Minor Prophets

What these books are

Twelve books that in the Hebrew Bible are counted as one, called simply “the Twelve” — short enough together to fit on a single scroll. They span roughly four centuries, from Amos and Hosea under Assyria’s shadow to Malachi in the quiet after the return from exile.

How to read them

Their brevity is an advantage: most can be read in a single sitting, which is how they were meant to be heard. Jonah is a story, Habakkuk is a conversation, Amos is courtroom oratory, Malachi is a series of disputes. The variety is easily missed if you read them as one undifferentiated block.

Read them in the order they were written rather than the order they are printed and the Twelve become a running commentary on four hundred years of national life. The “By era” arrangement on the home page shows that order.