Books of the Bible in Order: All 66 Books by Section

The books of the Bible in order begin with Genesis and end with Revelation. The Protestant Bible contains 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi, and 27 in the New Testament, from Matthew to Revelation. Below is the full list in the order used by English Bibles, grouped into the standard sections.

The order is not strictly chronological. Books are grouped by type (law, history, poetry, prophecy, letters), and within some groups they are arranged roughly by length.

Old Testament Books in Order (39)

The Law (5 books)

These five books are also called the Pentateuch or the Torah. Tradition attributes them to Moses, and the text records Moses writing down the law (Deuteronomy 31:9, 24).

1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5. Deuteronomy

History (12 books)

These books cover Israel's history from the conquest of Canaan under Joshua (Joshua 1) to the return from exile in Babylon (Ezra 1; Nehemiah 2).

6. Joshua
7. Judges
8. Ruth
9. 1 Samuel
10. 2 Samuel
11. 1 Kings
12. 2 Kings
13. 1 Chronicles
14. 2 Chronicles
15. Ezra
16. Nehemiah
17. Esther

Poetry and Wisdom (5 books)

These books are written largely in Hebrew poetry. They include songs, prayers, proverbs, and reflections on suffering and the meaning of life.

18. Job
19. Psalms
20. Proverbs
21. Ecclesiastes
22. Song of Songs (also called Song of Solomon)

Major Prophets (5 books)

"Major" refers to length, not importance. Lamentations is placed after Jeremiah because tradition attributes it to him.

23. Isaiah
24. Jeremiah
25. Lamentations
26. Ezekiel
27. Daniel

Minor Prophets (12 books)

These shorter prophetic books were grouped together in the Hebrew Bible as a single book called "The Twelve."

28. Hosea
29. Joel
30. Amos
31. Obadiah
32. Jonah
33. Micah
34. Nahum
35. Habakkuk
36. Zephaniah
37. Haggai
38. Zechariah
39. Malachi

Know the books? Now test yourself on the people in them. Play Who Am I? Bible Edition.

New Testament Books in Order (27)

Gospels (4 books)

The four Gospels record the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus. Matthew, Mark and Luke follow a similar outline, while John includes much material the others do not (John 20:30-31).

40. Matthew
41. Mark
42. Luke
43. John

History (1 book)

Acts continues Luke's Gospel and is addressed to the same reader, Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). It records the spread of the church from Jerusalem to Rome.

44. Acts

Pauline Epistles (13 books)

These letters each open with Paul's name. The nine letters to churches come first, arranged roughly from longest to shortest, followed by the four letters to individuals.

45. Romans
46. 1 Corinthians
47. 2 Corinthians
48. Galatians
49. Ephesians
50. Philippians
51. Colossians
52. 1 Thessalonians
53. 2 Thessalonians
54. 1 Timothy
55. 2 Timothy
56. Titus
57. Philemon

General Epistles (8 books)

These letters are named after their authors (or, in the case of Hebrews, their audience) and were written to wider groups of believers.

58. Hebrews
59. James
60. 1 Peter
61. 2 Peter
62. 1 John
63. 2 John
64. 3 John
65. Jude

Prophecy (1 book)

Revelation records a vision given to John on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9-11).

66. Revelation

Summary Table

Testament	Section	First and last book	Books
Old	Law	Genesis to Deuteronomy	5
Old	History	Joshua to Esther	12
Old	Poetry and Wisdom	Job to Song of Songs	5
Old	Major Prophets	Isaiah to Daniel	5
Old	Minor Prophets	Hosea to Malachi	12
New	Gospels	Matthew to John	4
New	History	Acts	1
New	Pauline Epistles	Romans to Philemon	13
New	General Epistles	Hebrews to Jude	8
New	Prophecy	Revelation	1
Total			66

For why Catholic and Orthodox Bibles contain more books, see how many books are in the Bible.

What Each Section Covers

Knowing what each section contains makes the order easier to follow.

• Law: creation, the patriarchs, the exodus from Egypt, the giving of the law at Sinai, and Israel's forty years in the wilderness (Genesis 1; Exodus 20; Numbers 14:33-34).
• History: Israel's entry into Canaan, the judges, the kings of Israel and Judah, the exile, and the return (Joshua 1; Judges 2:16; 2 Kings 25; Ezra 1).
• Poetry and Wisdom: Job's suffering, Israel's songs and prayers, practical wisdom, and reflections on life and love (Job 1; Psalm 1; Proverbs 1:1-7).
• Major and Minor Prophets: messages from God to Israel, Judah and the nations, calling them to repent and pointing ahead to the Messiah (Isaiah 1:1; Isaiah 53; Micah 5:2).
• Gospels: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:5-6; John 20:31).
• Acts: the coming of the Holy Spirit and the spread of the church (Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4).
• Epistles: letters of teaching, correction and encouragement to churches and individuals (Romans 1:7; 1 Timothy 1:2).
• Revelation: a vision of Christ, messages to seven churches, and the final victory of God (Revelation 1:12-18; Revelation 2-3; Revelation 21:1-5).

The Order in the Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew Bible contains the same books as the Protestant Old Testament but arranges them in three sections and counts them as 24 books.

• Law (Torah): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
• Prophets (Nevi'im): Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve (the minor prophets).
• Writings (Ketuvim): Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles.

In this order, Chronicles is the last book, and Daniel is placed among the Writings rather than the Prophets. English Bibles follow the order of the Greek and Latin translations, which grouped the books by type.

Is the Bible in Chronological Order?

Only partly. The Old Testament history books from Genesis through 2 Kings follow the events in sequence. After that, the order is by type of book rather than by date.

• Chronicles retells much of the same period covered by Samuel and Kings, starting with genealogies from Adam (1 Chronicles 1:1).
• Job appears in the poetry section, but many conservative scholars place the events of Job around the time of the patriarchs, based on details such as Job offering sacrifices as head of his family (Job 1:5).
• The prophets ministered during the events of Kings and after. Jonah, for example, is mentioned during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25), while Haggai prophesied after the return from exile (Haggai 1:1).
• Paul's letters are arranged by length and audience, not by date. Many scholars date Galatians or 1 Thessalonians among his earliest letters, even though Romans comes first.

Tips for Memorizing the Books in Order

• Learn the sections first. Remember the pattern 5-12-5-5-12 for the Old Testament and 4-1-13-8-1 for the New.
• Use the anchors. Each section has a clear first and last book: Genesis, Joshua, Job, Isaiah, Hosea; Matthew, Acts, Romans, Hebrews, Revelation.
• Group the pairs. Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Corinthians, Thessalonians, Timothy and Peter each come as two books, and John's letters come as three.
• Sing it. Many children learn the books with a song set to a simple tune, which works for adults as well.
• Practice with a Bible open. Looking up references regularly builds familiarity faster than memorizing a list alone.

Once you know the order, it helps to know how the books compare. See how many chapters are in the Bible for a chapter count of every book, and the longest book in the Bible for how Psalms, Jeremiah and Genesis compare.

Ready for a challenge? Guess the Bible character from the clues in Who Am I? Bible Edition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first book of the Bible?

Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It records creation, the fall, the flood, and the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.

What is the last book of the Bible?

Revelation is the last book of the Bible. It records a vision given to the apostle John on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9).

What is the last book of the Old Testament?

In English Bibles, Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. In the Hebrew Bible, which uses a different order, the last book is Chronicles.

What is the first book of the New Testament?

Matthew is the first book of the New Testament. It opens with the genealogy of Jesus, tracing His line back to David and Abraham (Matthew 1:1).

How many sections is the Bible divided into?

English Bibles commonly divide the Old Testament into five sections (Law, History, Poetry and Wisdom, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets) and the New Testament into five (Gospels, History, Pauline Epistles, General Epistles, Prophecy). The Hebrew Bible uses three sections: Law, Prophets and Writings.