The next group of books we will survey are the books of history. These include the following books:

Joshua : Details how the successor of Moses, Joshua, led the people of Israel into the Promised Land of Canaan. It records the military campaigns and the division of the land among the people.

Judges : Israel turned away from God after Joshua's death. This book records the sad story of their repeated sins and the judges God raised up to deliver them from enemy forces.

Ruth : The story of Ruth, a woman of the Gentile nation of Moab, who chose to serve the God of Israel. She became the great grandmother of David.

I Samuel : This book centers on three persons: Samuel who was the last of the judges of Israel; Saul, the first king of Israel; and David who succeeded a disobedient Saul as king.

II Samuel : The glorious forty year reign of King David is recorded in this book.

I Kings : King Solomon's reign and the kings of the divided kingdom through the reigns of Ahab in the north and Jehoshaphat in the south are the subjects of this book.

II Kings : The final decline of Israel and Judah is recalled in this book.

I Chronicles : The reign of David and preparations for building the temple are recorded here. The time of this book parallels that of II Samuel.

II Chronicles : This book continues Israel's history through Solomon's reign with focus on the southern kingdom. It closes with the decree of Cyrus which permitted the return of the people from Babylon to Jerusalem.

Ezra : The return of the Jews from Babylon captivity is detailed in this book.

Nehemiah : The rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls under Nehemiah is documented in the book of Nehemiah. This project was begun about fourteen years after Ezra's return with the people.

Esther : God's deliverance of the Jews through Esther and Mordecai is the subject of this book.