Great Bible stories

The stories everybody meets first: an ark on the water, a sea standing open, a boy with a sling, a father running down a road. Each one is painted here and told in the verses that carry it, with the commentary on that passage underneath.

The Old Testament

7 Seven, from the flood to the great fish — Genesis, Exodus, Samuel, Daniel and Jonah.

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  Noah’s Ark

  Genesis 8:1–9:17 The flood goes down, the door opens, and a bow is set in the cloud.
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  Abraham and Isaac

  Genesis 22:1–19 The wood is laid on the altar, and a ram is caught in the thicket.
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  Joseph and his brothers

  Genesis 45:1–15 The brother they sold tells them who he is, and weeps.
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  Moses and the Red Sea

  Exodus 14:15–31 The sea divides, and Israel walks out of Egypt on dry ground.
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  David and Goliath

  1 Samuel 17:32–51 A shepherd goes out with a sling against a champion in armour.
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  Daniel in the lions’ den

  Daniel 6:10–23 A man who would not stop praying, and a night among lions.
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  Jonah and the great fish

  Jonah 1:17–2:10 Three days in the deep, and a prayer answered on dry land.

The Gospels

5 Five: a morning at a tomb, a night on the lake, a hillside supper, and two of the parables Jesus told.

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  Resurrection morning

  Matthew 28:1–10 The stone is rolled away at first light, and the tomb is empty.
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  Jesus calms the storm

  Mark 4:35–41 A squall on the lake, a word from the boat, and a great calm.
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  The Good Samaritan

  Luke 10:25–37 The one who stopped, after two others had walked past.
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  The Prodigal Son

  Luke 15:11–32 A son comes home rehearsing a speech, and is met before he finishes it.
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  Feeding the five thousand

  John 6:1–13 Five loaves and two fish, and twelve baskets left over.