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Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible.
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IT HELPS EVERYTHING
TO KNOW YOUR BIBLE
Barbour Publishing’s Know Your Bible paperback has helped millions of people to understand God’s Word better. Now, for the first time, that little book’s easy-to-understand, clarifying content has been packaged especially for teen guys.
Inside this book, you’ll find quick, concise details on scripture. . .the most important facts plus the context you need to grasp how everything fits together. Read on for
• Genesis-to-Revelation book summaries, featuring particulars on the author and date of writing, an “In Ten Words or Less” description of each book, a longer “Details, Please” summary, one or more key verses, and a list of “Unique and Unusual” features of each book
• a 365-day Bible reading plan, including thumbnail sketches of each passage to provide a helpful overview of scripture’s story
• and 20 challenging, encouraging devotions introducing you to key men of God’s Word
This book features the fresh-yet-familiar text of the Barbour Simplified King James Version Bible, along with a handful of quotations from the popular New International Version.
It helps everything to know your Bible. And Know Your Bible for Teen Guys helps you do just that!
GENESIS
AUTHOR
Not stated but traditionally attributed to Moses.
DATE
Moses lived around the 1400s BC, but the events of Genesis date to the very beginning of time.
IN TEN WORDS OR LESS
God creates the world and chooses a special people.
DETAILS, PLEASE
The Bible’s first book never explains God; it simply assumes His existence: “In the beginning God. . .” (1:1). Chapters 1 and 2 describe how God created the universe and everything in it simply by speaking: “God said. . .and it was so” (1:9, 11, 14–15). Humans, however, received special handling, as “God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (2:7); woman was crafted from a rib of man. Those first two people, Adam and Eve, lived in perfection but ruined paradise by disobeying God at the urging of a “subtle” (or crafty, 3:1) serpent. Sin throws humans into a moral freefall as the world’s first child—Cain—murders his brother Abel. People become so bad that God decides to flood the entire planet, saving only the righteous Noah, his family, and an ark (boat) full of animals. After the earth repopulates, God chooses a man named Abram as patriarch of a specially blessed people, later called “Israel” after an alternative name of Abram’s grandson Jacob. Genesis ends with Jacob’s son Joseph, by a miraculous chain of events, ruling in Egypt—setting up the events of the following book of Exodus.
QUOTABLE
• God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (1:3)
• The Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (4:9)
• But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (6:8)
• He [Abram] believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him for righteousness. (15:6)
UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL
Genesis quickly introduces the concept of one God in multiple persons, a concept later called the Trinity: “God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’ ” (1:26). Also early on, God gives a hint of Jesus’ future suffering and victory when He curses the serpent for deceiving Eve: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (3:15).
SO WHAT?
Genesis answers the great question “Where did I come from?” Knowing the answer can give us meaning in a world that’s otherwise hard to figure out.
DAY 1
GENESIS 1–3
God creates the beautiful world and everything in it. Humanity soon falls into sin as Adam and Eve disobey God’s one rule.
DAY 2
GENESIS 4:1–7:9
Sin spreads quickly, to the point that God decides to cleanse the entire world with a flood.
DAY 3
GENESIS 7:10–10:32
God instructs Noah, the world’s only righteous man, to build a large boat to save himself, his family, and at least two of each kind of animal from the coming flood.
DAY 4
GENESIS 11–14
God chooses a childless man named Abram to begin a “great nation”
DAY 5
GENESIS 15–18
God changes Abram’s name to Abraham (“father of a multitude”), promising that his ninety-year-old wife, Sarah, will give birth to a son.
DAY 6
GENESIS 19–21
Hundred-year-old Abraham and ninety-year-old Sarah become parents of Isaac, whose name means “laughter.”
DAY 7
GENESIS 22–24
God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, then stops him at the last moment, saying, “you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
DAY 8
GENESIS 25–27
Abraham dies and God repeats His promise to Abraham through Isaac and Isaac’s second-born son, Jacob.
DAY 9
GENESIS 28–29
God confirms His promise of blessing to Jacob, who falls in love with a cousin, Rachel. But Jacob is tricked by her father into marrying her sister, Leah, too.
DAY 10
GENESIS 30–31
Jacob’s two wives and two of their servants give birth to eleven sons, who will become leaders of the “tribes of Israel.”
DAY 11
GENESIS 32–34
Jacob meets a mysterious “man” who wrestles him; the man changes Jacob’s name to Israel, “for as a prince, you have power with God and with men and have prevailed.”
DAY 12
GENESIS 35–36
Jacob’s favored wife, Rachel, gives birth to his twelfth son, Benjamin, then dies; Isaac also dies, at age 180.
DAY 13
GENESIS 37–39
Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph, is sold into slavery by his jealous older brothers. He goes through terrible hardship in Egypt by holding fast to God, who gives him success.
DAY 14
GENESIS 40–41
Using his God-given ability to interpret dreams, Joseph predicts a coming famine and tells Pharaoh how to prepare. Joseph is made second in command of all Egypt.
DAY 15
GENESIS 42–43
Joseph’s brothers, also facing famine in Canaan, arrive in Egypt to buy grain. Without realizing it, they stand before the man they had sold into slavery.
DAY 16
GENESIS 44–45
Joseph tests his brothers before finally telling them who he is. They are terrified, but he speaks kindly to them.
DAY 17
GENESIS 46–48
Jacob, who had long believed Joseph was dead, arrives in Egypt for a joyful reunion. Jacob’s family is allowed to settle in Egypt.
DAY 18
GENESIS 49–50
The dying Jacob speaks a blessing over each of his sons, and dies at age 147. Jacob says his son Judah will produce a ruler—and today we know that means Jesus!
KNOW YOUR BIBLE MEN
ADAM
GOD’S REPRESENTATIVE
So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:27
Professional athletes rarely handle their own contract negotiations. They review their offers with a representative called an agent. The agent does the hard work of figuring out the contract, which requires detailed knowledge of legal documents and the player’s market value. Most athletes are primarily focused on their game, so the agent represents the athlete’s interests. He makes sure any contract the player signs is honest and fair.
The Genesis story reveals that God made human beings as His representatives on earth. But we’re not reviewing contracts—our job is much more important. People were set apart from everything else God made to be caretakers, representing God’s glory and honor as we rule over creation (Genesis 1:26; Psalm 8:4–6). Being made in the image of God is both a blessing and a responsibility.
God gave Adam specific jobs that filled his life with purpose. As you grow in your faith, you’ll sense God’s calling to be a caretaker. . .over a job, a family, a ministry, or something else. Whatever it is, following God faithfully will fill your life with purpose too.
You are made in His image. You are one of His agents. Whatever God gives you to care for, represent His goodness to the world.
Heavenly Father, thank You for making me in Your image. You are good, creative, and wise. Please grow these qualities in me and help me to care well for others.
EXODUS
AUTHOR
Not stated but traditionally attributed to Moses. In Exodus 34:27 God tells Moses, “Write these words,” and Jesus, in Mark 12:26, quotes from Exodus as “the book of Moses.”
DATE
Approximately the mid-1400s BC.
IN TEN WORDS OR LESS
God delivers His people, the Israelites, from slavery in Egypt.
DETAILS, PLEASE
The Israelites prosper in Egypt, having settled there at the invitation of Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph, who entered the country as a slave and rose to second in command. When Joseph dies, a new pharaoh sees the burgeoning family as a threat—and makes the people his slaves. God hears the Israelites’ groaning, remembering “His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob” (2:24) and raising up Moses as their deliverer. God speaks through a burning bush, and Moses reluctantly agrees to demand the Israelites’ release from Pharaoh. To break Pharaoh’s will, God sends ten plagues on Egypt, ending with the death of every firstborn child— except those of the Israelites. They put sacrificial blood on their doorposts, causing the Lord to “pass over” (12:13) their homes. Pharaoh finally allows the Israelites to leave the country (the “Exodus”), and God parts the Red Sea for the people, who are being pursued by Egyptian soldiers. At Mount Sinai, God delivers the Ten Commandments, rules for worship, and laws to change the family into a nation. When Moses delays on the mountain, the people begin worshipping a golden calf, bringing a plague upon themselves. Moses returns to restore order, and Exodus ends with the people continuing their journey to the “promised land” of Canaan, following God’s “pillar of the cloud” by day and “pillar of fire” by night.
QUOTABLE
• God said to Moses, “I Am that I Am.” And He said, “You shall say this to the children of Israel, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’ ” (3:14)
• “This is what the Lord says: ‘Let My people go.’ ” (8:1)
• “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (12:13)
• You shall have no other gods before Me. (20:3)
UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL
God told the Israelites to celebrate the “Passover” with a special meal of bread made without yeast (12:14–15). Three thousand years later, Jewish people still commemorate the event.
SO WHAT?
The story of redemption is on clear display in Exodus as God rescues His people from their slavery in Egypt. In the same way, Jesus breaks our bonds of sin (Hebrews 2:14–15).
DAY 19
EXODUS 1–3
After Joseph dies, Egypt sees the Israelites as a threat and makes them slaves. God calls Moses to be the deliverer of His people.
DAY 20
EXODUS 4–6
Moses, with the help of his brother, Aaron, confronts Pharaoh with God’s message: “Let My people go.”
DAY 21
EXODUS 7–9
God sends horrible plagues on the people and land of Egypt. But Pharaoh's heart is hardened and he refuses to let the Israelites leave.
DAY 22
EXODUS 10–12
In the last of ten plagues, God kills the firstborn of every family without the blood of a sacrificial lamb on its doorposts. God will “pass over” the obedient Israelites’ homes.
DAY 23
EXODUS 13–15
On their way out of Egypt, the Israelites are pursued by Pharaoh’s army. God parts the Red Sea to provide an escape route for His people, then destroys the Egyptian soldiers.
DAY 24
EXODUS 16–18
On their way through the wilderness, the Israelites complain of hunger and thirst. God provides miraculous food (“manna”) and water from a rock.
DAY 25
EXODUS 19–20
God calls Moses up Mount Sinai, giving him laws for the nation of Israel. God’s rules are highlighted by the Ten Commandments.
DAY 26
EXODUS 21–23
God gives Moses more laws for Israel, dealing with personal relationships, private property, and national religious events.
DAY 27
EXODUS 24–27
God establishes three feasts, calls His people to obedience, and tells Moses how to build the tabernacle, a large, movable tent that will serve as Israel’s worship center.
DAY 28
EXODUS 28–29
God explains the job and requirements for Israel’s priests, under the leadership of Aaron and his family.
DAY 29
EXODUS 30–31
God tells His people how to worship and supplies gifted craftspeople for all He has called the Israelites to make for the tabernacle. He reminds His people to rest on the Sabbath day so that the workers could be refreshed.
DAY 30
EXODUS 32–33
When Moses returns from Mount Sinai, he finds the people worshipping a calf idol they had demanded during his absence. Moses prays for the people, and God decides not to destroy them completely.
DAY 31
EXODUS 34–35
As the Israelites move toward the Promised Land, the Lord demands that they remain separate from the godless people already living there.
DAY 32
EXODUS 36–38
Two gifted artists oversee construction of the tabernacle—Israel’s portable worship tent—using materials given by the people as offerings.
DAY 33
EXODUS 39–40
God’s glory, like a cloud, fills the finished tabernacle. The cloud will lead the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land.
AUTHOR
LEVITICUS
Not stated but traditionally attributed to Moses.
DATE
Approximately the mid-1400s BC.
IN TEN WORDS OR LESS
A holy God explains how to worship Him.
DETAILS, PLEASE
Leviticus, meaning “about the Levites,” describes how that family line should lead the Israelites in worship. Ceremonial laws—as opposed to the moral laws of Exodus—describe offerings to God, dietary restrictions, and purification rites. Special holy days—including the Sabbath and Passover—are commanded. The family of Aaron, Moses’ brother, is ordained as Israel’s formal priesthood. Leviticus lists several blessings for obedience and many more punishments for disobedience.
QUOTABLE
• “You shall be holy, for I [God] am holy.” (11:44)
• “The life of the flesh is in the blood. . .it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.” (17:11)
UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL
Leviticus’ blood sacrifices are contrasted with Jesus’ death on the cross: “Who does not need, as those high priests, to offer up daily sacrifices. . .for He did this once when He offered up Himself ” (Hebrews 7:27).
SO WHAT?
Though we don’t live under the rules of Leviticus, we still serve a holy God—and should treat Him as such.
DAY 34
LEVITICUS 1–4
Rules for the Levites, Israel’s priests and helpers, are laid out. Various offerings to God—the burnt, peace, and sin offerings—are explained.
DAY 35
LEVITICUS 5–7
Trespass offerings, covering a wide range of sinful behaviors, are explained.
DAY 36
LEVITICUS 8–10
Israel’s priests are set apart and begin their duties. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu lose their lives for breaking the laws on offerings to God.
DAY 37
LEVITICUS 11–12
God describes the types of food the Israelites may eat (“clean”) and that must be avoided (“unclean”) and the laws concerning the birth of a child and the mother’s purification.
DAY 38
LEVITICUS 13:1–14:32
God lays out rules for dealing with “leprosy,” a term describing various skin diseases.
DAY 39
LEVITICUS 14:33–15:33
God describes how people and houses can be cleansed, physically and ceremonially, from skin diseases.
DAY 40
LEVITICUS 16–17
Rules are provided for Israel’s annual Day of Atonement. Atonement—paying for sin—is only accomplished by the shedding of innocent blood.
DAY 41
LEVITICUS 18–20
The Israelites are commanded to be pure in heart and body, to avoid false worship, and to “be holy to” God.
DAY 42
LEVITICUS 21–23
Priests are commanded to maintain a high level of purity, staying away from anything that would lead to sin.
DAY 43
LEVITICUS 24–25
Various rules demand payback for crimes, the death penalty for blaspheming God, and an agricultural “sabbath” every seventh year, when the land is allowed to rest.
DAY 44
LEVITICUS 26–27
God promises blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience. And He predicts a time when Israel will be scattered from the Promised Land.
KNOW YOUR BIBLE MEN
NOAH
FAITHFUL UNDER PRESSURE
By faith Noah, being warned by God of things not yet seen, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house. Hebrews 11:7
Everyone wants to fit in. You can feel it—at school, on the team, even at church, people are secretly afraid of being left out. No one wants to sit alone in the lunchroom. No one wants to be singled out as weird. When our fear of being left out becomes overwhelming, we’re tempted to give in to peer pressure. We might compromise who we are in order to be accepted. The pressure to fit in must have been enormous for Noah. Humankind had been overcome with wickedness (Genesis 6:5, 11). Yet Noah—and his family—remained faithful. Then God asked Noah to build an enormous boat called an “ark.” It was a massive project that likely took years to complete. Imagine how Noah’s neighbors must have ridiculed him: Why are you building a giant, worthless boat on dry land? But Noah obeyed God (Genesis 6:22).
The people around Noah made God angry enough to destroy them. Your peers will not upset God to that point. But they may pressure you to destroy yourself. Others may push you to make choices you know are wrong, even just “little compromises” that will erode your identity as a follower of Jesus.
Stand fast against that peer pressure. Have faith, as Noah did, in God’s ways. Even if that means you’re sometimes left out, a life spent walking with God is far better than anything anyone else could offer.
Lord God, help me to stand fast against peer pressure. Thank You for always giving me a place to belong. Help me to share Your goodness with others.
AUTHOR
NUMBERS
Not stated but traditionally attributed to Moses.
DATE
Approximately 1400 BC.
IN TEN WORDS OR LESS
Faithless Israelites wander forty years in the wilderness of Sinai.
DETAILS, PLEASE
Numbers begins with a census—hence the book’s name. Fourteen months after the Israelites escape Egypt, they number 603,550 men, not including the Levites. This mass of people, the newly formed nation of Israel, begins a march of approximately two hundred miles to the “promised land” of Canaan—a journey that will take decades to complete. The delay is God’s punishment of the people, who complain about food and water, rebel against Moses, and hesitate to enter Canaan because of powerful people already living there. God decrees that this entire generation (except Joshua and Caleb) will die in the wilderness, leaving the Promised Land to a new generation of more obedient Israelites.
QUOTABLE
• “The Lord is longsuffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression.” (14:18)
UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL
Even Moses misses out on the Promised Land, punishment for disobeying God by striking, rather than speaking to, a rock from which water would miraculously appear (20:1–13).
SO WHAT?
God hates sin and punishes it. We can be thankful that Jesus took that punishment for us.
DAY 45
NUMBERS 1–2
Fourteen months after leaving Egypt, in the wilderness of Sinai, God tells Moses to count the Israelites. (That’s where the name Numbers comes from.)
DAY 46
NUMBERS 3–4
God claims the tribe of Levi as His tabernacle servants, with Aaron’s family as priests and other family lines managing the worship center itself.
DAY 47
NUMBERS 5–6
God commands His people to be pure and holy, and outlines a special level of separation, the Nazarite vow.
DAY 48
NUMBERS 7
The tabernacle is dedicated in a twelve-day celebration highlighted by the giving of gifts by the individual tribes.
DAY 49
NUMBERS 8–10
The people of Israel hold their first Passover dinner after leaving Egypt. Then the cloud of God’s presence leads them out of the Sinai wilderness.
DAY 50
NUMBERS 11–12
The people quickly complain about God’s manna and bring judgment on themselves; even Moses’ siblings Aaron and Miriam grumble against his leadership.
DAY 51
NUMBERS 13–14
Moses sends twelve spies to check out the Promised Land. Ten frighten the people with reports of giants. God says only the faithful spies Joshua and Caleb will enter Canaan.
DAY 52
NUMBERS 15–16
Doomed to forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites are still taught how to worship the Lord. The rebellion of Korah the Levite leads to thousands of deaths.
DAY 53
NUMBERS 17–19
Aaron’s staff—his walking stick—miraculously blossoms and produces almonds, proving that his family is God’s choice for priests.
DAY 54
NUMBERS 20–21
When they lack water, the people rebel. An angry Moses disobeys God and is banned from the Promised Land. The complaining Israelites, punished by poisonous snakes, are healed by looking to a brass serpent on a pole.
DAY 55
NUMBERS 22–24
An enemy king hires a non-Israelite prophet, Balaam, to curse God’s people; God turns the tables, causing Balaam to bless them instead.
DAY 56
NUMBERS 25–27
God calls for another census of Israel, numbering the younger people who will enter Canaan after the older generation dies off. Joshua is named as leader after Moses.
DAY 57
NUMBERS 28–30
God tells Moses to remind the people of the various offerings and feasts to be observed once they arrive in Canaan.
DAY 58
NUMBERS 31–32
At God’s command, Israel goes to war against Midian. These people had earlier urged God’s children to commit sins like idolatry.
DAY 59
NUMBERS 33–34
The Israelites consider their past journey, then prepare to enter the Promised Land, with the leader of each tribe called to help to divide Canaan among the people.
DAY 60
NUMBERS 35–36
Israel’s worship leaders, the Levites, do not get their own territory but will spread out through Canaan in forty-eight “cities of refuge.”
