1 Genesis 4.1–16

Adam and Eve’s sin has terrible consequences. They are sent away from the garden. They cannot live forever. Everything becomes more difficult, even their relationships with each other. Adam and Eve’s children join in the sin their parents began.

Genesis 6.5–9.17

God made a very good world, but after Adam and Eve's great sin, everything goes from bad to worse. The people in God's good world do not live the way God made them to live. God brings his judgement against the people he has made and then starts again with Noah and his family.

Genesis 18.1–15; 21.1–7

One of God’s great promises to Abraham is that he will become a great nation. But Abraham is very old and so is Sarah, his wife. It seems impossible for Abraham and Sarah to have a baby. Does God keep his promises and can he do impossible things?

Genesis 39.20B–41.57

Things couldn’t be worse for Joseph. First, he is thrown into a dry well by his brothers. Then he is sold as a slave. In Egypt, he is thrown into prison for something he didn’t do. But God is with Joseph. And God is the one who saves.

Deuteronomy 5.1–22; 6.4–12

God made a special promise to Israel. God promised that he would be Israel’s God and that Israel would be his people. God showed Israel how to live by giving them his law. Moses reminds Israel about God’s law. Moses reminds God’s people not to forget about who God is and what he has done.

1 Samuel 1.1–2.11

Hannah is barren and cannot have children. Hannah asks God for a baby and God, the Great King, is kind to Hannah. God gives her a baby boy. Hannah prays to say thank you to God for his kind gift. Hannah knows that God is the one who saves and the one who can reverse people’s situations.

2 Kings 5

Naaman has leprosy, a terrible skin disease. Naaman is not from Israel, but hears from an Israelite slave girl that he can be healed by seeing an Israelite prophet. Naaman travels to Israel and is healed from his terrible disease by God, the Great King.

2 Kings 17.1–23

Just like the other kings of Israel, Hoshea, the last king of Israel, is unfaithful. This also means that the people of Israel are unfaithful. They worship other gods and not God, the Great King. They do not obey God’s Law. Because of their unfaithfulness, God sends the people of Israel away from the Promised Land.

2 Kings 18.17–19.19, 35–37

Hezekiah has a big problem. The king of Assyria is threatening to attack his kingdom and could totally destroy Judah. But Hezekiah listens to God’s words, prays to the powerful and faithful God, and trusts that God always cares for his people.

Nehemiah 1; 2; 4.1–23; 6.1–16

Nehemiah hears some sad news from the people who have returned to Jerusalem. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down. Through prayer, trust and action, Nehemiah returns to help rebuild the wall and God continues to work through his people.

Psalm 119.1–24

Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem and uses every letter of the Hebrew alphabet to explain how God’s faithful people delight in and think about God’s law.

Psalm 3

David is in a tough situation. Enemies surround him and his own son is trying to take over as king. But David knows who helps him—God, the Great King. Thinking about God’s help allows David to rest because he knows that God is the one who protects him.

Psalm 84

When God’s people travelled to Jerusalem for festivals or to offer sacrifices, they would sing a psalm like this. God’s people reminded themselves how great it is to worship God and be with him in his temple.

Ecclesiastes 1.1–11

The Teacher in Ecclesiastes has some big questions that he thinks about in the book of Ecclesiastes. One of the Teacher’s big questions is about people’s work. The Teacher wants to know: “What is the point of work?”

Ecclesiastes 7.1–6

The Teacher has more words of wisdom for his learners. And some of this wisdom is quite surprising. The Teacher says that it is good to remember death while we are living.

Ecclesiastes 11.7–12.14

At the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher leaves his younger readers with his closing thoughts: to enjoy their lives as God’s gift to them and to remember God, the Great King, when they are young.

Daniel 5

King Belshazzar rules over the empire of Babylon. But while Belshazzar is partying one night, he sees some mysterious writing on a wall. Daniel is called in to explain what it means.

Daniel 7.13–14

God sends Daniel some dreams about what will happen in the future. Even though the rulers of our world are strong and powerful, God rules over them all. In his dream, Daniels sees that God will give power and authority to someone like “a son of man,” who will rule forever and ever.

Jonah 1, 2

God sends Jonah to speak to the people of Nineveh, the capital city of a cruel and powerful empire. Jonah disobeys God and runs away as far as he can go. But God saves Jonah because this is what God is like: God saves people.

Jonah 3, 4

Jonah goes to Nineveh and the people turn away from their sin. They worship God, the Great King. But Jonah is angry because he knows what God’s heart is like: gracious and compassionate. God invites Jonah’s readers to reflect his heart of compassion and love.

Luke 2.1–20

When Jesus is born, God sends his angels to make the huge announcement. The angels announce to some shepherds that God’s Promised King has come. The angels fill the air with praise and joy. The shepherds join with the angels’ praise when they see the baby lying in an animal’s feed box.

Luke 3.1–18

After Jesus’ birth and a story from when Jesus was a young boy, we hear nothing more about Jesus until a man called John started to preach in the wilderness. Although everyone thinks that John might be God’s Promised King, John says that he is the one who gets everything ready.

Luke 5.27–6.10

Jesus eats with the “bad people” and “works” on the Sabbath (God’s special rest day). This makes the religious leaders furious, but Jesus explains that he is totally different to everyone who has come before. And Jesus does not fit with how the religious leaders think “good people” should behave.

Luke 11.1–13

The disciples ask Jesus how they should pray to God, the Great King. Jesus gives the disciples a model prayer and then explains how to speak to God.

Luke 11.37–54

Jesus is invited to have lunch at the house of a religious leader, but Jesus does not wash like he is supposed to. When the Pharisee sees that Jesus doesn’t wash, Jesus has some strong words for all the Jewish religious leaders.

Luke 14.15–24

Jesus is invited to eat at the house of a religious leader. Jesus knows what the Pharisees are like, so tells them a tricky story about who will get into God’s Kingdom.

Luke 15.11–32

Jesus tells a tricky story to show what God is like and what God’s people should be like. This tricky story is about two sons and a feasting father.

Luke 19.28–48

Jesus has been travelling around and finally arrives in Jerusalem. Jesus is welcomed like a king by some, but others are not happy. And when Jesus gets into Jerusalem, he does not find things as they should be.

Luke 22.47–23.49

The religious leaders want Jesus dead, so they arrest him and bring him before the Roman governor. Two Roman governors find that Jesus is innocent, but he is sentenced to death by the religious leaders and an angry crowd. Jesus continues to save people, even as he is dying.

Luke 24.36–53

When Jesus rises from death, the disciples find it hard to believe. But Jesus is not a ghost. He is alive. Jesus gives the disciples a new job. They get to go and tell other people about Jesus and everything that happened to him.

Acts 1.1–14

Luke continues the story he began in his gospel. But the book of Acts begins differently to the gospel of Luke. Jesus is leaving, and he gives the disciples a new job to do after he leaves. Their new name reflects the job they've been given to do.

Acts 2.1–41

Jesus gives the disciples a new job of telling everyone, everywhere the good news about Jesus. And on the Day of Pentecost, God gives the disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit so they can get this new job done.

Acts 2.42–47

Many people believe that Jesus is the Promised King. These people meet together and do some special things. They listen to the apostles’ teaching. They hang out together. They eat together and they pray. This is how the faithful followers of King Jesus live.

Acts 6.1–8.3

Many people follow King Jesus after hearing the good news, but not everyone is happy. When the religious leaders hear about what Stephen is saying and doing, he is put to death.

Acts 8.26–9.31

The people of King Jesus have scattered because of how badly they’ve been treated. But this means that the good news about Jesus spreads to different places and many people get to meet King Jesus.

Acts 13.1–3; 17.1–34

When Paul follows Jesus, he is given a special job. King Jesus tells Paul to tell everyone, everywhere the good news about Jesus. And this is what Paul does.

Acts 19.1–10 + Ephesians 1

Paul is writing a letter to the church in a city called Ephesus. He starts his letter with a very long prayer for the Ephesians.

Ephesians 2

Paul reminds the Ephesians that they were dead, but are now alive. They were not included in God’s people, but now they are included in God’s people. And all of God’s people are being built together into God’s temple.

Ephesians 4.17–5.2

Now that the Ephesians follow King Jesus, they will not live like they used to. The Ephesians used to live in the darkness, but now they live in the light. Now, the Ephesians get to live in ways that match the good news about Jesus.

Ephesians 6.10–20

Paul wants the Ephesians to know that they are not helpless against the spiritual forces of evil and against the Prince of Darkness. Paul tells the Ephesians that they can protect themselves by wearing the full body armour God has provided for them.