| Series | Description |
| Genesis |
The Book of Genesis chronicles the creation of the world
- the universe and the earth. It reveals the plan within God's heart to have a people of his very own, set apart to worship
Him. Genesis is a history book. It tells the life stories of many important people. For example: Adam and Eve; Cain and Abel; Noah;
Abraham and Sarah; Isaac and Ishmael; Jacob; and Joseph and his brothers.
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| Exodus | The Book of Exodus details God's call to the people of Israel to get up
and leave their position of slavery in Egypt. Exodus records more miracles of God than any other book in the Old Testament.
God rescues and delivers his people as he guides them into the unfamiliar desert. There God institutes his system of laws,
gives instruction in worship and establishes his people as the nation of Israel. Exodus is a book of tremendous spiritual
significance. |
| Leviticus |
Bible Studies from the Old Testament book of Leviticus. The Book of Leviticus is about the law of God. The law teaches us
that God is holy. The Book of Leviticus contains many rules for the Hebrew people. But we do not obey all the rules in Leviticus
today, because we trust Jesus (see Galatians 3:23-25). The Book of Leviticus also describes the duties of priests during the time of
the Old Testament. And, in Leviticus 23, there is a list of special holidays, when the Hebrew people praised God together.
God also told the people that they must kill animals. And, they gave these animals to God. The people did this so that God would forgive
their evil deeds (Leviticus chapters 1-7). This teaches us why Jesus had to die. Jesus died so that today, God forgives our evil deeds.
We must confess our evil deeds to God. And we must invite God into our lives.
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| Numbers |
It is the story of the people whom Moses led through the desert. Moses counted the people in Numbers 1 and Numbers 26.
The people did not always obey God. They complained about the food in the desert (Numbers 11 and Numbers 21). They refused to enter the land
that God had promised to them (Numbers 13). They even wanted to return to Egypt (Numbers 14). This is why they were in the desert for 40 years.
The Book of Numbers also tells the story of Balaam. Balaam was a foreign prophet (holy man). Balaam intended to announce an evil fate for the
people. But instead, Balaam saw that God was with them. Balaam spoke only the words that God wanted him to say. So, Balaam blessed the
people (Numbers chapters 22-24).
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| Deuteronomy |
The Book of Deuteronomy contains the instructions that Moses gave to the people, just before his death. He reminded them about the things that
happened in the desert. He taught them God's law. He encouraged them to obey God. Then, God would help them; and good things would happen. But
if they did not obey God, they would suffer (Deuteronomy 28). Moses was the greatest prophet (holy man) in the Old Testament. But God did not
allow Moses to lead the people into Israel. Moses appointed Joshua to lead the people after Moses' death.
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| Joshua |
Joshua led God's people after Moses died. Joshua brought the people into the land that God had promised to them. And he commanded their army in
many battles against evil nations. God helped Joshua to win these battles. Joshua's first battle was the battle of Jericho (Joshua 6).
Joshua also directed the people to obey God's law (Joshua 5, Joshua 7 and Joshua 24). The Book of Joshua also contains records about the
division of land (Joshua chapters 13-21).
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| Judges |
The Book of Judges contains the history of about 300 years when Israel had no king. Instead, God appointed special people, called 'judges' to
lead the people. These 'judges' were not like judges today. They were holy men (and one woman), whom God called. They led the people in battles.
And they helped the people to serve God. When there was a judge, the people obeyed God. And God helped the people in their battles against their
enemies. But, when there was no judge, the people forgot God. And God allowed their enemies to be strong. So, the people asked God to help. And
then, God appointed another judge. (Judges 2:16-19). Some of the famous judges were Deborah (Judges chapters 4-5), Gideon (Judges chapters 6-8)
and Samson (Judges chapters 13-16).
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| Ruth |
The Book of Ruth is about a young widow, Ruth. Ruth was a foreigner. But she came to Israel to help Naomi. (Naomi was Ruth's husband's mother.)
Ruth left her own gods, to serve the real God. Naomi and Ruth were very poor. But Ruth could collect any grain that remained after the harvest.
This was God's law. And one man who respected this law was called Boaz. So, Ruth came to Boaz's field to collect grain. Boaz saw Ruth and he
loved her. He agreed to pay her family's debts, so that he could marry Ruth. Ruth was just a poor foreigner. But her family became Israel's
royal family. Both King David and Jesus belonged to this family.
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| 1 Samuel |
1 Samuel tells the story of the first king of Israel. For many centuries, Israel had no kings. The people did whatever they wanted to do. But
God appointed special judges to lead the people. The last of these special judges was Samuel (1 Samuel 7:15). Samuel was a very holy man.
When Samuel was old, the people asked Samuel to appoint a king (1 Samuel 8). God told Samuel to appoint Saul. Saul sometimes obeyed God. But
sometimes, Saul was evil. So, God chose David to be king instead of Saul (1 Samuel 16). David trusted God. We see this when David fought Goliath
(1 Samuel 17). And David loved God. But David did not become king immediately. Saul was still the king. David respected Saul. David even refused
to attack Saul. The book of 1 Samuel ends with the story of Saul's death.
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| 2 Samuel |
The book of 2 Samuel is about King David. The book discusses the events while David was king. David's soldiers fought many wars. They obtained the
city of Jerusalem in a successful battle (2 Samuel 5). Jerusalem became their capital city. David loved God. David was a good king, but he made some
terrible errors. He had sex with a married woman called Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). And David ordered the death of Bathsheba's husband. Later, David
confessed his evil deed to God (Psalm 51). Afterwards, David's own son, Absalom, fought against David (2 Samuel 18). But God saved David from all
his enemies (2 Samuel 22).
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| 1 Kings |
1 Kings is a book about the history of the people called Israelites. It is in the Old Testament, in the Bible. The Books of Kings continue the story
that began in the Books of Samuel. In these history books, the Bible contains many examples which teach how we should live (2 Timothy 3:16).
1 Kings begins with the story of Solomon. Solomon was a wise king at first (1 Kings 3). Then he became rich (1 Kings 10:14-29). He built a temple
(house of God) in Jerusalem (1 Kings 6). But then Solomon took many wives. When he was old, they encouraged him to serve evil gods (1 Kings 11).
After Solomon died, there was a revolution. The country called Israel became two countries. The south was called Judah. Rehoboam was the first
king of Judah. The north was still called Israel. Here Jeroboam became king (1 Kings 12). The writer wants to teach a lesson. When the kings
obeyed God, the people were at peace. When the kings did not obey God, but served other gods, bad things happened. When the people of Israel
stopped serving God, he sent a prophet (a holy man). He was Elijah. He did wonderful things. He told the people to serve God again.
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| 2 Kings |
2 Kings continues the story of the nations of Israel and Judah. It is a history book, from the Old Testament of the Bible. In these history books,
the Bible contains many important lessons for us today (2 Timothy 3:16). 2 Kings describes how the kings of these nations refused to obey God's law.
The kings and their people did not respect God. Instead, they served evil gods. And the behaviour of the people was very wicked. However, there were
a few people who truly served God. And God sent his servants (called "the prophets") to warn the evil people. But the nations of Israel and Judah
would not obey the words of the prophets. God allowed enemy nations to attack. These nations destroyed Israel and (later) Judah. And the soldiers
took the inhabitants of Israel and Judah to distant countries. But God still cared about the people from Israel and Judah. God promised that,
in the future, these people (or their children or grandchildren) would return home. 2 Kings begins with the end of the story of Elijah. Elijah was
a great prophet of God. And God did not allow Elijah to die. Instead, Elijah went up to heaven. Elijah's companion was a man named Elisha. Elisha
saw Elijah rise to heaven, in a vehicle of fire (2 Kings 2). Elisha himself became a great prophet.
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| 1 Chronicles |
1 Chronicles is a history book in the Bible's Old Testament. The Books of Chronicles contain the same story as the Books of Samuel and Kings. But the Books of Chronicles also contain many official records and lists of people.
1 Chronicles contains the story of King David. Especially, the book describes his plans for the temple (the house of God in Jerusalem). David gave careful instructions to the priests. He wanted everyone to serve God properly.
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| 2 Chronicles |
2 Chronicles contains the story of the kings of Israel. It discusses the 400 years after King David. It is in the Old Testament of the Bible.
2 Chronicles describes the great temple (house of God) that Solomon built in Jerusalem. This building was a great work for God. The temple was a very beautiful building. And the priests and people came to the temple to pray.
After Solomon died, his country divided into two countries. 2 Chronicles describes the kings of both these countries and their work. Some of these kings were good kings, who served God. But most of these kings were very
evil. They did not obey God's law. They served false gods. And these kings were cruel to the people. So, God allowed the enemies of these two countries to attack. And the enemies destroyed both countries.
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| Ezra |
God's special people, the Jews, did not obey God. So he punished them. He allowed the king of Babylon and his army to defeat them. The king of Babylon ordered most Jews to live in Babylon. Babylon was a long way from their own country, called Judah.
Many years later, the army from Persia defeated the army from Babylon. The book of Ezra in the Bible tells us that the king of Persia allowed the Jews to return to their own land. Not all the Jews returned to Judah, but some did return.
The Jews started to build a temple (house of God) in Jerusalem. But the people who lived near them did not want the Jews back in the land. They opposed the Jews so that the Jews did not continue to build the temple. Many years later, God helped the Jews and they finished the building.
Many years after that, Ezra led another group of Jews who returned to Judah. Ezra was a teacher who taught the people from God's word. God sent Ezra to teach the people so that they would become God's special people again. Often the people did not obey God's word, but
Ezra continued to teach them. He told them how to live in a way that would please God.
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| Nehemiah |
God's special people, the Jews, did not obey God. So he punished them. He allowed the king of Babylon and his army to defeat them. The king of Babylon ordered most Jews to live in Babylon. Babylon was a long way from their country, called Judah.
Many years later, the army from Persia defeated the army from Babylon. The king of Persia allowed the Jews to return to their own land. Only some of the Jews returned to Judah.
Many years later a man called Hanani left Judah to visited his brother, Nehemiah. Nehemiah was an important servant of the king of Persia. Nehemiah asked Hanani for news about Jerusalem, which was the chief city in Judah. Hanani told Nehemiah that the walls of Jerusalem were only heaps of stones. Fire had burned the gates of the city. This news made Nehemiah very sad. So Nehemiah asked the king to send him to Jerusalem to build the walls of the city again.
The book of Nehemiah in the Bible tells the story of how Nehemiah and the people built the walls of Jerusalem again. The people who lived near Jerusalem did not want the Jews to build the city again. They opposed the Jews and tried to stop the work. But God helped them and they finished the work in 52 days.
God wanted the Jews to become his special people again. So Nehemiah, with the help of Ezra, helped the people to obey God. But often the people did not obey God's word. They had forgotten that God had punished the people many years earlier. He did that because they did not obey him. God had allowed a foreign king to defeat the Jews. That was why the city of Jerusalem needed these repairs.
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| Esther |
Esther belonged to God's special people, the Jews. Esther and many other Jews lived in the land called Persia. Persia was a long way from their own land.
The king of Persia was angry with the queen and he sent her away. Then he searched for another wife who would be the new queen. He chose Esther.
One of the king's chief officials, called Haman, hated the Jews and he plotted to destroy them. But Esther's uncle Mordecai asked Esther to speak to the king to save the Jews. Although Esther was the queen, Mordecai was asking her to do a dangerous thing. People could not go to see the king if he had not invited them. But Esther did what Mordecai asked. The king was pleased with her and listened to her. The king gave to the evil Haman the punishment that Haman had wanted to give to the Jews.
The book of Esther does not mention the name of God. This is strange for a book that is in the Bible. Sometimes God seems to be silent. We might even think that he does not care about us. The writer of the book of Esther probably wanted his readers to realise that God is always in control. Although we cannot see God, he is always doing things in the world. Nobody can stop his plans. The events in the book of Esther show us that God is in control.
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| Job |
The Book of Job (in the Bible's Old Testament) is a long poem. The Book of Job discusses why innocent people suffer. God cares about people who suffer troubles. And God will help them, although sometimes they must be patient.
Job was a good man. But Job lost all his possessions. Job's children died. Job became so ill that he wanted to die. But Job refused to insult God.
Job's friends supposed that Job was ill because of his evil deeds. But Job was innocent. Then, a wise man named Elihu explained the truth to Job and his friends.
And God proved to them that God is great. God also showed them that he cares. Finally, God wanted Job to pray for his friends. In the end, God made Job successful again.
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| Psalms |
The Book of Psalms is a collection of 150 ancient songs. King David wrote many Psalms (that is, songs).
There are many different subjects. Many Psalms are glad songs which praise God (for example, Psalms 103 and 150). Other Psalms are sad prayers (Psalm 74). Some Psalms explain that God will rescue us from our troubles (Psalms 40 and 41). And some Psalms are about the history of Israel (Psalms 74 and 78). Psalm 119 is about the Bible. In Psalm 51, David confesses an evil deed. Psalm 22 describes how Jesus would suffer. Psalm 2 tells us that God will rule the world. Psalm 1 teaches that we must love God.
The Psalms are a very special part of the Bible. We can learn many things about God from their beautiful words. They are in the Bible's Old Testament.
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| Proverbs |
The Book of Proverbs is a collection of articles about wisdom. It is in the Old Testament part of the Bible. Its main author was King Solomon.
The Book of Proverbs teaches that we must respect God. This is the most important lesson about wisdom.
The Book of Proverbs begins with Solomon's advice to his son. In Proverbs chapters 1-9, Solomon explains the choice between wise behaviour and foolish behaviour. Good people are wise because they respect God. But evil people are fools. God will punish evil people. So, Solomon advised his son to study wisdom.
In Proverbs chapters 10-22, there are 375 proverbs (wise words). These proverbs teach us how to be wise in many different situations. Then, there are 30 wise lessons (Proverbs chapters 22-24), many more proverbs (Proverbs chapters 25-29), two hard puzzles, and a poem (Proverbs chapters 30-31).
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| Ecclesiastes |
The Book of Ecclesiastes is in the Bible's Old Testament. We do not know who wrote Ecclesiastes. Many people think that the author of Ecclesiastes was King Solomon. However, in the book, the author simply calls himself 'The Teacher'.
Solomon was very wise. But he did not know the purpose of his own life. He discovered that pleasure achieved nothing. He realised that even a wise man would die like a fool. And he did not know the purpose of work (Ecclesiastes 2). He even saw that money has no real value (Ecclesiastes 5).
Solomon did know that rulers should be fair (Ecclesiastes 8). And everybody must respect God ((Ecclesiastes 5). And he believed that wisdom is good (Ecclesiastes 9:13-18).
Solomon warned that everybody will die (Ecclesiastes 12). So, we must respect God now. We should not delay.
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| Song Of Solomon |
The Song of Solomon is also called the Song of Songs. This book is a beautiful love poem. It is in the Bible's Old Testament.
The Song of Solomon is the story of the king and the woman that he loves. So, he asks her to marry him. But she hesitates. And he encourages her.
In the end, they marry. They are glad to be together. They love each other deeply.
The Song of Solomon teaches us that God loves his people. Elsewhere, the Bible describes Christians as 'the bride of Christ' (2 Corinthians 11:2).
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| Isaiah |
Isaiah was a prophet (holy man). God appointed Isaiah to warn the people in Judah. The people were evil. So, they should ask God to forgive them. Isaiah lived before Ezekiel and Jeremiah.
Isaiah described the future of many countries (Isaiah chapters 13-24). But especially, he warned his own people in Judah and Israel (Isaiah chapters 28-31).
But this book also contains many happy words. Isaiah wrote about a child who would have no human father (Isaiah 7:14). This child would become king (Isaiah 9:6). He would rule fairly (Isaiah 32). And the people would be glad (Isaiah 35). So, God will comfort his people (Isaiah 40). This child would be God's servant (Isaiah 42). But people would not accept him. God's servant would die so that God will forgive us. Then, God's servant would live again (Isaiah 53). Everyone must trust him (Isaiah 55). God will forgive the people who confess their evil deeds to God (Isaiah 59). So, God himself will rescue his people (Isaiah 63).
We now know that Isaiah wrote these words about Jesus.
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| Jeremiah |
Jeremiah was a prophet (holy man). God chose Jeremiah as a prophet when Jeremiah was a young man (Jeremiah 1). Jeremiah lived at the same time as the last kings of Judah. Jeremiah warned the people that God would punish them (Jeremiah 4). They must return to God. Otherwise, they would suffer terrible troubles (Jeremiah chapters 14-16).
God wanted the people to trust him. But they refused (Jeremiah 18). So, God told Jeremiah that the people must serve their enemies for 70 years (Jeremiah 25). But then, people from Israel would return to their land (Jeremiah chapters 30-33).
Jeremiah also wrote about the future of other nations (Jeremiah chapters 46-51). And Jeremiah knew that God would send Jesus (Jeremiah 23:1-8, Jeremiah 31:31-37, and Jeremiah 33).
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| Lamentations |
Lamentations is a book of very sad poems. Lamentations is in the Old Testament of the Bible.
Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations after soldiers from Babylon destroyed Jerusalem.
Jerusalem had been a beautiful city. The temple (house of God) was in Jerusalem. But the soldiers destroyed the buildings. They killed many people (Lamentations 2:21). They led the young men away to Babylon. The soldiers even forced the young women to have sex with them (Lamentations 5:11-13).
Jeremiah saw these terrible events. And he knew why these things happened. They happened because the people in Jerusalem had not obeyed God's law. The people prayed to evil gods. And the people were very evil. God sent his servants to warn the people. But the people did not change their behaviour. So, God punished them (2 Chronicles 36:14-17).
Jeremiah was very sad when he wrote Lamentations. But he still had hope. Between his sad words, he wrote about God's love. Jeremiah knew that God cares (Lamentations 3:22-33).
Jeremiah wanted the people to trust God again (Lamentations 3:40-42). And Jeremiah knew that God would not always punish his people (Lamentations 4:22). Jeremiah prayed that the people could return to Jerusalem (Lamentations 5:21).
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| Ezekiel |
Ezekiel was a prophet (holy man) who lived at the same time as the last kings of Judah. God showed Ezekiel events that would happen in the future. God told Ezekiel that Ezekiel must warn the people about these events (Ezekiel 33).
God would punish Judah because its people did not obey God's law. Their enemies would surround Jerusalem, which was Judah's capital city (Ezekiel chapters 4-5). God would leave his temple (the house of God in Jerusalem) - Ezekiel 10. This was because the leaders of Judah served false gods (Ezekiel 8). And the soldiers from Babylon would destroy Jerusalem (Ezekiel 21). God would also punish other evil nations (Ezekiel chapters 25-32).
But God still cared about his people (Ezekiel 37). God would send someone from David's family to be their leader (Ezekiel 37:24-28). We now know that this person was Jesus.
God also showed Ezekiel a picture of a new temple in the future (Ezekiel chapters 40-48). God himself would return to this temple (Ezekiel 43).
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| Daniel |
God's special people, the Jews, did not obey God. So God punished them. He allowed the king of Babylon and his army to defeat them. The king of Babylon forced most Jews to live in Babylon. Babylon was a long way from their own country.
A young man called Daniel was among the people who went to live in Babylon.
The first part of the book of Daniel in the Bible tells some stories from the life of Daniel and his friends. Many times the people of Babylon tried to make them forget the real God and to serve false gods. The people of Babylon even tried to kill Daniel and his friends because they would not serve the false gods. But Daniel and his friends were loyal to the real God. Daniel became a very important man in the government of Babylon.
The second part of the book of Daniel tells about Daniel's dreams. These were strange dreams. Sometimes Daniel was awake when he had his dreams. These were special dreams that God sent to Daniel to tell him what would happen in the future. Some things that Daniel saw in his dreams have now happened. Other things that God told Daniel in his dreams have not happened yet. But God is in control of the future.
God will do what he has promised.
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| Hosea |
Hosea was a prophet (holy man). The Book of Hosea is in the Bible (Old Testament).
God told Hosea to marry a wife who was not loyal (Hosea 1). Hosea loved his wife. He tried to persuade his wife to remain with him. His wife was not loyal to him. But Hosea still loved her. And he still wanted her to be his wife (Hosea 3).
Hosea's troubles with his wife were like God's troubles with Israel. The people in Israel were not loyal to God. God loved them. But they were very evil. So, God would punish them for their evil deeds. But afterwards, the people from Israel would trust in God again. They would confess their evil deeds to God. God would forgive them. And he would love them again (Hosea 14).
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| Joel |
Joel was a prophet (holy man). The Book of Joel is in the Old Testament part of the Bible.
The Book of Joel describes some terrible events. Joel called these events 'the Day of God'. A terrible army would attack Jerusalem. They would destroy everything. Nobody could escape from this army.
So, the people must confess their evil deeds to God. Even when these terrible things happen, they must ask God to save them (Joel 2:12-17).
Then, God will be kind to his people. He will hear their prayers. He will cause this terrible army to leave. He will provide food for his people. And he will send his Spirit on all people (Joel 2:28-32).
God will also punish the nations that attack Jerusalem (Joel 3:1-16). But God will protect his own people always (Joel 3:17-21).
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| Amos |
Amos was a not a prophet (holy man). Amos looked after sheep. But God sent Amos with a message to his nation (Amos 7:14-15).
Amos knew that many nations were evil. Because of these evil deeds, God would punish the nations (Amos chapters 1-2).
But Amos's own nation, Israel, was also evil. They were cruel to poor people. The judges were not fair in court. And they served evil gods. Amos warned his people that they must confess their evil deeds to God. And they must learn to do the right things (Amos 5). Otherwise, God would allow Israel's enemies to attack (Amos chapters 6-9). And these enemies would destroy the nation.
But God would not always punish the people from Israel. After these terrible punishments, God would allow some of the people to return to their own land (Amos 9:11-15).
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| Obadiah |
Obadiah was a prophet (holy man). The Book of Obadiah is in the Bible (Old Testament).
The Book of Obadiah contains a short message about the country called Edom. The people from Edom were relatives of the people from Israel. But the inhabitants of Edom refused to help when the people from Israel suffered. So, God would punish the people from Edom for this evil deed. God would destroy their country.
In the future, people who trust God will live in Edom.
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| Jonah |
God sent Jonah to Ninevah. Nineveh was an enemy of Jonah's country, Israel. So, Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh.
Jonah tried to escape God. He tried to travel elsewhere, by ship. But there was a terrible storm. Jonah knew that God had caused the storm. So, he asked the sailors to throw him into the sea. But Jonah did not drown, because God sent a whale (large fish) to swallow Jonah. Then, Jonah prayed to God again. He thanked God, who had rescued him (Jonah 2). And God caused the fish to return Jonah to the dry land.
So, Jonah went to Nineveh. He warned the people that they must confess their evil deeds to God. Otherwise, God would destroy their nation. The people obeyed Jonah. So, God forgave the people in Nineveh. God did not destroy Nineveh at this time.
But Jonah was sad, because Nineveh was his enemy. Jonah wanted God to destroy Nineveh. But God told Jonah that God cares about the people from every nation.
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| Micah |
Micah was a prophet (holy man). The Book of Micah is in the Old Testament part of the Bible.
Micah warned the people in Israel and Judah (Micah 1). God would punish them for their evil deeds. The people had cruel schemes. They were thieves. And they listened to false prophets (false holy men) whose words were lies (Micah 2).
God did not want terrible things to happen. God wants to teach people. And he wants the nations to be at peace (chapter 4). God promised to send a leader for Israel. This leader would be from Bethlehem. We now know that this leader was Jesus (Micah 5:1-5).
So, God accused the people (Micah 6). God did not want their gifts (Micah 6:6). God wanted them to be humble and to do the right things (Micah 6:8). But they refused to obey God. They were proud, and they did many evil deeds. This is why God would punish them (Micah 6:9-16).
But afterwards, when the people served God, Israel would become a great nation again (Micah 7:7-20).
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| Nahum |
Nahum was a prophet (holy man). He wrote about a country which was an enemy of Israel, called Nineveh. The people in Nineveh were very evil (Nahum 3:1).
The people from Nineveh were also cruel to the people in other countries. But God cares about the people who trust him (Nahum 1:7). So, God would send the enemies of Nineveh to destroy Nineveh.
God would end Nineveh's cruelty. But God would help his own people, Israel. And Israel would become a great nation again (Nahum 1:15).
The Book of Nahum is in the Bible (Old Testament).
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| Habakkuk |
Habakkuk wrote a book in the Old Testament part of the Bible. Habakkuk was a prophet (holy man). In his book, Habakkuk complained twice to God. Habakkuk asked God why good people must suffer. And, Habakkuk asks why cruel people seem to succeed.
Firstly, Habakkuk complained that the rulers of his country were wicked. God replied that soldiers from Babylon would attack these wicked rulers (Habakkuk 1:2-11).
But Habakkuk complained to God again. Habakkuk said that God allows cruel people to attack good people (Habakkuk 1:12 to Habakkuk 2:1). God replied that he would punish cruel people. But this does not always happen immediately. But God told Habakkuk to write this down, because God will definitely punish evil people. (Habakkuk 2:2-20).
So, good people must trust God (Habakkuk 2:4). The time will come when God will rule the whole world (Habakkuk 2:14).
The Book of Habakkuk ends with a Psalm (song) - Habakkuk 3. This song says that God will rescue his people
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| Zephaniah |
Zephaniah was a prophet (holy man). The Book of Zephaniah is in the Bible (Old Testament).
Zephaniah explained that God would punish many countries because of their evil deeds (Zephaniah chapters 1-2). God would also punish the evil people in Jerusalem (Zephaniah 3:1-5).
So, the people should pray to God (Zephaniah 2:1-3). They must confess their evil deeds to God. And they must be humble.
When these terrible punishments happen, God will protect the people who trust him (Zephaniah 3:9-13). God will rescue them. He loves them. And he will make them glad (Zephaniah 3:14-20).
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| Haggai |
Haggai was a prophet (holy man). He lived at the same time as Zecharaiah. Then, some people from Israel had returned from Babylon. They rebuilt their own houses in Jerusalem. Haggai explained why they were poor. He said that God was not blessing them.
Haggai told them that they should also rebuild God's temple (the house of God) - Haggai 1.
The new temple was small. But God told Haggai that it would be greater than the old temple (Haggai 2). And now, God would bless the people because they had rebuilt the temple.
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| Zechariah |
Zechariah was a prophet (holy man). The Book of Zechariah is in the Old Testament part of the Bible.
Zechariah lived at the same time as Haggai. God showed Zechariah many strange pictures to encourage the people in Jerusalem. These pictures explained good things that God would do in the future. Zechariah wrote about some things that would happen during his own life. And we now know that Zechariah wrote some things about Jesus. Jesus is both a priest and a king (Zechariah 6:12-13). Zechariah describes Jesus' death in Zechariah 12:10. Some things that Zechariah described have not happened yet (Zechariah 14). These things will happen in the future.
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| Malachi |
Malachi was a prophet (holy man). The Book of Malachi is the last book in the Bible's Old Testament.
Malachi said that God accused the people. They were doing many wrong things. They did not give the best gifts to God (Malachi 1:6-14). The priests did not teach well (Malachi 2:1-9). The men divorced their wives without a proper reason (Malachi 2:13-16).
But God himself would come to his temple (the house of God) (Malachi 3:1-5). But before this, God would send his special servant. This servant would teach the correct way to serve God. Then, the people would be ready for God's arrival. This was good news for the people who respected God. But this was terrible news for the people who refused to obey God (Malachi 4).
Malachi's book was written after all the other books in the Old Testament. 400 years later, Jesus came. But before Jesus began his work, a special servant of God taught near the river Jordan. This servant of God was called John the Baptist. John taught the people that they must confess their evil deeds to God. He taught that they must prepare themselves for the arrival of the Christ. (The 'Christ' means God's king. Many Old Testament prophets taught that the Christ would save us from the punishment for our evil deeds.)
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