From: http://www.carm.org/bible/bib_ot_books.htm (with permission)
Old Testament Books
Old Testament - 39 books total
Pentateuch - 5 books
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Historical Books - 12 books
Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings,
First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
Poetic books- 5 books
Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon
Prophetic books- 17 books
Major Prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
Minor Prophets - Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk,
Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.
IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE...
Pentateuch - 5 books
1. Genesis - Creation, the Fall, the Flood, spread of the nations,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Enslavement in Egypt.
2. Exodus - Enslavement, Moses, 10 plagues, Passover, Leave Egypt,
Red Sea Crossing, Mt. Sinai and the 10 commandments
3. Leviticus - Instructions on sacrificial system and the priesthood.
Instructions on moral purity.
4. Numbers - Still at Mt. Sinai, people make false idol, punishment,
40 years wandering begins.
5. Deuteronomy - Moses' discourses on God's Acts for Israel the Decalogue,
the ceremonial, civil, and social Laws, and covenant ratification.
Historical Books - 12 books total
1. Joshua - First half of Joshua describes the 7 year conquest of
the Land of Promise. The last half deals with partitioning the Lands to the
people.
2. Judges - Time of Judges. Many were quite bad. The Israelites did
not drive out all the inhabitants of Canaan and begin to take part in their
idolatry. 7 cycles of foreign oppression, repentance, and deliverance. In the
end, the people failed to learn their lesson.
3. Ruth - Kinsman redeemer in Boaz, redeeming Ruth, a Moabitess. Speaks
of righteousness, love, and faithfulness to the Lord.
The next 6 books trace the time from Samuel to the Captivity
1. First Samuel - Samuel carries them from judges to King Saul
2. Second Samuel - David as King, adultery, and murder.
3. First Kings - Solomon, Israel is powerful. Solomon dies in 931 B.C.,
then division of tribes: 10 to the north and 2 to the south.
4. Second Kings - The Divided Kingdom. All 19 kings of Israel were
bad; therefore, captivity in Assyria (722 B.C.). In Judah, 8 of 20 rulers were
good but went into exile too.
5. First Chronicles - A recounting of the history of Israel to the
time of the captivities.
6. Second Chronicles - continued recounting of the life of Solomon,
building of temple. History of Judah only.
The next 3 books deal with Israel's Restoration.
1. Ezra - Cyrus let the most of the Jews return to their land of Israel.
Zerubbabel led the people (539 B.C.). Ezra returned later with more Jews (458
B.C.) Built the temple.
2. Nehemiah - Building the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah got permission
from the king of Persia to rebuild the walls (444 B.C.). Revival in the land.
3. Esther - Took place during chapters 6 and 7 of Ezra. Mordecai. Plot
to kill the Jewish people.
Poetical - 5 books
1. Job - a righteous man tested by God. Deals with God's sovereignty.
2. Psalms - Consists of 5 divisions. Worship in song. Large variety
of subjects
3. Proverbs - Practical wisdom in everyday affairs.
4. Ecclesiastes - All is vanity. The wisdom of man is futility.
5. Song of Solomon - A song between Solomon and his Shulammite bride
displaying the love between a man and a woman.
Prophetical - 17 books
Major Prophets - 5 books
1. Isaiah - Looks at the sin of Judah and proclaims God's judgment.
Hezekiah. Coming restoration and blessing.
2. Jeremiah - Called by God to proclaim the news of judgment to Judah,
which came. God establishes a New Covenant.
3. Lamentations - 5 lament poems. Description of defeat and fall of
Jerusalem.
4. Ezekiel - He ministered to the Jews in Captivity in Babylon. Description
of the end of times.
5. Daniel - Many visions of the future for the Gentiles and the Jews.
Minor Prophets
6. Hosea - Story of Hosea and his unfaithful wife, Gomer. Represents
God's love and faithfulness and Israel's spiritual adultery. Israel will be
judged and restored.
7. Joel - Proclaims a terrifying future using the imagery of locusts.
Judgment will come but blessing will follow.
8. Amos - He warned Israel of its coming judgment. Israel rejects God's
warning.
9. Obadiah - A proclamation against Edom, a neighboring nation of Israel
that gloated over Jerusalem's judgments. Prophecy of their utter destruction.
10. Jonah - Jonah proclaims a coming judgment upon Nineveh. But they
repented and judgment was spared.
11. Micah - Description of the complete moral decay in all levels of
Israel. God will judge but will forgive and restore.
12. Nahum - Nineveh has gone into apostasy (approx.. 125 years after
Jonah) and will be destroyed.
13. Habakkuk - Near the end of the kingdom of Judah, Habakkuk asks
God why He is not dealing with Judah's sins. God says He will use the Babylonians.
Habakkuk asks how God can use a nation that is even worse than Judah.
14. Zephaniah - The theme is developed of the Day of the Lord and His
judgment with a coming blessing. Judah will not repent, except for a remnant,
who will be restored.
15. Haggai - The people failed to put God first, by building their
houses before they finished God's temple. Therefore, they had no prosperity.
16. Zechariah - Zechariah encourages the Jews to complete the temple.
Many messianic prophecies.
17. Malachi. - God's people are lax in their duty to God. Growing distant
from God. Moral compromise. Proclamation of coming judgment.
Verses to Understand World History in Biblical Perspective