The books of Apocrypha (Deuterocanonical books) are included in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles but generally omitted from Protestant Bibles.
1. Tobit: A righteous, blinded Jewish exile and his son Tobias are guided by the disguised archangel Raphael on a journey of healing, marriage, and spiritual deliverance.
2. Judith: A courageous and pious Jewish widow saves her besieged city from destruction by charming and then decapitating the invading Assyrian general, Holofernes.
Esther (Additions): Six additional sections insert explicit prayers, royal decrees, and vivid dreams into the Greek version of Esther to highlight God's direct intervention in saving the Jews.
3. 1 Maccabees: A detailed historical account chronicles the heroic Jewish revolt led by Judas Maccabeus and his brothers against the oppressive Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
4. 2 Maccabees: A theological retelling of the Maccabean revolt focuses heavily on religious martyrdom, temple purification, and the theological belief in the resurrection of the dead.
Wisdom of Solomon: A poetic text written in the voice of Solomon extols the eternal nature of divine wisdom, warns wicked rulers, and comforts righteous sufferers with the promise of immortality.
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus): A massive, comprehensive compendium of practical ethical advice and traditional Jewish wisdom covering family life, friendship, finances, and public conduct.
Baruch: Writing in the name of Jeremiah's scribe, this book features a collective confession of sin by exiles, a poem praising divine wisdom, and a message of comfort for Jerusalem.
Letter of Jeremiah: A scathing, sarcastic polemic addressed to Jewish captives warns them against worshiping the helpless, hand-made wooden and silver idols of Babylon.
1 Esdras: A Greek retelling of the end of 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah features an added legendary debate among three royal bodyguards over what force is strongest in the world.
2 Esdras: A profound apocalyptic work wrestles with the problem of suffering, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the ultimate justice of God through a series of seven angelic visions.
Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children: A beautiful prayer of confession and a cosmic hymn of praise are sung by Daniel’s three friends as they stand inside the fiery Babylonian furnace.
Susanna: Daniel demonstrates his youthful wisdom by cleverly cross-examining two corrupt elders to prove the innocence of a virtuous woman falsely accused of adultery.
Bel and the Dragon: Daniel uses logic and physical evidence to expose the trickery of Babylonian priests and destroy a worshipped dragon, proving their idols are completely lifeless.
Prayer of Manasseh: A deeply moving, poetic penitential prayer spoken by a wicked king of Judah who repents of his idolatry while in captive chains.
3 Maccabees: A historical romance recounts how Egyptian Jews are miraculously saved by angels from being trampled by intoxicated war elephants under King Ptolemy IV.
4 Maccabees: A philosophical discourse uses the gruesome martyrdoms of the Maccabean era to argue that devout religious reason can completely conquer human passions and pain.
Psalm 151: A short, autobiographical poem attributed to King David celebrates his small stature among his brothers and his victory over the giant Goliath.