The prophet Hosea intentionally marries an unfaithful woman to symbolically portray God’s relationship with unfaithful Israel. Hosea’s prophecies elaborate on this metaphor, calling Israel to account for idolatry and foretelling judgment, but also promising God’s faithfulness despite Israel’s mistakes.

The book of Joel is concerned with the Day of Yahweh, a coming time when God will judge the world and make all things right. Joel draws on a real-life catastrophe—a swarm of locusts devastating the land of Judah—to warn of the disaster that the Day of Yahweh will bring to those who do not repent. He also promises that God will save the people of Judah and Jerusalem who call on Him (Joel 2:32).

The prophet Amos rebukes injustice wherever it is found—even among God’s chosen people. Amos mostly presents oracles of judgment and disaster, but these end with a promise: After judgment, God will restore Israel. Amos calls on God’s people to repent of their sin against Him and others.

Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament. It tells of Yahweh’s judgment on Judah’s neighbor, Edom. Injustice does not go unrecognized by Yahweh. In the case of Edom, their injustice—tormenting the people of Judah while Judah was invaded by other nations—meant their coming downfall. Obadiah also envisions that Judah itself will be restored. This theme of the coming Day of Yahweh, when God will execute judgment and fulfill His promises, is common among other Prophetic Books—especially Joel and Amos.

Jonah is the only narrative included in the books of the Minor Prophets. It tells the story of God commanding the prophet Jonah to preach in Nineveh, but Jonah decides to run the other way by boarding a ship. After God orchestrates a storm and a great fish swallows Jonah, he obeys God’s command. But when Nineveh—a major city of the Assyrian Empire and Israel’s enemy—repents after listening to Jonah, he is infuriated. The book’s lesson becomes clear in the end: God’s care extends to all who call on Him—even those who previously stood against His people. His mercy is truly for all.

Micah has been called a “miniature Isaiah” because of its similarities to that book. Both prophets spoke to the same audience from the same city during roughly the same historical period: Jerusalem in the eighth century BC. During Micah’s ministry, the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire (722 BC), and the southern kingdom of Judah came close to the same fate in 701 BC (see 2 Kgs 17–20). According to Micah, who prophesied to both kingdoms, the reason for these attacks was the abuse of prosperity by God’s people. He gives both warnings and oracles of hope—looking forward to a day of judgment leading to peace (Mic 4:2–5).

The book of Nahum is a collection of prophetic oracles that proclaim the fall of Nineveh, a prominent city of the Assyrian Empire. Nahum poetically portrays Nineveh’s demise at the hands of the Babylonians. To do so, he employs images that are common in the Prophetic Books, such as devouring lions (Nah 2:11–12), shameless prostitutes (Nah 3:4–6), and swarming locusts (Nah 3:14–17).

The book of Habakkuk examines injustice from the experience of a righteous person crying out to God for a remedy. God responds to the prophet: Be patient, observant, and steady in your faith, for my judgment will happen at the appointed time. God’s response allows Habakkuk to rejoice in God’s saving power—even while struggling with a question that every generation asks: Why is evil allowed to thrive? The answer is profound yet difficult: Trust God because He is both powerful and just.

This book contains the prophecies that came to Zephaniah during a time of renewed devotion to Yahweh. The king was purging Judah of idols and improper worship practices, but the people’s hearts also needed correcting. Zephaniah’s message is that that anyone who combines worship of Yahweh with other gods—and who exercises deceit, violence, and complacency—will be destroyed on the coming Day of Yahweh. However, people who are righteous and humble will be gathered together in peace. When evil is all around us, how do we guard our hearts so that we can live a holy life? Zephaniah’s message assures us that in His time, Yahweh will make all things right.

The Jews who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile began rebuilding the temple around 537 BC, but because of opposition they became discouraged and stopped. When Haggai’s prophetic career began in 520 BC, he challenged their decision to stop building God’s house while they continued building houses for themselves. Haggai aimed to convince the people and their leaders to finish the temple—to make sacrifices to obey God instead of focusing entirely on their own needs.

Zechariah’s prophecies were delivered when God’s people had returned to the promised land after their exile in Babylon. Although the messages address a specific situation, they also are timeless. Zechariah encouraged the leaders of Jerusalem and called the Jewish people to rebuild the temple—and he looked forward to the ultimate fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise to restore and save.

The book of Malachi addresses the situation in Judah sometime after the temple was rebuilt in 516 BC, following the return of Jewish exiles from Babylon. The message of the book is about the covenant—Israel’s contract with God (compare Exod 24:1–8). The book records six legal disputes in which God either defends His own faithfulness or accuses the people and their leaders of forsaking their covenant. The book ends with a promise of the coming of Elijah and the Day of Yahweh. Malachi addresses how God is faithful to His covenant love, even when we doubt His faithfulness.