Bible
Books of the Bible in Order
The Protestant Bible has 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The book lists below follow standard canonical order and are grouped by genre. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles add deuterocanonical books not in the Protestant canon.
Old Testament (39 books)
Genesis through Malachi, in five groups.
Law (Pentateuch) - 5 books
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
History - 12 books
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
- 1 Kings
- 2 Kings
- 1 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
Wisdom and Poetry - 5 books
- Job
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Song of Solomon
Major Prophets - 5 books
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
Minor Prophets - 12 books
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
New Testament (27 books)
Matthew through Revelation, in five groups.
Gospels - 4 books
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
History - 1 book
- Acts
Pauline Epistles - 13 books
- Romans
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 Thessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians
- 1 Timothy
- 2 Timothy
- Titus
- Philemon
General Epistles - 8 books
- Hebrews
- James
- 1 Peter
- 2 Peter
- 1 John
- 2 John
- 3 John
- Jude
Prophecy - 1 book
- Revelation
Note on Catholic and Orthodox canons
Catholic Bibles include seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees) plus longer versions of Esther and Daniel, for 73 books total. Eastern Orthodox canons add more books in some traditions. All three traditions share the same 27 New Testament books in the same order.
How it works
The Protestant Bible is arranged by literary category, not by date of composition. Each grouping reflects a common genre and a shared theological function within the canon.
- Old Testament: 39 books, grouped Law, History, Wisdom/Poetry, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets.
- New Testament: 27 books, grouped Gospels, History (Acts), Pauline Epistles, General Epistles, Prophecy (Revelation).
About canonical order
The Protestant Bible follows the canonical order inherited from the early church and the Reformation. Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles include additional Old Testament books in slightly different places and use somewhat different internal orders. All three traditions share the same 27 New Testament books in the same order.
Related Bible pages
- How many books are in the Bible for the count and canon comparison.
- How many chapters are in the Bible for the per-book chapter count.
- When was the Bible written for the timeline.
- Who wrote the Bible
- All Bible pages and tools.
Frequently asked questions
No. The Protestant order is largely a literary and theological arrangement, not a chronological one. The Old Testament follows a Law / History / Wisdom-Poetry / Prophets sequence; chronologically, the events of the historical books overlap heavily with the writings of the prophets, and many of the wisdom and poetry books span centuries. The New Testament orders Gospels first, then Acts, then Paul's letters by length (not by date written), then the General Epistles, and finally Revelation.
Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), History (Joshua through Esther), Wisdom and Poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon), Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel), and Minor Prophets (Hosea through Malachi). 39 books total.
Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), History (Acts), Pauline Epistles (Romans through Philemon, ordered roughly by length), General Epistles (Hebrews, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-2-3 John, Jude), and Prophecy (Revelation). 27 books total.
The Pauline epistles are ordered roughly by length from longest (Romans) to shortest (Philemon), with the rule that letters to churches come before letters to individuals. They were written across about 15 to 20 years and the chronological order is different (Galatians or 1 Thessalonians are usually the earliest).
Yes, in the Old Testament. The Catholic Old Testament includes seven deuterocanonical books inserted in different places (Tobit, Judith, 1-2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch) plus longer versions of Esther and Daniel. The Eastern Orthodox canon adds more books in some traditions. All major Christian traditions share the same 27-book New Testament in the same order.
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