Psalms those sacred songs, poems, prayers from Israel: 'The Lord is my Shepherd' and 'I lift my eyes to the hills'.

Proverbs Concise, common sense often witty statements about wise, successful living.

Ecclesiastes is famous for its central theme of meaninglessness and: 'There is a time for everything . . . a time to be born and a time to die . . .'

Song of Songs is a song/poem about the wonder of sexual love. Many see it as a symbol of God's love for his people.

Abridged for the general listener in favour of the wealth of characters in the Old Testament, its poetry and its narrative. Such things as genealogies, instructions regarding certain rituals and some of the law had to give way to the stories and the poetry. Some of the stories are trimmed of some repeated details.