Bible Reading Guide
Books of the Bible
There are 66 books of the Bible: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. They were written over roughly fifteen centuries by about forty authors — shepherds, kings, prophets, a doctor, fishermen — in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and together they hold 1,189 chapters. The Old Testament runs from Genesis to Malachi; the New Testament from Matthew to Revelation. Below is every book of the Bible in order, grouped the way most Bibles print them, each with a one-line summary from the Father’s Heart Bible™ (FHB) and a link to read it free online, chapter by chapter, with audio.
Old Testament books: 39
The Old Testament is the story of our Father and the family He chose through Abraham — creation and fall, the exodus from Egypt, the kings, the exile and the return — with the songs and prophets that carried His promise of a coming King.
The Law (the Five Books of Moses) · 5 books
- Genesis 50 chapters
The book of beginnings: creation and fall, flood and covenant, and the calling of Abraham’s family through whom the whole world would be blessed. Scripture opens where the gospel opens—with our Father making a world, and a family, for Himself.
- Exodus 40 chapters
Israel’s long sojourn in Egypt hardens into slavery. Our Father raises up Moses, breaks Pharaoh with ten plagues, opens the sea, and leads the people to Mount Sinai—where He binds Himself to them in covenant and comes to dwell in their midst.
- Leviticus 27 chapters
The book of holiness and sacrifice—how a redeemed people may live near our holy Father. Beneath every regulation runs a single promise: our Father means to dwell in the very midst of His people.
- Numbers 36 chapters
Forty years of wilderness wandering between Sinai and the Promised Land—a generation’s failures met by a Father’s patience. At its heart stands the blessing the priests were to speak over the people.
- Deuteronomy 34 chapters
Moses’ farewell sermons on the edge of the Promised Land, renewing the covenant with a new generation. Again and again he presses one picture home: the LORD is not a distant lawgiver but a Father.
History · 12 books
- Joshua 24 chapters
The conquest and settlement of the Promised Land under Joshua. As a daunting task begins, our Father anchors His people not in their own courage but in His presence.
- Judges 21 chapters
A downward spiral: the people forsake the LORD, fall to their enemies, cry out, and are rescued—again and again. The wonder of the book is not the judges but the Father who keeps answering.
- Ruth 4 chapters
In the dark days of the judges, one quiet story of loyalty and redemption: a widowed foreigner is drawn into the family of our Father through a kinsman-redeemer, and becomes great-grandmother to King David.
- 1 Samuel 31 chapters
Israel demands a king, and the LORD gives them Saul, then David. Behind the rise and fall of kings, the book reveals a Father who hears the barren, calls the child, and looks past appearances to the heart.
- 2 Samuel 24 chapters
David’s reign—its triumphs and its grievous failures. At the center stands the covenant our Father makes with David: a promise of a Father and a son that reaches far beyond one throne.
- 1 Kings 22 chapters
The glory of Solomon’s temple gives way to a kingdom divided and prophets who confront it. In the quiet after the storm, our Father reveals Himself not in wind or fire but in a gentle whisper.
- 2 Kings 25 chapters
The long decline of Israel and Judah into exile. Even as judgment falls, the book keeps catching glimpses of a Father slow to give His children up.
- 1 Chronicles 29 chapters
Israel’s story retold through David’s reign, with worship at its center. Woven through the genealogies and songs is the promise of a Father to His son, and an invitation to seek Him.
- 2 Chronicles 36 chapters
The reigns of Judah’s kings from Solomon to the exile, with the temple at the heart of the nation’s life. The book’s most beloved promise is a Father waiting to forgive and heal a people who turn back.
- Ezra 10 chapters
After seventy years in exile, a remnant returns to rebuild the temple. The book credits every step to one cause: the good hand of their Father upon them.
- Nehemiah 13 chapters
The walls of Jerusalem lie in rubble, and Nehemiah leads the people to rebuild them. At the center is a great prayer recalling a Father who sustained His people through every wilderness.
- Esther 10 chapters
Esther is the one book that never names God—no prayer, no miracle, no mention of the LORD. Yet from a Persian palace an orphaned girl is raised up “for such a time as this,” and a marked people is delivered. The Father’s name is absent; His hand is everywhere.
Poetry and Wisdom · 5 books
- Job 42 chapters
A blameless man loses everything and wrestles, through long chapters of anguished questions, with why the righteous suffer. In the end our Father answers not with explanations but with Himself.
- Psalms 150 chapters
The prayer book and songbook of our Father’s people—a hundred and fifty psalms of praise, lament, thanksgiving, and trust, spanning every season of the human heart, brought honestly before our Father.
- Proverbs 31 chapters
A collection of wise sayings for everyday life—on speech, work, money, friendship, and the fear of the LORD that begins all wisdom. Practical instruction offered from a father to his son.
- Ecclesiastes 12 chapters
Ecclesiastes searches for meaning “under the sun,” and from that earthbound vantage the Teacher sees God as distant and inscrutable—named simply as God, rarely as Father. Yet His fingerprints are everywhere: every good gift of ordinary life comes from His hand.
- Song of Solomon 8 chapters
A love song between a bride and her beloved, sung without shame. Read as scripture long has, it opens a window onto the love our Father has for His own—a love as strong as death.
The Major Prophets · 5 books
- Isaiah 66 chapters
The greatest of the prophets: sweeping oracles of judgment giving way to unmatched promises of comfort and a coming Redeemer. Nowhere in the Old Testament is the Father’s tenderness sung more beautifully.
- Jeremiah 52 chapters
Judah is breaking covenant and headed into exile, yet through Jeremiah our Father keeps speaking hope over His children—a future, a love that has no end, and a heart that still yearns for the son who wandered.
- Lamentations 5 chapters
Five poems of grief over Jerusalem’s destruction—raw, unflinching sorrow. And in the exact center, amid the ashes, rises one of the strongest confessions of hope in all scripture.
- Ezekiel 48 chapters
Visions of judgment and glory to the exiles in Babylon—and a promise that our Father Himself will do what the shepherds failed to do: gather His scattered flock.
- Daniel 12 chapters
Faithful exiles in a pagan empire, and visions of kingdoms that rise and fall before the kingdom that never ends. Through fiery furnace and lions’ den, our Father proves Himself present with His children.
The Minor Prophets · 12 books
- Hosea 14 chapters
A prophet is commanded to love an unfaithful wife, so that Israel might see how our Father loves an unfaithful people. It yields the tenderest father-portrait in all the Prophets.
- Joel 3 chapters
A devastating locust plague becomes a picture of the coming Day of the LORD—and an urgent call to return. The Father’s appeal is not for torn garments but for turned hearts.
- Amos 9 chapters
A shepherd from Tekoa thunders against injustice and empty worship in a prosperous, complacent nation. Beneath the warnings beats a Father’s longing for His children to simply seek Him and live.
- Obadiah 1 chapter
The Bible’s shortest book—a single chapter of judgment on Edom for gloating over Jerusalem’s fall. Yet even here the last word is not vengeance but deliverance, and a kingdom that belongs to our Father.
- Jonah 4 chapters
A prophet flees the Father’s call to preach to Israel’s enemies, is swallowed by a great fish, and learns—reluctantly—that our Father’s compassion is far wider than his own.
- Micah 7 chapters
Judgment on corrupt leaders and false prophets, shot through with the promise of a coming ruler from Bethlehem. Its famous questions end in an even more famous mercy.
- Nahum 3 chapters
A century after Jonah, Nineveh has returned to cruelty, and Nahum announces its fall. To a people terrorized by Assyria, the book is not vengeance but comfort: their Father is a refuge.
- Habakkuk 3 chapters
A prophet argues honestly with his Father about why evil goes unpunished—and moves from complaint to one of scripture’s boldest declarations of trust.
- Zephaniah 3 chapters
A short book of coming judgment that ends in one of scripture’s tenderest promises. After the warnings, our Father is revealed standing in the very midst of His people—singing over them like a Father over a child He delights in.
- Haggai 2 chapters
The exiles have returned but left our Father’s house in ruins while paneling their own. Haggai calls them to rebuild—and grounds the whole appeal in one repeated promise: “I am with you.”
- Zechariah 14 chapters
Visions of restoration for the returned exiles, pointing ahead to a coming King who enters humble on a donkey. Its promises circle one covenant refrain: they will be My people, and I their Father.
- Malachi 4 chapters
The last voice of the Old Testament confronts a people grown cynical and cold, and closes the era looking ahead to a coming dawn of healing. It opens with the Father’s stubborn declaration of love.
New Testament books: 27
The New Testament is the Son coming to bring the family home: four Gospels of His life, death and resurrection, the story of the first believers, the letters that taught them to live as the Father’s children, and the vision of the end of the story.
The Gospels · 4 books
- Matthew 28 chapters
The Gospel presenting Jesus as the promised King, the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. It records the Sermon on the Mount and the Great Commission.
- Mark 16 chapters
The shortest and swiftest Gospel, portraying Jesus as the suffering Servant who came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- Luke 24 chapters
The Gospel of the great Physician, full of compassion for the poor, the outcast, and the lost. It holds the parable of the prodigal son and the tenderest portraits of Jesus’ mercy.
- John 21 chapters
The most intimate Gospel, written that you may believe Jesus is the Son of God and have life in His name. It records His “I am” sayings and His farewell teaching on the Father.
History · 1 book
- Acts 28 chapters
The story of the young church after Jesus’ ascension—the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost and the gospel’s spread from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
Paul’s Letters · 13 books
- Romans 16 chapters
Paul’s fullest explanation of the gospel—humanity’s sin, God’s righteousness, and salvation by grace through faith. The letter that has shaped the church more than any other.
- 1 Corinthians 16 chapters
Paul addresses divisions, disorder, and moral confusion in a struggling young church—and gives the church its greatest chapter on love.
- 2 Corinthians 13 chapters
Paul’s most personal letter, defending his ministry through suffering and boasting only in weakness, where God’s power is made perfect.
- Galatians 6 chapters
Paul’s fierce defense of the gospel of grace against those who would add law-keeping to faith. Freedom in Christ is its theme.
- Ephesians 6 chapters
A soaring letter on our Father’s eternal plan to unite all things in Christ, and on the church as His household and His body.
- Philippians 4 chapters
A joyful letter written from prison, urging the church to rejoice in the Lord always and to have the mind of Christ.
- Colossians 4 chapters
Paul exalts the supremacy of Christ over all things and warns against hollow philosophies that would diminish Him.
- 1 Thessalonians 5 chapters
Paul’s warm encouragement to a young church, and his teaching on the return of the Lord.
- 2 Thessalonians 3 chapters
A follow-up letter steadying a church confused about the day of the Lord, and calling them to stand firm.
- 1 Timothy 6 chapters
Paul’s pastoral counsel to young Timothy on ordering the church and guarding sound teaching.
- 2 Timothy 4 chapters
Paul’s final letter, written near death, passing the torch to Timothy and charging him to preach the word.
- Titus 3 chapters
Instructions to Titus on appointing elders and teaching sound doctrine on the island of Crete.
- Philemon 1 chapter
Paul’s brief, personal appeal to a slave-owner to receive back a runaway slave, Onesimus, now a brother in Christ.
The General Letters · 8 books
- Hebrews 13 chapters
A profound sermon showing Christ as superior to angels, to Moses, and to the old priesthood—the great High Priest who opens the way to our Father.
- James 5 chapters
Practical wisdom on living out genuine faith—taming the tongue, caring for the poor, and enduring trials with patience.
- 1 Peter 5 chapters
Encouragement to Christians suffering for their faith, reminding them of their living hope and their identity as our Father’s chosen people.
- 2 Peter 3 chapters
A warning against false teachers and scoffers, and a call to grow in grace while awaiting the Lord’s return.
- 1 John 5 chapters
A letter on assurance—how to know you have eternal life, walk in the light, and abide in love.
- 2 John 1 chapter
A short letter urging believers to walk in truth and love, and to beware deceivers.
- 3 John 1 chapter
A personal note commending Gaius for his hospitality and faithfulness, and warning against a domineering leader.
- Jude 1 chapter
A brief, urgent letter contending for the faith against those who pervert grace, and calling believers to persevere.
Prophecy · 1 book
- Revelation 22 chapters
The unveiling of Jesus Christ and the end of the story—judgment, the fall of evil, and the new heaven and new earth where our Father dwells with His children forever.
How the books of the Bible are grouped
The Bible is a library, not a single book, and its order is by kind more than by date. The Old Testament opens with the five books of the Law, then the History books from Joshua to Esther, then Poetry and Wisdom (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon), then the Prophets — “major” and “minor” describe the length of the books, not their importance. The New Testament follows the same pattern: the four Gospels, one book of history (Acts), thirteen letters from Paul, eight general letters, and Revelation. Jewish Bibles hold the same Old Testament books in a different order, and Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include additional books, which is why you may see a count of 73 or more.
Which book of the Bible to read first
You do not have to start on page one. Begin with Genesis 1–3, where our Father forms His children in His own image, then read the Gospel of John, where the Son comes to bring them home. From there, the rest of the New Testament and then the Old Testament story read with fresh eyes. Our guide Where to Start Reading the Bible lays out the order step by step.
Sixty-six books, one story
For all its writers and centuries, the Bible tells one story. A Father makes a world and a family for Himself. His children are carried off — by their own choice and by an enemy who hates them. And He pursues them, through Abraham and Moses, through David and the prophets, until His Son walks into the story to bring the family home. Genesis begins in a garden where the Father walks with His children; Revelation ends in a city where He lives with them forever. The Father’s Heart Bible™ is translated to let that thread be heard on every page, which is why it reveals God as Father wherever Scripture does. Read any book free, with audio, in the online reader.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Bible?
The Bible has 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. That is the count in Protestant Bibles, including the Father’s Heart Bible™. Catholic Bibles add seven more Old Testament books (the deuterocanonical books, such as Tobit and the Maccabees) for 73, and Orthodox Bibles include a few beyond that.
How many books are in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
The Old Testament has 39 books, from Genesis to Malachi, written mostly in Hebrew before the time of Jesus. The New Testament has 27 books, from Matthew to Revelation, written in Greek in the first century after His life, death and resurrection.
What are the books of the Bible in order?
Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi. New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2 and 3 John, Jude, Revelation.
What is the first book of the Bible, and what is the last?
Genesis is the first book of the Bible: it opens with our Father creating the heavens and the earth and a family for Himself. Revelation is the last: it closes with a new heaven and a new earth where He lives with His children forever. The whole Bible runs between those two homes.
What is the longest book of the Bible, and the shortest?
Psalms is the longest book of the Bible, with 150 chapters. The shortest books are a single chapter long: Obadiah in the Old Testament, and Philemon, 2 John, 3 John and Jude in the New Testament. Altogether the 66 books contain 1,189 chapters.
Which book of the Bible should I read first?
Start with Genesis 1-3 for the foundation, then read the Gospel of John to meet Jesus and, through Him, the Father. After John, read the rest of the New Testament, then go back to the Old Testament story. Every book is free to read online with audio in the Father’s Heart Bible™.
Keep going: How to Read the Bible, the Lord’s Prayer explained, Bible verses by topic, or learn why the Father’s Heart Bible™ exists. For the history of how the books were gathered, see the Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on biblical literature.
♥ See what readers are saying →
