Although, like Reese’s, there’s no wrong way to read the Bible, by far the two most common ways to read the books of the Bible in order are thematically and chronologically.
- Thematic (or canonical) order is the most straightforward: this is how most Bibles are organized. However, the order differs slightly between traditions, especially when you add in the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books included in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles.
- Chronological (or timeline) order is much more complicated. Many of the books have overlapping timelines, and they don’t always specify when they were written or compiled. But it is possible to create a rough chronology.
In order to help you make sense of these variations and give you a few straightforward reading options, I’ve compiled two complete lists of the books of the Bible for your reference, along with some clarifying notes.
(On the other hand, you can always use one of Bible Gateway’s handy reading plans to guide you. We’ll even send daily reminders, if you want us to.)
Reading the Bible Thematically: The Bible’s Table of Contents
Here is a complete list of the standard table of contents in most Bibles, broken up by type. This has been the canonical order since it was formally decided by the church councils of the late 4th century AD.
I have included Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books (and additions within books) in italics. These are included in Catholic Bibles but not in most Protestant ones.
Old Testament
Torah/Pentateuch
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
Histories
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 & 2 Samuel
- 1 & 2 Kings
- 1 & 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Tobit
- Judith
- Esther (with additions)
- 1 & 2 Maccabees
Wisdom Books
- Job
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Song of Solomon
- Wisdom of Solomon
- Sirach
Prophets
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Baruch & Letter of Jeremiah
- Ezekiel
- Daniel (with Prayer of Azariah + Song of the Three Jews, Susannah, & Bel and the Dragon)
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
New Testament
Gospels & Acts
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
- Acts
Letters & Revelation
- Romans
- 1 & 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 & 2 Thessalonians
- 1 & 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
- Hebrews
- James
- 1 & 2 Peter
- 1, 2 & 3 John
- Jude
- Revelation
Note on Orthodox Bibles
In addition to the books listed above, Orthodox Bibles include the following books:
- 1 Esdras (precedes Ezra/Nehemiah, which is called “2 Esdras” in Orthodox Bibles)
- 3 Maccabees (follows 2 Maccabees)
- 4 Maccabees (included in an appendix)
- Psalm 151 (at end of Psalms)
- Prayer of Manasseh (after Psalms)
Note on Jewish Bibles
Jewish Bibles contain the same books as the Protestant Old Testament, but the order is slightly different.
- Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy
- Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, The Twelve (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi)
- Writings: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles
How to Read the Bible Chronologically: A Complete Guide
It’s surprisingly difficult to read the Bible in the order of its events as they happened. For one thing, there was no consistent calendar or dating system in the ancient world (time was usually tracked based on which king or dynasty was in power).
Though some of the books follow a straightforward timeline, others jump around a bit, often overlapping each other. And most of the prophets don’t specify when they were active, leaving scholars to determine their dates using context clues, archaeology, and other means.
Though on one hand this can make creating a simple Biblical timeline a frustrating exercise, in my opinion it is one of God’s great blessings to us that he has provided multiple perspectives on many eras of his covenant and works in his creation. Though there’s nothing wrong with trying, for example, to find the “historical Jesus” between the lines of the four gospels, we would have been much the poorer if God had seen fit to only give us one of them.
With all that in mind, here is a chronological list of the books of the Bible, with suggested (though highly contested) dates and explanatory notes.
Old Testament Era
Age of the Patriarchs (Beginnings to 1400s BC)
- Genesis 1-11
- Job [Takes place sometime during Genesis; this is a good break in the narrative to slot it in.]
- Genesis 12-50
Age of Exodus (1400s BC)
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy [Overlaps with Leviticus and Numbers.]
Age of Resettlement (1300s to early 1000s BC)
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
Age of Kings I: Saul and David (ca. 1050-970 BC)
- 1 & 2 Samuel
- 1 Chronicles
- Psalms [Covers a wide range of time, but most were written by David.]
Age of Kings II: Solomon (ca. 970-925 BC)
- 1 Kings 1-11
- 2 Chronicles 1-9
- Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon [All ascribed to Solomon.]
The Kingdom Divided and the Prophets (ca. 925-600 BC)
- 1 Kings 12-22
- 2 Kings 1-23
- 2 Chronicles 10-35
- Jonah
- Amos
- Hosea
- Isaiah
- Micah
- Zephaniah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Jeremiah
The Babylonian Exile (ca. 600-530 BC)
- 2 Kings 24-25
- 2 Chronicles 36:1-21
- Lamentations
- Obadiah
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
Return from Exile
- 2 Chronicles 36:22-23
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Joel [Debated; could be pre-exile.]
- Malachi
New Testament Era
Life of Jesus (ca. 4 BC – 30 AD)
- Matthew, Mark, John, Luke
- Note: The Gospels can be read in any order. Mark was probably written first and John last, but I suggest the above order because Matthew starts with the genealogy, and Luke segues right into Acts (which he also wrote).
Acts and Letters of the Apostles (ca. 30-100 AD)
- Acts
- James
- 1 & 2 Thessalonians
- Galatians
- 1 & 2 Corinthians
- Philippians & Philemon [Dating these hinges on which of Paul’s imprisonments they were written from.]
- Romans
- Colossians
- Ephesians
- 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus
- 1 & 2 Peter
- Hebrews
- Jude
- 1, 2 & 3 John
- Revelation
When Do the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books Take Place?
For the most part, the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books are understood to have been written much later than the rest of the Old Testament (hence their other name, the books of the “intertestamental period”). But many of them take place much earlier than their composition.
If you want to slot the Deuterocanonical books into the above chronology, here’s where they would fit:
- Tobit: Between Zephaniah and Nahum.
- Baruch & Letter of Jeremiah: With Lamentations.
- Judith: Between Obadiah and Ezekiel.
- Daniel additions: With Daniel.
- Esther additions: With Esther.
- Sirach: After Malachi.
- 1 & 2 Maccabees: After Sirach.
- Wisdom of Solomon: After Maccabees. (Not written by Solomon, despite the name.)
Want a simpler way to read the Bible chronologically? You can sign up for Bible Gateway’s chronological reading plan and get the daily reading right in your inbox. Or, if you prefer hard copy, you can try the Chronological Study Bible (available in NIV or NKJV) — also available in Bible Gateway Plus.
Sources:
- Chronological Study Bible
- Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
- HarperCollins Study Bible (now the SBL Study Bible)
Jacob is Editorial Director of Bible Gateway. He holds a Master of Theological Studies in Early Christian Thought from Harvard Divinity School, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious History from Memorial University of Newfoundland, though with most of his coursework from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. His work has appeared in Ekstasis and in Geez Magazine's "Embracing Darkness" Advent devotional.
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