Free Books of the Bible Printable

This is National Week of the Bible, so I thought I’d kick it off by sharing this brand new free Books of the Bible Printable.

This printable divides the 66 books of the Bible into Old and New Testaments (with 39 and 27 books, respectively), then further categorizes them by genre.

The Books of the Old Testament:

Thus, the Old Testament includes the following five categories…

The Pentateuch (or Books of the Law)

• Genesis – creation account, Noah’s flood, Tower of Babble, Abrahamic covenant, enslavement in Egypt
• Exodus – Moses born, raised in palace, called by God, leads Jews out of Egypt, receives 10 commandments
• Leviticus – laws regarding offerings, sacrifices, and festivals, plus rules for priests and purity
• Numbers – results of census, dedication of tabernacle, exploration of Canaan, wandering in the wilderness
• Deuteronomy – law repeated and expanded, Moses blesses Israel and dies, Joshua succeeds him

Books of History

• Joshua – Joshua leads Israelites into Canaan, fights battle of Jericho, saves Rahab the harlot, divides land
• Judges – Jews rebel, God raises up judges, including Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, and others
• Ruth – Ruth travels to Bethlehem with widowed mother-in-law, Naomi, then marries and has a family with Boaz
• 1 Samuel – Samuel is born & serves God, Saul is crowned king, David kills Goliath, befriends Jonathan, flees Saul
• 2 Samuel – David becomes king after Saul dies, commits adultery with Bathsheba, is rebuked by Nathan the prophet
• 1 Kings – David dies, Solomon becomes king, prays for wisdom, builds temple, Elijah challenges prophets of Baal
• 2 Kings – Elijah rides chariot of fire to heaven, passes mantel to Elisha, Babylon conquers Jews, destroys temple
• 1 Chronicles – genealogies of the tribes of Israel, plus more about David’s court, cabinet, and various exploits
• 2 Chronicles – more details about Solomon’s deeds, plus various kings of Israel and Judah contrasted
• Ezra – exiles return to Israel during reigns of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes to begin rebuilding temple
• Nehemiah – Nehemiah brings more exiles to Jerusalem, they rebuild walls around the city despite opposition
• Esther – Esther wins beauty pageant, becomes Queen “for such a time as this,” saves Jews from Haman’s evil plan

Books of Poetry and Wisdom

• Job – Job suffers incredible loss of children, possessions, and health, yet remains faithful to God
• Psalms – poetry and songs of praise to God and testimonies of His love, mercy, and faithfulness
• Proverbs – wisdom for righteous living plus warnings against foolishness, greed, anger, and other vices
• Ecclesiastes – Solomon’s philosophical writings on the meaning of life: “There is a time for everything…”
• Song of Solomon – a love song between Solomon and his bride: “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”

The Major Prophets

• Isaiah – pronounces judgement against Israel, foretells in great detail Messiah’s birth and sacrificial death
• Jeremiah – calls Israel to repentance, pronounces judgement against lying prophets, idol worshipers, & wicked kings
• Lamentations – Jeremiah’s sorrowful groaning over the desolation of Jerusalem
• Ezekiel – the calling, visions, prophecies, and object lessons of Ezekiel, who served as a watchman for Israel
• Daniel – captives in Babylon, in service to king, interprets dreams, lion’s den, fiery furnace, end-times prophecy

The Minor Prophets

• Hosea – Hosea marries a harlot, preaches God’s unfailing love for His chosen people, calls Israel to repentance
• Joel – a warning about devouring locusts and a call to lamentation: “Rend your heart and not your garments.”
• Amos – shepherd pronounces judgement on Israel, summons witnesses: “Woe to you who are complacent.”
• Obadiah – this single chapter prophecy foretells disaster: “The pride of your heart has deceived you.”
• Jonah – God calls Jonah to Nineveh, he refuses, gets swallowed by a fish, repents, gets spit up 3 days later, obeys
• Micah – coming judgement, call to repent, a ruler to come out of Bethlehem: “What does the Lord require from you?”
• Nahum – judgement pronounced against Ninevah: “Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder….”
• Habakkuk – prayer & revelation, God will raise up Babylon: “You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgement.”
• Zephaniah – judgement pronounced upon Jerusalem, Judea, and other nations in the day of the Lord
• Haggai – a call to rebuild the temple during Darius’s reign: “I will shake the heavens & earth, the seas & dry land…”
• Zechariah – a call for Israel’s return to God, the coming of Zion’s king foretold: “Rejoice greatly! Behold thy King…”
• Malachi – judgement for broken covenants, coming prophet will turn hearts of fathers to their children, & vice versa

The Books of the New Testament:

While in the New Testament, the categories are broken down into these four genres…

The Gospels

• Matthew – life of Christ (including genealogy), Sermon on the Mount, miracles, parables, death, and resurrection
• Mark – the ministry, miracles, disciples, parables, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ < /li>
• Luke – detailed account of Christ’s birth (including genealogy), ministry, teachings, death, and resurrection
• John – the divine life and ministry of Jesus, told by one of his closest disciples: “In the beginning was the Word…”

History

• Acts – 1st century church: Day of Pentecost, conversion of Paul, persecution by Rome, missionary journeys

The Letters (also called Epistles)

• Romans – Paul encourages church in Rome to be servants of God, not slaves to sin
• 1 Corinthians – Paul warns church in Corinth against sexual immorality, describes characteristics of love
• 2 Corinthians – Paul writes about forgiveness & reconciliation, describes personal trials & thorn in flesh
• Galatians – Paul urges church of Galatia to stand firm, forsake fleshly desires, and produce fruit of Spirit
• Ephesians – Paul gives Ephesians marriage & family advice: love, respect, honor, obey, put on full armor of God
• Philippians – Paul reminds believers in Philippi that God strengthens us, supplies our need, should fill our thoughts
• Colossians – Paul’s letter to believers in Colossae about freedom in Christ and setting affections on things above
• 1 Thessalonians – Paul’s letters to the church in Thessalonica: rejoice always, pray continually, be thankful
• 2 Thessalonians – Paul requests prayers, urges Thessalonians to stand firm, don’t be deceived by man of lawlessness
• 1 Timothy – Paul sends Timothy a warning against false teachers, call to prayer, requirements for elders & deacons
• 2 Timothy – Paul urges Timothy to stand strong, flee temptation, pursue righteousness, prepare for difficulty
• Titus – Paul instructs Titus to do good & teach sound doctrine; urges older women to instruct younger
• Philemon – Paul’s letter to Philemon concerning runaway slave Onesimus, now a brother in Christ
• Hebrews – great examples of faith, admonition to run with endurance, hold fast to God’s promises w/o wavering
• James – James’s letter on perseverance: Rejoice in trials, bridle your tongue, know that faith without works is dead
• 1 Peter – Peter’s letter on living a holy life, suffering for doing good, and watching out for false teachers
• 2 Peter – Peter offers encouragement to grow in grace & knowledge of Christ and to watch for His appearing
• 1 John – John’s letters on loving God, loving others, discerning light from darkness, and overcoming the world
• 2 John – John urges believers to continue in love and reject false teachers
• 3 John – John tells Gaius to reject evil, imitate good: “I have no greater joy than to know my children walk in truth.”
• Jude – Jude’s letter urging believers to persevere in the faith and avoid unrighteous, sinful living

Prophecy

• Revelation – John’s vision of the end times and Christ’s message to the seven churches

I read these summaries to my husband on our way to Dallas over the weekend, and he asked if I could make a copy of them for him. Just in any readers feel the same way, I’ve put together an extra 2-page Bible Chapter Summary Printable of all these one-line synopses. You can download both pages by clicking the image or button below.

More Bible-Based Resources

Want to dig deeper? Try some of our other FREE Bible-based printables:

• One Year Bible Reading Plan
• Bible Knowledge Conversation Starters
• 50 Bible Verses to Memorize
• Scripture Memory Cards and Copywork
• Scripture-Based Trivia Games
• Bible Memory ABC
• Bible Verse Coloring Pages