The Bible that Christians use today is divided into two major sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament was the “Bible” the Jewish people used in Jesus’ day and is still used by Jewish people today. the New Testament is additional information which Christians believe is also part of God’s communication to mankind along with the Old Testament. There is much evidence to support the idea that the Old and New Testaments are God’s complete communication to mankind. In the Old Testament there are certain writings from men identified as prophets. The writings have not always been arranged in the same order. In Jesus time many people spoke Greek and the Jewish Old Testament was translated into Greek. That translation is called the Septuagint by modern scholars. Modern Christian Bibles have the Old Testament books in the same order as the Septuagint. In the Hebrew version of the Old Testament the books are arranged differently.
Others ways of grouping the Old Testament prophets include who they were written to, whether they were written before, during, or after the Jewish people were in captivity in Babylon (c. 586-516 BC), or according to the empire that was ruling the Middle East at the time of writing. Below you will find the various Old Testament prophets listed according to these different ways of grouping them. (See also “What Profit?”)
The order of the Prophets in our Bible and the Septuagint:
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
The order of the Prophets in the Hebrew Bible:
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
The Twelve:
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
(Lamentations is in The Writings)
(Daniel is usually placed in The Writings)
In both of these arrangments the twelve minor prophets are grouped according to the three major world empires ruling the Middle East, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian, then placed in chronological order.
Grouped according to the recipients of the message:
To Israel:
Hosea
Amos
To Judah:
Joel
Isaiah
Micah
Zephaniah
Jeremiah
Habakkuk
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
To Ninevah:
Jonah
Nahum
To Babylon: Daniel
To Exiles: Ezekiel
To Edom: Obadiah
Grouped according to the Exile:
Pre-exile:
Obadiah
Joel
Jonah
Hosea
Amos
Isaiah
Micah
Nahum
Zephaniah
Jeremiah
Habakkuk
During the Exile:
Daniel
Ezekiel
Post Exile:
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
According to World Empires in the Middle East:
Assyrian Times:
Obadiah
Joel
Jonah
Hosea
Amos
Isaiah
Micah
Nahum
Babylonian Times:
Zephaniah
Jeremiah
Habakkuk
Daniel
Ezekiel
Persian Times:
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Listed in order of when they began their ministry:
Obadiah 845BC
Joel 835 BC
Jonah 782 BC
Hosea 760 BC
Amos 760 BC
Isaiah 739 BC
Micah 735 BC
Nahum 650 BC
Zephaniah 640 BC
Jeremiah 627 BC
Habakkuk 609 BC
Daniel 605 BC
Ezekiel 593 BC
Haggai 520 BC
Zechariah 520 BC
Malachi 430 BC