The People's Bible: Complete Set

Book of Books provides a quick introduction to the author, content, and purpose of each book of the Bible. It includes introductions to the Apocrypha, a brief review of Jewish history, and an introduction to the New Testament manuscripts. This edition adds an introduction to the Dead Sea Scrolls and a critical review of several translations of the Scriptures, including the New Living Translation and God’s Word.

Genesis is the first of the five books of Moses and it unfolds God’s work through the biographies of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and others. Starting with the words “In the beginning …,” it presents the beginnings, or origins, of the universe, the human race, sin, death, and God’s gracious work of bringing fallen humanity back to himself. Each volume includes the complete text of the NIV book of the Bible. The Christ-centered commentaries following the Scripture sections contain explanations of the text, historical background, maps, illustrations, and archaeological information.

Exodus is the second book written by God’s great leader Moses. The book’s title means “road out.” Exodus records the departure of God’s people from their slavery in Egypt and the beginning of their journey to the Promised Land. In the third month of that journey, Moses and the people came to Mount Sinai, where God gave them his law.

Leviticus is the third book of God’s great leader Moses. The book is filled with types and shadows of Christ and his work of redemption. Reading about Old Testament sacrifices helps us understand Christ’s sacrifice for the sins of the world, and reading about Old Testament worship helps us understand our own worship better.

Numbers tells the story of God’s people in the wilderness after they left Mount Sinai. One generation refused to enter the Promised Land and spent the remainder of their lives wandering in the wilderness. But during those years, a new generation arose, which stood at the Jordan River ready to inherit what God had promised. Numbers is the fourth book written by God’s great leader Moses.

Deuteronomy records the final words of Moses, one of God’s greatest leaders. While Moses led God’s people, an entire generation died in the wilderness, and a new generation took its place. Moses repeated the laws God had given on Mount Sinai and reapplied them for a new generation as the people prepared to enter the Promised Land.

After the leadership of Moses, the Lord chose Joshua to lead his people into the land he had promised. The book of Joshua tells how God helped his people conquer the Promised Land. Not only did the walls of Jericho fall down before God’s people, but the Lord granted many additional victories to them. Through his long life of service, Joshua followed the Lord faithfully and wholeheartedly.

The book of Judges records the stories of those leaders God sent to rescue his people before Israel had kings. Each account reveals how frequently God’s people turned away from him and yet how faithful God was in sending them deliverance. Ruth is the beautiful story of a Moabite woman who became an ancestor to King David and to Jesus.

Samuel’s mother, Hannah, dedicated her young son to the work of the Lord. Samuel grew up to become one of Israel’s great prophets and led God’s people through turbulent times. The two books of Samuel tell the story of this great leader who anointed the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.

The two books of Kings trace the history of God’s Old Testament people from King Solomon to the Babylonian exile. During that time God’s one nation became two: Israel, to the north, and Judah, to the south. Both kingdoms drifted away from the Lord. Yet the Lord sent Elijah and Elisha to call his people to repentance.

The First Book of Chronicles traces the history of God’s people from Adam to David. Through this history God reminded his people that the Messiah, a royal descendant of David, would come. When the Messiah did come, he established God’s righteous rule over his people in a way far beyond the rule of any human king.

The second book of Chronicles continues the history of God’s people. Beginning with the reign of Solomon, the book tells the story of the decline of God’s people. Eventually God sent the Babylonians, who destroyed Jerusalem and carried God’s people off into exile. The book ends with the decree of Cyrus, which allowed them to return to and rebuild their land.

After 70 years of captivity in Babylon, God’s people returned to Palestine. Ezra and Nehemiah relate the struggles of God’s people as they returned and restored their homeland. The book of Esther tells of a beautiful Jewish woman who became queen and then risked her life to save her people.

Job is a literary masterpiece that tells the story of a man described as “blameless and upright” who “feared God and shunned evil.” Yet Job suffered. In this book God reminds believers that he sometimes sends suffering to test them. His faithful people patiently endure each trial and trust that God’s ways are far beyond the human ability to understand.

This volume begins the commentary on the book of Psalms, covering Psalms 1 to 72. King David, a gifted poet and musician, composed many of these psalms to express his faith in the Lord. His psalms have come to be treasured by believers throughout the centuries for their depth of faith and their beauty.

This volume continues the commentary on the book of Psalms, beginning with Psalm 73. These psalms are the works of various authors, including David, Moses, Asaph, and the sons of Korah. Some psalm collections in this volume include the Passover Hallel (113–118), the Songs of Ascents (120–134) and the Hallelujah Psalms (146–150).

Proverbs directs believers to live godly lives and shows the folly of ungodly living. The book has been called the Sermon on the Mount of the Old Testament. Both instruct believers about how to live lives of love. Solomon, a man of wisdom and great insight, wrote most of this book. He proclaims that real wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.

King Solomon was known for his great wisdom, and these two books capture some of this wisdom. Ecclesiastes teaches that life is meaningless without God. The Song of Songs is a love song that expresses the love between a man and a woman. On another level it expresses the love of the Lord for his believers, the church.

God sent the prophet Isaiah to his people at a time of great prosperity. But it was also a time of moral and spiritual decay. In the first 39 chapters of his prophecy, Isaiah warns of the coming judgment of God upon his people and upon all nations. Yet these chapters also contain rich and comforting promises of God’s grace and the future arrival of the Messiah.

In the second portion of his prophecy, Isaiah promises that God will deliver his people and all the world through the great Servant of the Lord, whom we all know as Jesus Christ. God promised that this great Servant would redeem all the world by his suffering. The prophecy of Isaiah concludes with God’s promises of future glory for all who believe.

In the last days of Judah, God sent Jeremiah to announce the coming judgment, call people to repentance, and comfort the believers who lived in a nation that had forsaken the Lord. His testimony contains many glorious prophecies of the coming Messiah. The book of Lamentations encourages believers to cling to the Lord even during disasters.

The prophet Ezekiel was among the first Jews to be deported to Babylon. Many thought that God had abandoned his promises by allowing the captivity. Through the words, actions, and visions of Ezekiel, God reminded his people of their sins and promised that a faithful remnant would return so that all his promises concerning the Messiah would come to pass.

As a young man, Daniel was among the first Jews to be deported to Babylon. A man of great faith, he held important government positions during the difficult time of captivity. Through Daniel, God showed his exiled people what the future would hold. God reminded his people that he would care for them in every situation.

God sent Hosea to remind Israel of the deep and faithful love of God for his unfaithful people. Joel issued his call to repentance during a plague of locusts and reminded God’s people of the coming Messiah. Amos warned of the judgment that would come to all who abandoned the Lord’s promises.

Obadiah announced God’s judgment upon Edom, an enemy of Judah, but promised deliverance to God’s faithful people. God wants all people to be saved, so he sent Jonah to preach repentance to Nineveh, the capital of a foreign nation. Micah announced God’s punishment upon sin and the sure salvation to come through the Messiah.

God sent his prophet Nahum to announce the coming destruction of the Assyrian Empire and to assure God’s people of their deliverance. While announcing judgment upon all sinners, Habakkuk wrote, “The righteous will live by his faith.” Zephaniah announced the coming of the great day of the Lord’s judgment but encouraged the faithful not to fear.

After the Babylonian captivity, God’s people were often more concerned about their own affairs than God’s. So God sent Haggai and Zechariah to urge his people to rebuild the temple. Malachi threatened God’s judgment upon the people for their neglect of the Lord and his Word, but the prophet ended with the wonderful promise of the coming Messiah.

When Matthew left his tax collector’s booth in Galilee to follow Jesus, he became an eyewitness to the Savior’s ministry. His record gives the teachings of Jesus special attention and assures believers that Jesus is the Messiah foretold by so many Old Testament prophecies. For these reasons, his gospel has become the first book of the New Testament.

Most believe that the gospel of Mark was the first of the gospels to be completed. Many also believe that Mark wrote down what Peter proclaimed. It is a gospel of action; Jesus does things. In addition, the gospel asserts that Jesus is the Son of God and spends a great deal of time with the last journey of Jesus to Jerusalem and the Savior’s suffering and death there.

Luke, a physician, traveled with the apostle Paul on his missionary journeys, sharing the message of Jesus. Luke carefully investigated the events in the life of Jesus and talked with eyewitnesses before he began his gospel. His record emphasizes that Jesus is the Savior of all people and was written for new Christians who wanted to know more about Jesus.

The apostle John refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” John was one of the inner circle of disciples, together with Peter and James. As he records the ministry of Jesus, the apostle adds many insights not recorded by the other gospels. John is a simple and clear statement of God’s grace in Christ, written so that readers might believe and have life in Jesus, God’s Son.

Luke wrote Acts as a continuation of his gospel. In this book Luke recorded the growth of the early church after Jesus ascended to heaven. The first part of the book records the growth of the church in and around Jerusalem. Luke goes on to record the apostle Paul’s conversion and the spread of the gospel throughout the Roman world.

On his missionary journeys, Paul heard about the Christians in Rome. He wrote his letter to the Romans to strengthen their faith so that they might help him spread the gospel farther to the west. For over two thousand years, Christians have treasured Romans for its clear and pure presentation of God’s grace to sinners.

Paul wrote 1 Corinthians because the congregation faced a series of problems, including the danger of splintering into factions and even lapsing into paganism. Other problems plagued the Corinthians as well. Paul’s letter provided clear advice. The longest chapter, chapter 15, has become one of the most treasured, because it trumpets the victory of Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

Paul wrote 2 Corinthians after he heard a report from Titus about the Corinthian congregation. In this letter Paul compliments the believers for their progress, encourages them to complete the collection for the church in Jerusalem, and defends his ministry against those in the congregation who opposed him and claimed to be super-apostles.

Paul wrote to the Galatians because their faith was threatened by false teachers who said that salvation was dependent upon both Christ and works. This false gospel, Paul wrote, was “no gospel at all.” Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians while he was a prisoner and reminded them of what God’s great power and grace has done for believers.

Paul wrote these letters while he was in prison. Philippians is a warm, personal letter expressing great joy in Christ. Paul wrote to the Colossians to help them understand Christian truth and ward off false teaching. Philemon is a short note to Paul’s friend, asking him to forgive a runaway slave who had become a believer.

When he left the Thessalonians to share the gospel elsewhere, the apostle Paul feared that these Christians would be overwhelmed by false teachers, persecution, and temptations. He wrote two letters to encourage them to remain faithful. These letters offer rich hope and remain good reading for Christians faced with challenges to their faith.

Timothy and Titus were important members of the apostle Paul’s missionary team. Paul’s letters to these two young men show his concern for the future of the church. In these letters Paul provides instruction, warns against false doctrine, and encourages faithfulness. The letters speak to every believer who is concerned about the future of the church.

The letter to the Hebrews asserts that God made his final and complete revelation to humanity through Jesus Christ. The letter provides a bridge between the Old and New Testaments, maintains that Jesus is greater than the Old Covenant, and encourages Christians to persevere in spite of their trials and temptations.

The letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude are often grouped together and called the general, or catholic, epistles because they are not addressed to a single congregation. Peter, James, and John are familiar names to readers of the New Testament. The book of Jude warns us against false teachers.

Revelation provides believers with a beautiful assurance of Christ’s final victory. The seven visions the apostle John records in Revelation describe the ongoing struggle between Christ and Satan. In these visions God assures believers that they will have eternal victory in the new Jerusalem above and that Satan finally will be defeated.