The Translation we use now, called the
Authorized Version, was published in 1611. About 50 learned men were
appointed by King James 1st for the task.

We will now proceed to consider the contents of the Bible, first
remarking that the division into Chapters and verses does not date
back beyond the 13th century, that it rests on no authority, and
very often spoils the sense.

The Old Testament consists of 39 books, which may be thus
classified:--The Books of the Law; The Historical Books; The Holy
Writings, or Poetical Books; and the Prophetical Books.

_The Books of the Law_, five in number, were written by Moses, and
are called the Pentateuch; they are:--Genesis. Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

_The Historical Books_ are twelve. Where the name of the Author
differs from the name of the Book it is given in brackets,--Joshua,
Judges (Samuel?), Ruth (Samuel or Ezra), 1st and 2nd Samuel (Samuel,
Nathan, and Gad), 1st and 2nd Kings (Jeremiah), 1st and 2nd
Chronicles (Ezra?), Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (author not known).

_The Poetical Books_, or _Hagiographa_, consist of five books,--Job
(author not known), Psalms (by various authors, about half by
David), Proverbs (Solomon chiefly), Ecclesiastes (generally
attributed to Solomon), Song of Solomon, or Canticles.

_The Prophetical Books_ are divided into two classes, the Greater
Prophets and the Lesser Prophets. They are so called, not from any
superiority or inferiority, but from the extent of their writings.

_The Greater Prophets_ are four in number,--Isaiah, Jeremiah
(author of two books--his Prophecy and his Lamentations), Ezekiel,
Daniel.

_The Minor Prophets_ are twelve,--Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah,
Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

The ordinary reader of the Bible misses much from the fact that the
books are not grouped in any chronological order. In the following
table the books are placed so as to form a continuous history of
the Jews, while, by their side, are the names of those books which
should be read as commentaries on the period. The book of Job,
however, it is impossible to place. He seems to have been a shepherd
king, perhaps of the time of Abraham, but he was not of the Hebrew
nation. The two books of the Chronicles contain a summary of
history from the Creation down to the Restoration under Cyrus;
parts, however, may be read with other books. (_For Table_, _see
opposite page_.)

From the time