teachers with the truth.
1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians	Encourages believers with the hope of Christ’s return.
1 Timothy 2 Timothy	Teaches church leadership and encourages us to remain faithful.
Titus	Explains the importance of believers doing good works.
Philemon	A call to Christlike forgiveness to forgive and receive a runaway slave.
Hebrews	The case for Christ’s superiority over the old covenant
James	Pushes believers to align their lives with their faith.
1 Peter 2 Peter	A call to righteous living and avoiding false teachers.
1 John 2 John 3 John	Exhortation to love in Christ—and warning against falsehoods.
Jude	Exposes false teaching and urges vigilance against heresy.
Revelation	A prophetic vision of the second coming of Jesus Christ and His ultimate victory.