After I finished reading the book of 2nd Kings, I was a little confused. I knew that God sent prophets to both the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom to expose their sinful practices, warn them of coming judgment, and call them back to repentance. But, I began to wonder, “Where is the story of Jonah?” and “ Perhaps I read about Jonah, and I don’t remember it,” so I began to research, “Where in the Bible does a big fish swallow Jonah?” And then that is when it hit me. There are books in the Old Testament that fit within another book. What does that mean? The Book of the 2nd King mentioned Jonah, Joel, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah. But to read about their stories, you must read the 5 Major Prophetic and 12 Minor Prophetic books. For example, Jonah was introduced to us in 2 Kings 13-14, but to read about his story, you must read the book of“Jonah”. Here is another example. In the book of 2nd Kings, we are introduced to Nebuchadnezzar, but to read more about him, we have to read the book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar was a Babylonian king who reigned over the Southern Kingdom, and the first mention of him is found in 2 Kings 23-25.
Below is a chronological list of prophets in the Old Testament.
