Skip to main content

The First Verse of Every Book

Learn chapter 1 verse 1 of all 66 books, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 1:1, each one hung on its book’s picture. It's free, and you don't need an account.

Choose your Number Pictures

Each verse takes its book’s picture. Either option works, and you can switch later.

Option A: Number Sounds

Each digit has a consonant sound, and each number’s picture is a word made from its sounds. If you forget a picture, you can rebuild it from the sounds.

Option B: Meaning Pictures

Each number’s picture comes from something everybody already knows about that number, so there is nothing to decode: the meaning is the hook.

How it works

Each verse takes the picture of its book’s number, and a story shows the picture doing something from the verse. Learn the verses group by group, in the same ten groups as the 66 Books: listen, picture it, then type the first letter of each word until you can say it from memory.

  1. Group 1: LawGenesis to Deuteronomy, 5 verses, then Teach It
  2. Group 2: HistoryJoshua to Esther, 12 verses, then Teach It
  3. Group 3: PoetryJob to Song of Solomon, 5 verses, then Teach It
  4. Group 4: Major ProphetsIsaiah to Daniel, 5 verses, then Teach It
  5. Group 5: Minor ProphetsHosea to Malachi, 12 verses, then Teach It
  6. Group 6: GospelsMatthew to John, 4 verses, then Teach It
  7. Group 7: ActsActs, 1 verse, then Teach It
  8. Group 8: Paul’s lettersRomans to Philemon, 13 verses, then Teach It
  9. Group 9: General lettersHebrews to Jude, 8 verses, then Teach It
  10. Group 10: RevelationRevelation, 1 verse, then Teach It

Then practise: say the verse for a number or a book, typing the first letter of each word, and name the book a verse begins. Type the first verses of 10 random books with no mistakes, and you earn the 66 First Verses badge.

New here? Learn the 66 Books in order first: each verse hangs on its book's place.

The 66 first verses

Chapter 1 verse 1 of every book, from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).

Law: Genesis to Deuteronomy, 5 verses
  1. 1Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
  2. 2Exodus 1:1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:
  3. 3Leviticus 1:1 Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying,
  4. 4Numbers 1:1 On the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites had come out of the land of Egypt, the LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Wilderness of Sinai. He said:
  5. 5Deuteronomy 1:1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel in the wilderness east of the Jordan—in the Arabah opposite Suph—between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
History: Joshua to Esther, 12 verses
  1. 6Joshua 1:1 Now after the death of His servant Moses, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying,
  2. 7Judges 1:1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”
  3. 8Ruth 1:1 In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man from Bethlehem in Judah, with his wife and two sons, went to reside in the land of Moab.
  4. 91 Samuel 1:1 Now there was a man named Elkanah who was from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
  5. 102 Samuel 1:1 After the death of Saul, David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.
  6. 111 Kings 1:1 Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.
  7. 122 Kings 1:1 After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
  8. 131 Chronicles 1:1 Adam, Seth, Enosh,
  9. 142 Chronicles 1:1 Now Solomon son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and highly exalted him.
  10. 15Ezra 1:1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
  11. 16Nehemiah 1:1 These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,
  12. 17Esther 1:1 This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.
Poetry: Job to Song of Solomon, 5 verses
  1. 18Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil.
  2. 19Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.
  3. 20Proverbs 1:1 These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel,
  4. 21Ecclesiastes 1:1 These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
  5. 22Song of Solomon 1:1 This is Solomon’s Song of Songs.
Major Prophets: Isaiah to Daniel, 5 verses
  1. 23Isaiah 1:1 This is the vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
  2. 24Jeremiah 1:1 These are the words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.
  3. 25Lamentations 1:1 How lonely lies the city, once so full of people! She who was great among the nations has become a widow. The princess of the provinces has become a slave.
  4. 26Ezekiel 1:1 In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was among the exiles by the River Kebar, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.
  5. 27Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
Minor Prophets: Hosea to Malachi, 12 verses
  1. 28Hosea 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel.
  2. 29Joel 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel:
  3. 30Amos 1:1 These are the words of Amos, who was among the sheepherders of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, in the days when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
  4. 31Obadiah 1:1 This is the vision of Obadiah: This is what the Lord GOD says about Edom—We have heard a message from the LORD; an envoy has been sent among the nations to say, “Rise up, and let us go to battle against her!”—
  5. 32Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying,
  6. 33Micah 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Micah the Moreshite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem:
  7. 34Nahum 1:1 This is the burden against Nineveh, the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:
  8. 35Habakkuk 1:1 This is the burden that Habakkuk the prophet received in a vision:
  9. 36Zephaniah 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:
  10. 37Haggai 1:1 In the second year of the reign of Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, stating
  11. 38Zechariah 1:1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying:
  12. 39Malachi 1:1 This is the burden of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi:
Gospels: Matthew to John, 4 verses
  1. 40Matthew 1:1 This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
  2. 41Mark 1:1 This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
  3. 42Luke 1:1 Many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
  4. 43John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Acts: Acts, 1 verse
  1. 44Acts 1:1 In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach,
Paul’s letters: Romans to Philemon, 13 verses
  1. 45Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God—
  2. 461 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
  3. 472 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:
  4. 48Galatians 1:1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead—
  5. 49Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
  6. 50Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
  7. 51Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
  8. 521 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
  9. 532 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
  10. 541 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
  11. 552 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
  12. 56Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness,
  13. 57Philemon 1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker,
General letters: Hebrews to Jude, 8 verses
  1. 58Hebrews 1:1 On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets.
  2. 59James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings.
  3. 601 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen
  4. 612 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
  5. 621 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.
  6. 632 John 1:1 The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I alone, but also all who know the truth—
  7. 643 John 1:1 The elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth:
  8. 65Jude 1:1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who are called, loved by God the Father, and kept in Jesus Christ:
Revelation: Revelation, 1 verse
  1. 66Revelation 1:1 This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,

Then keep going: Flashcards has more verses to memorise, one card at a time.