1. Exodus
   Hosea
2. Hebrews
   Nahum

The New Testament book of Hebrews (12:16) likens Esau, a prominent Old Testament figure, to a "fornicator, or profane person ... who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright." Through Aholibamah, Esau had three sons: Jeush, Jaalam and Korah.

1. Luke
   Joel
2. Jonah
   Jude

Though the book of Luke is a New Testament synoptic gospel, its message was intended initially for a high-ranking government officer named Theophilus. The secondary purpose of the book was to dispel myths and erroneous reports about Jesus's life.

1. Matthew
   Micah
2. Mark
   Titus

Jesus as the holy and divine son of God is the main gist of the New Testament book of Mark. The book's message implores believers to repent and adhere to a spiritual understanding of life.

1. Malachi
   Matthew
2. James
   Jonah

Malachi was a prophet whose eponymous book served as a severe warning. His verse, "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse," is considered one of the harshest biblical scriptures.

1. Hebrews
   Habakkuk
2. Romans
   Haggai

The short Old Testament book of Haggai depicts the results of obedience and disobedience. Little is known about the prophet Haggai, aside from his book. Ezra mentions him briefly in association with Zechariah regarding the rebuilding of the temple.

1. Zechariah
   Ezekiel
2. Zephaniah
   Hosea

Judah is the intended target of Zephaniah's message concerning looming judgment. You'll find familiar moments depicting impending misery in this book, as with Zephaniah 1:3: "I will consume man and beast ... I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord."

1. Malachi
   Matthew
2. Nehemiah
   Habakkuk

Habakkuk interrogates God's righteousness through bouts of lamentations. Yet despite the sorrow expressed throughout the book, the prophet ends with a prayer of praise and an affirmation of God's sovereignty.

1. Nahum
   Micah
2. Malachi
   Mark

Nahum predicts the fall of Nineveh, which, according to the book, occurred in 612 B.C. Biblical scholars have suggested that Nahum was contrived sometime before 612 B.C., under the reforms of Josiah in 622.

1. Jonah
   Micah
2. Ezra
   Isaiah

Micah predicts future blessings bestowed upon Judah and Israel. Micah's writings are similar to those of Isaiah, a longer book in the Old Testament. Allegedly, Micah's followers penned the book many years after the prophet's ministry.

1. John
   Jonah
2. Job
   Daniel

Jonah's authorship is not well established, though it is highly probable that the prophet Jonah is responsible for the book's intimate observations concerning God's people. Perhaps most notable about the book is its admonishment that God's people not exalt themselves above others.

1. Galatians
   Nehemiah
2. Philemon
   Obadiah

It is widely believed that the Book of Obadiah was formulated early in the mid-ninth century B.C. after raids of Arabian and Philistine factions during King Jehoram's reign. The date classifies Obadiah as one of the first prophetic biblical texts.

1. James
   Amos
2. Jonah
   Acts

Amos is a collection of the prophet's oracles that were primarily about justice. Unlike other prophets, Amos's ministry was relatively short, and his oratory prophesies are dated around 754 B.C.

1. Jonah
   John
2. Judges
   James

Judges is a book that chronicles the existence of Israel between the death of Joshua, who led God's people to the promised land, and the rise of Israel's monarchy. The book explores in detail the people's rise against the Canaanites, who drove the Israelites out of the land.

1. Matthew
   Obadiah
2. Nehemiah
   Jeremiah

Nehemiah's authorship has been contested. Some scholars believe that the prophet relied on his memory to pen the entire book, especially given the book's first verse, "The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah." Still, others contend that Ezra wrote the book based on Nehemiah's memoirs.

1. Micah
   Ezra
2. Hosea
   Ruth

In Ezra, the exiles return, and the prophet reaffirms the fulfillment of God's promises to the people. These promises include the people's return from Babylon, the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem and the restoration of ritual practices.

1. Romans
   Esther
2. Genesis
   Proverbs

Apostle Paul is responsible for many of the epistles, including the book of Romans. His purpose in writing Romans was threefold: to beckon Jews and Gentiles to live in harmony, to catalogue methods of faith for believers, and to prepare the Romans for his journey to Rome and Spain.

1. Ephesians
   Galatians
2. James
   Hosea

Galatians was Apostle Paul's deliberate attempt to counter false teachers and their teachings in the early church of Galatia. Paul called for salvation "by the faith of Jesus Christ" and not merely by "works of the law."

1. 1 Peter
   Malachi
2. Acts
   Esther

The Old Testament book of Esther chronicles the annual festival of Purim so that the ritual may persist for generations to come. The festival recalls the salvation of the Jewish people during the rulership of Xerxes.

1. Mark
   Luke
2. Ruth
   Joel

Ruth's book recognizes the inclusive nature of God's salvation promise among all people of the Earth. Ruth promotes God's desire that both Jews and Gentiles believe in him. Loyalty and redemption are major themes in Ruth.

1. Revelation
   Romans
2. Proverbs
   Leviticus

The book of Revelation begins and ends with words like, "Blessed is he that readeth" and "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words." The judgment contained in Revelation is not merely for nonbelievers, but for "every man."

1. Joshua
   Jude
2. Job
   Joel

Scholars have remarked that Jude is one of the Bible's most scholarly writings. Jude was motivated profoundly by Jewish law as communicated through Old Testament scriptures. He regularly rebuked false teachers of his day with spiritual lessons borrowed from the Old Testament.

1. Joshua
   Jonah
2. Joel
   2 Samuel

Repentance is a major theme in Joel's biblical book. The prophet also intended to comfort believers by promising future blessings. In Joel 3:17, he mentions the "Lord your God dwelling in Zion"; it is God's presence in Jerusalem that facilitated blessings for the whole land.

1. Nahum
   Micah
2. Haggai
   Hosea

Hosea offers a balanced portrait of God as both a jealous ruler quick to discipline and a compassionate sovereign who desires an intimate relationship with believers. The book has five major sections that start grimly but finish with a positive message.

1. Daniel
   Deuteronomy
2. Joel
   Titus

Prophet Daniel's book is renowned for recording the ordeals of God's people during the godless times of the Gentiles. Through his writings, Daniel communicates that God remains supreme above all despite prevalent unrighteousness.

1. Titus
   Acts
2. James
   Amos

In Apostle Paul's letter of Titus, the teacher shifts the cause of salvation from the individual's own pursuits of righteousness to God's love and kind works. Paul allegedly penned Titus during the period between his two Roman imprisonments.

1. Ephesians
   Hebrews
2. Colossians
   James

Heresy is Paul's main issue in his epistle to the Colossians, found in the New Testament. To counter heretic claims pervasive in the early church, Paul continually affirms Christ's image as God's supreme image. In verse 3, he reminds, "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

1. Jonah
   Joel
2. Joshua
   Hosea

In his book, Joshua reminds the chosen people not only to adhere to faithfulness regarding God's covenant with them but to pursue righteousness in their daily lives. Joshua succeeded Moses, who was not permitted to lead God's people to the promised land due to his disobedience.

1. Daniel
   Malachi
2. Ezekiel
   Ezra

In Ezekiel, the prophet attempts to awaken God's people born in exile to sins of the nation that were the cause of the people's degradation. Moreover, Ezekiel encourages his people to revel in the glory of the Davidic monarchy of the time.

1. Lamentations
   Ecclesiastes
2. 2 Corinthians
   Philippians

Solomon, son of David, authored the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes toward the end of his life. Solomon declares a recommitment to following a righteous path in the book and encourages others that resist vanity to do the same.

1. Jeremiah
   Lamentations
2. Galatians
   Colossians

Lamentations offers greater context to suffering by highlighting why people suffer and pinpointing the purpose of it. The Old Testament book uses the national suffering of Judah as an example.

1. Ezra
   Acts
2. Hosea
   Titus

Some biblical scholars perceive Acts as a transitional book from the gospels that explain the events of Jesus's life to the ordeals of the early church. Paul, a former persecutor of the early church who was instrumental in growing it eventually, experiences divine conversion in the book.

1. Zechariah
   Isaiah
2. Zephaniah
   Jeremiah

Born in Babylonia, Zechariah was both a priest and a prophet who was included among those who returned to Judah in 538 B.C. In his writings, Zechariah tasked returning exiles to rid themselves of the sinful ways they grew accustomed to while in exile.

1. Joel
   James
2. Jonah
   John

Of all four gospels, John, which is not a synoptic gospel due to its style and selection of events concerning Jesus, makes the strongest case for Christ as a deity. To this end, John emphasizes the miracles of Christ in the book.

1. Romans
   Philemon
2. James
   Psalms

Psalm 150:6, "Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord," is one of several popular scriptures out of the book. The Old Testament book is a collection of responsive verses written in poetic language that expresses an emotional range from joy to sorrow.

1. Romans
   Ephesians
2. Genesis
   Colossians

Genesis, which means "beginning," describes how God made the earth and all the creatures and plant life that dwell within it. In Genesis, God creates Adam and Eve, the progenitors of the human race that ate forbidden fruit — an act that set all subsequent events of the Bible in motion.