Learning to memorize the books of the Bible in order is one of the best small investments a Christian can make: it turns “somewhere in the middle, I think?” into opening straight to Zephaniah, and it hands you the Bible’s basic architecture — law, history, poetry, prophets, gospels, letters — for free along the way.
Strangely, most guides on this topic never include the actual list. This one does: all 66 books below, grouped the way memory likes them, with a mnemonic for every section and a realistic 7-day plan.
(One quick disambiguation: this page is about memorizing the names and order of the books. If you want to memorize the text of a whole book — all of Philippians, say — that’s a different and wonderful project: how to memorize a whole book of the Bible.)
The method in one paragraph
Never memorize 66 items; memorize 10 groups that average six items each. The Bible’s books are already organized by type, so the groups are natural, they’re meaningful (you learn real Bible structure, not trivia), and each one is small enough to learn in a single sitting. Learn one or two groups a day, recite the chain from Genesis each time, and the whole list takes about a week.
The Old Testament (39 books, 5 groups)
Group 1 — The Law (5): the foundation
Genesis · Exodus · Leviticus · Numbers · Deuteronomy
Mnemonic, if you want one: “Giraffes Eat Leaves, Never Doughnuts.” Most people find these five are half-known already — say them ten times and they’re yours.
Group 2 — History (12): Israel’s story
Joshua · Judges · Ruth · 1 Samuel · 2 Samuel · 1 Kings · 2 Kings · 1 Chronicles · 2 Chronicles · Ezra · Nehemiah · Esther
Twelve looks scary; it’s really 3 + 6 + 3. Three entry books (Joshua, Judges, Ruth) — conquest, chaos, and a love story in the chaos. Then three pairs (Samuel, Kings, Chronicles) — say “Samuel-Kings-Chronicles, two each” and six books collapse into three names. Then three post-exile books (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther) — two rebuilders and a queen.
Group 3 — Wisdom & Poetry (5): the heart
Job · Psalms · Proverbs · Ecclesiastes · Song of Solomon
Learn it as a life-arc: suffering (Job) → singing (Psalms) → wisdom (Proverbs) → searching (Ecclesiastes) → love (Song). Five books, one soul.
Group 4 — Major Prophets (5): the long books
Isaiah · Jeremiah · Lamentations · Ezekiel · Daniel
The order hides a story: Lamentations follows Jeremiah because it’s traditionally read as Jeremiah’s own funeral song for Jerusalem. Anchor that one fact and the group orders itself — Isaiah first (the giant), Jeremiah with his Lamentations, then the two exiles, Ezekiel and Daniel.
Group 5 — Minor Prophets (12): the dreaded dozen
Hosea · Joel · Amos · Obadiah · Jonah · Micah · Nahum · Habakkuk · Zephaniah · Haggai · Zechariah · Malachi
The part everyone dreads — so break it into four trios and it falls: Hosea-Joel-Amos / Obadiah-Jonah-Micah / Nahum-Habakkuk-Zephaniah / Haggai-Zechariah-Malachi. Practice one trio at a time, then chain them. Two useful anchors: Jonah sits in the second trio (everyone knows Jonah — he marks the middle), and the last trio are the post-exile prophets, ending the Old Testament with Malachi’s promise of the coming messenger.
The New Testament (27 books, 5 groups)
Group 6 — Gospels + Acts (5): the story
Matthew · Mark · Luke · John · Acts
You almost certainly know these. Bonus link: Acts is Luke’s volume two — Luke-then-Acts belong together in your head.
Group 7 — Paul’s letters to churches (9)
Romans · 1 Corinthians · 2 Corinthians · Galatians · Ephesians · Philippians · Colossians · 1 Thessalonians · 2 Thessalonians
Start with the big pair (Romans, then Corinthians twice), then use the classic mnemonic generations of Sunday school students learned for the next four: “General Electric Power Company” — Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Close with Thessalonians twice. Romans → Corinthians ×2 → G-E-P-C → Thessalonians ×2.
Group 8 — Paul’s letters to people (4)
1 Timothy · 2 Timothy · Titus · Philemon
Two to Timothy, one to Titus, one to Philemon — Paul’s personal mail, ordered longest to shortest. Say “Timothy, Timothy, Titus, Philemon” with a rhythm and it sticks in a minute.
Group 9 — General letters (8)
Hebrews · James · 1 Peter · 2 Peter · 1 John · 2 John · 3 John · Jude
Learn it as one mystery + three names + Jude: Hebrews (author unknown), then James, Peter ×2, John ×3 — the counts ascend, 1-2-3 — and Jude closes the letters.
Group 10 — Revelation (1)
Revelation. The end. You will not forget where it goes.
The 7-day plan
| Day | Learn | Then recite |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Law + Wisdom (groups 1, 3) | both groups |
| 2 | History (group 2) | Genesis → Esther |
| 3 | Major Prophets (group 4) | Genesis → Daniel |
| 4 | Minor Prophets (group 5) | the whole Old Testament |
| 5 | Gospels+Acts, Paul to churches (6, 7) | Matthew → 2 Thessalonians |
| 6 | Paul to people, General, Revelation (8, 9, 10) | the whole New Testament |
| 7 | Nothing new | all 66, out loud, twice |
Daily session: 10–15 minutes. The chain-recitation from Genesis each day is doing the real work — by day 7 you’ll have recited the early groups six times without ever “reviewing.” After the week, recite the full list once a week for a month, then monthly; like any memorized material, it stays only if it’s revisited on stretching intervals. Here’s why spaced review works.
Drills that speed it up: write the list from memory and check (the checking is the lesson); recite alternate books with a partner or child (you: Genesis, them: Exodus…); erase-one-name-per-pass on a whiteboard; and time yourself — under 90 seconds for all 66 is a genuinely achievable badge of honor.
For kids: the group songs (several classic children’s songs set the books to music) are excellent — with one caveat every parent discovers: a child who can only sing the list can’t always say it. Sing to learn, then recite unsung to own.
From list to library
Knowing the order is the doorway, not the point — the point is that Zephaniah stops being a stranger. Once the shelf is labeled in your head, the next step is putting verses on it: start with ten worth carrying for life. See the top 10 bible verses to memorize. And if you want your drilling and reviewing scheduled for you, VerseKeep handles exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest way to memorize the books of the Bible?
Grouping. Never learn 66 names in a row — learn ten natural groups (Law, History, Wisdom, Major Prophets, Minor Prophets, Gospels+Acts, Paul's church letters, Paul's personal letters, General letters, Revelation) of three to twelve books each, then chain them by reciting from Genesis each day. Most people who fail tried to brute-force the flat list; most who succeed grouped it.
How long does it take to memorize all 66 books in order?
About a week at 10–15 minutes a day using the grouped plan above — children often do it faster. Keeping the list for life costs a weekly recitation for a month, then an occasional run-through; it's one of the highest retention-per-effort things you can memorize.
Is there a trick for the books of the Bible?
Several, and they work best combined: section mnemonics ("General Electric Power Company" for Galatians–Ephesians–Philippians–Colossians is the classic), story-anchors (Lamentations follows Jeremiah, its traditional author), trio-chunking for the twelve Minor Prophets, and songs for children. No single acrostic covers all 66 well — grouping is the master trick; the mnemonics decorate it.
Why do Catholic Bibles have 73 books?
Catholic Bibles include the deuterocanonical books (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1–2 Maccabees, plus additions to Esther and Daniel), which Protestant traditions — following the Hebrew canon of the Old Testament — don't count as Scripture. The 66-book order on this page is the Protestant canon; the memorization method transfers to any canon, since grouping is grouping.
In what order should kids learn them?
New Testament first, usually — Gospels+Acts are books kids already hear stories from, the early win builds confidence, and "General Electric Power Company" delights them. Then the Old Testament by groups, saving the Minor Prophets trios for last, as a mountain they get to summit.