Every book available on Verse Finder, with a short introduction. Pick a book to read it chapter by chapter in the King James, World English, Douay-Rheims and other translations.
Genesis opens the Bible with stories of creation, humanity’s beginnings, and the families of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
Exodus recounts Israel’s liberation from slavery in Egypt, the journey through the wilderness, and the covenant at Mount Sinai.
Leviticus sets out instructions for worship, sacrifice, purity, and community life in ancient Israel.
Numbers follows Israel’s wilderness journey between Sinai and the borders of the promised land.
Deuteronomy presents Moses’ speeches to Israel before entry into the promised land.
Joshua describes Israel’s entry into Canaan, the conflicts that follow, and the allocation of land among the tribes.
Judges portrays Israel before the monarchy through stories of regional leaders such as Deborah, Gideon, and Samson.
Ruth is a short narrative about a Moabite widow and her Israelite mother-in-law, Naomi, set in the time of the judges.
1 Samuel traces the transition from Israel’s judges to its monarchy through Samuel, Saul, and the young David.
2 Samuel focuses on David’s reign, the establishment of Jerusalem as his capital, and the promise concerning his royal house.
1 Kings begins with Solomon’s reign and the building of the Jerusalem temple, then follows the division into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
2 Kings continues the histories of Israel and Judah, including the ministry of Elisha and the falls of Samaria and Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles retells Israel’s history through genealogies and an account of David’s reign.
2 Chronicles follows Solomon and the kings of Judah, giving particular attention to the temple, worship, and religious reform.
Ezra recounts the return of groups of Judean exiles under Persian rule, the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple, and Ezra’s work as a teacher of the law.
Nehemiah centres on the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls and the reorganisation of the returned community under Persian rule.
Esther tells how a Jewish queen and her relative Mordecai confront a threat to their people in the Persian court.
Job is a wisdom book that asks how suffering, justice, and faith relate to one another.
Psalms gathers 150 songs and prayers used in Jewish and Christian worship.
Proverbs collects sayings and teachings about wise living, relationships, speech, work, and justice.
Ecclesiastes reflects on work, pleasure, mortality, and the difficulty of finding lasting meaning in life.
The Song of Solomon, also known as the Song of Songs, is a collection of love poetry voiced largely by two lovers.
Isaiah brings together prophetic messages of judgement and hope connected with Judah, Jerusalem, exile, and restoration.
Jeremiah records prophetic warnings and reflections around Judah’s final decades before Jerusalem fell to Babylon.
Lamentations is a collection of five poems mourning the destruction of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel presents the visions and messages of a priest and prophet living among Judean exiles in Babylon.
Daniel combines court stories set during exile with symbolic visions of kingdoms, conflict, and divine judgement.
Hosea addresses the northern kingdom of Israel, using marriage and family imagery to portray covenant betrayal and enduring love.
Joel begins with a devastating locust plague and calls the community to lament and return to God.
Amos speaks against exploitation, injustice, and religious complacency, especially in the northern kingdom of Israel.
Obadiah is the shortest book of the Old Testament and focuses on judgement against Edom for its conduct toward Judah.
Jonah is a prophetic story about a reluctant messenger sent to Nineveh, the capital of an enemy people.
Micah condemns corrupt leadership, exploitation, and empty religious display in Israel and Judah.
Nahum is a poetic announcement of the downfall of Nineveh, the centre of the Assyrian empire.
Habakkuk takes the form of a dialogue in which the prophet questions God about injustice and the use of a violent empire as an instrument of judgement.
Zephaniah warns Judah and surrounding nations about the day of the Lord, confronting idolatry, injustice, and complacency.
Haggai contains brief prophetic messages to the community that returned from exile, urging it to rebuild the Jerusalem temple.
Zechariah encourages the post-exile community through symbolic visions and messages about rebuilding, justice, and restoration.
Malachi addresses a restored community whose worship and relationships have become careless or unjust.
Tobit tells the story of a Jewish family living in exile, following Tobit’s suffering and his son Tobias’s journey with the angel Raphael.
Judith is a dramatic story in which a devout Jewish widow saves her people from an invading army.
The Additions to Esther are passages preserved in the Greek form of Esther but not in its Hebrew text.
The Wisdom of Solomon is a Jewish wisdom work written in Greek and traditionally associated with Solomon rather than understood as a direct record of his writing.
Sirach, also called Ecclesiasticus or the Wisdom of Ben Sira, offers practical teaching about family, friendship, speech, worship, and justice.
Baruch is a work associated with Jeremiah’s scribe that combines confession, prayer, wisdom teaching, and hope for Jerusalem.
The Prayer of Azariah forms part of the Greek additions to Daniel, expanding the story of the three companions in the fiery furnace.
Susanna is a narrative preserved among the Greek additions to Daniel, in which false accusations are exposed through careful questioning.
Bel and the Dragon contains stories preserved among the Greek additions to Daniel that challenge idol worship and celebrate deliverance.
The Prayer of Manasseh is a short penitential prayer associated with the Judean king whose repentance is described in Chronicles.
1 Esdras retells material related to Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, including the return from exile and the restoration of worship.
The work called 2 Esdras in this collection contains apocalyptic reflections associated with Ezra, centred on suffering, judgement, and the fate of God’s people.
1 Maccabees recounts the struggle of the Maccabean family against Seleucid rule and the growth of Jewish independence in the second century BCE.
2 Maccabees offers a distinct account of events surrounding the Maccabean struggle, rather than simply continuing 1 Maccabees.
1 Enoch is a collection of ancient Jewish writings attributed to Enoch, the figure mentioned in Genesis, rather than a single narrative by him.
Jubilees retells much of Genesis and the opening of Exodus, arranging events around periods of seven and forty-nine years.
Matthew is a Gospel account of Jesus’ life, teaching, death, and resurrection, with frequent connections to Israel’s Scriptures.
Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels and moves quickly through Jesus’ ministry, conflicts, death, and resurrection announcement.
Luke presents an account of Jesus’ life with special attention to compassion, prayer, the Holy Spirit, and people on society’s margins.
John tells the story of Jesus through selected signs, extended conversations, and reflections on life, light, truth, and belief.
Acts continues Luke’s narrative with the growth of the early Christian movement from Jerusalem toward Rome.
Romans is Paul’s letter to Christians in Rome, presenting an extended discussion of sin, grace, faith, and life in Christ.
1 Corinthians is Paul’s response to divisions and questions within the church at Corinth.
2 Corinthians reflects Paul’s difficult relationship with the Corinthian church and his understanding of ministry.
Galatians is Paul’s urgent letter about faith in Christ and whether Gentile believers must adopt the requirements of the Jewish law.
Ephesians explores the unity of believers in Christ and the formation of a community across former divisions.
Philippians is a letter from Paul, written during imprisonment, to a community with which he shared a close relationship.
Colossians emphasises the significance of Christ for creation, reconciliation, and the life of believers.
1 Thessalonians is one of Paul’s earliest surviving letters, offering encouragement to a young Christian community facing opposition.
2 Thessalonians offers encouragement amid suffering and addresses confusion about the day of the Lord.
1 Timothy is one of the Pastoral Epistles, presented as guidance from Paul to Timothy about teaching, worship, leadership, and community care.
2 Timothy is a Pastoral Epistle presented as Paul’s personal encouragement to Timothy in the face of hardship.
Titus is a Pastoral Epistle presented as Paul’s guidance to a co-worker organising churches in Crete.
Philemon is Paul’s brief, personal letter concerning Onesimus, an enslaved man associated with Philemon’s household.
Hebrews is an anonymous Christian work that presents Jesus through the imagery of priesthood, sacrifice, covenant, and Israel’s Scriptures.
James is a letter of practical instruction concerned with the relationship between faith and action.
1 Peter encourages Christians facing hostility and social pressure to live with hope and integrity.
2 Peter urges growth in faith and warns against false teachers while addressing questions about Christ’s promised return.
1 John explores fellowship with God through the closely connected themes of truth, love, and obedience.
2 John is a brief letter from a writer identifying himself as the elder to the ‘elect lady’ and her children, often understood as a church community.
3 John is a short letter from the elder to Gaius about hospitality toward travelling Christian workers.
Jude is a short letter warning against teachers whose behaviour threatens the community’s faith and integrity.
Revelation is an apocalyptic work addressed to seven churches and attributed to a writer named John.