Books of the Bible
Looking for a verse in a particular book? Choose one below. Each page collects that book's verses with a short introduction to what it is about and why it still speaks.
Old Testament
Finding your way around the Bible
The Bible can feel like a daunting place to a newcomer, and even to many of us who have read it for years. It is not one book but a library of sixty-six, written across centuries and gathered into a single story. Browsing by book is one of the most natural ways in. If you remember that a verse came from Philippians, or you want to read more of the Psalms, or you simply want to start at the beginning with Genesis, this is where to come.
Each book page collects the verses people most often look for from that book, set in the public-domain World English Bible (British Edition), with a short introduction to what the book is, who it was written for, and why it still speaks. The fuller pages add a longer, warmer piece from our team and answers to common questions, so you can go as deep as you like or simply find the verse you came for and move on.
You do not need to read the whole thing in order, and you certainly do not need to understand it all at once. Pick a book that meets you where you are, read a little, and let one verse settle before reaching for the next. The Bible has a way of opening up slowly, to people who keep turning up to it.
Common questions about the books of the Bible
- How many books are in the Bible?
- There are sixty-six in all: thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New. They were written over many centuries by a wide range of people, kings and shepherds, prophets and fishermen, in several languages and many different situations. And yet, read together, they tell one connected story of God and his people. On this site we gather the best-loved verses from the books people most often turn to, with a short introduction to each, so you can find your way around without needing to know it all already.
- Where should I start reading the Bible?
- If you are new to it, we would gently point you to one of the Gospels first, Mark for its pace or John for its depth, because they put Jesus at the centre straight away. After that, the Psalms are a wonderful companion for prayer and for hard days, and Genesis is the natural place to see where the whole story begins. There is no need to read cover to cover in order. Start with a book that meets you where you are, read a little at a time, and let it grow from there.
- What is the difference between the Old and New Testament?
- The Old Testament tells the long story before Jesus: creation, the people of Israel, the law, the kings, the prophets and the centuries of waiting and promise. The New Testament tells of Jesus himself, his life, death and resurrection in the Gospels, the birth of the church, and letters guiding the first Christians. They are not two separate books but two parts of one story, and Christians read the whole Bible as pointing, from beginning to end, towards Christ.