Also called the deuterocanonical books (Catholic) and the anagignoskomena, “the readable books” (Orthodox).
The Apocrypha are Old Testament books kept mostly in the Greek Septuagint, not the Hebrew Bible: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1–2 Maccabees, 1 Esdras and the Greek parts of Esther and Daniel. The 1611 King James Bible printed these, plus 2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh, between the Testaments. Catholics call seven, with the Greek parts, deuterocanonical.
14
Protestant 1611 entries in the King James Bible (we list 15)
7+
Catholic books, plus the Greek parts of Esther and Daniel
+4
Most Orthodox Bibles add 1 Esdras, 3 Maccabees, Manasseh, Psalm 151
Slow it down or speed it up (0.5x to 3x), make the print bigger, and follow each word as it is spoken. No account needed.
What no other site has, as far as we know
Free, with no sign-in. We know of no other site that puts all of this together.
173 of 173 chapters narrated
What you will hear
Tobit, chapter 1
King James Version Apocrypha · narrated
3 I Tobit have walked all the days of my life in the ways of truth and justice, and I did many almsdeeds to my brethren…
Each word lights up as it is spoken.
5,493
Greek verses, word by word
Every verse of 14 of these books in the original Greek, with Strong’s numbers on all 101,933 words.
See Tobit in Greekword by word185
chapters in a second narrated version
Hear Brenton’s 1851 Septuagint English, with the Greek words right under the text.
Hear Tobit in BrentonSeptuagint Englishabout 142
early-church passages on one verse
Open Tobit 12:9 and see which early Christians quoted or echoed it (counted November 6, 2026).
Open Tobit 12then tap verse 9142 · 234
witnesses · quotations
What the early Christians wrote about these books, gathered on one page, with an audio summary.
See what they wrotethe early-church pageOne row per book. “Protestant 1611” means printed in the Apocrypha section of the 1611 King James Bible; most Protestant Bibles today print none of them. Tap a book name to read and hear it.
In all three lists
Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch with the Letter of Jeremiah, 1–2 Maccabees, and the Greek parts of Esther and Daniel
1611 Protestant + Orthodox
1 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh (Catholic: appendix only)
1611 Protestant only
2 Esdras (Catholic and Slavonic: appendix)
Orthodox only
3 Maccabees and Psalm 151, with 4 Maccabees in an appendix
| Book | Protestant 1611 (Apocrypha) | Catholic (deuterocanonical) | Eastern Orthodox (readable books) | Ethiopian (Tewahedo) | Read, listen, Greek |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TobitTobias | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| Judith | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| Rest of EstherAdditions to EstherOur Greek page is the Septuagint form of Esther. | Yes“Rest of Esther” | Yesinside Esther | Yesinside Esther | Yes* | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| Wisdom of Solomon | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| Wisdom of SirachEcclesiasticus | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| Baruch | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| Letter of JeremiahEpistle of Jeremiah | Yesas Baruch 6 | Yesas Baruch 6 | Yesown book | Yes*with Baruch | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| Song of the Three Young MenPrayer of AzariahGreek Daniel 3. | Yes“Three Children” | Yesin Daniel 3 | Yesin Daniel 3 | Yes* | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| SusannaGreek DanielOpens as Greek Daniel “0”. | Yes | YesDaniel 13 | Yes | Yes* | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| Bel and the DragonGreek DanielOpens as Greek Daniel “13”. | Yes | YesDaniel 14 | Yes | Yes* | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| 1 Maccabees | Yes | Yes | Yes | NoMeqabyan are other books | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| 2 Maccabees | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| 1 EsdrasLatin Bible: 3 Esdras | Yes | Appendixas 3 Esdras | Yes | Yes“3 Ezra” | Listen (KJV)GreekBrenton audio |
| 2 EsdrasLatin Bible: 4 EsdrasOur Septuagint “2 Esdras” is Ezra–Nehemiah, a different book. | Yes | Appendixas 4 Esdras | AppendixSlavonic Bibles | Yes“Ezra Sutuel” | Listen (KJV)No Greek text |
| Prayer of ManassehFiled as 2 Chronicles 37. | Yes | Appendix | Yes | Yesin 2 Chronicles | Listen (KJV)No Greek textBrenton audio |
| Also in most Orthodox Bibles (not in the 1611 King James Bible) | |||||
| 3 Maccabees | No | No | Yes | No | Not in the KJVGreekBrenton audio |
| 4 Maccabees | No | No | Appendix | No | Not in the KJVGreekBrenton audio |
| Psalm 151 | No | No | Yes | Not covered by our source | Not in the KJVGreekBrenton audio |
✓ Yes = in that Bible○ Appendix = printed at the back, not counted as Scripture— No = not in itYes* = covered by “the entire Catholic deuterocanon” in our Ethiopian source, not listed by this name[6]
Sources: 1611 contents[1]; Article VI[2]; Trent, Session IV[3]; the 1592 Clementine Vulgate appendix[7]; Wikipedia, “Deuterocanonical books”[4]; the Orthodox Study Bible list[5]; Wikipedia, “Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon”[6]; 2 Esdras, Manasseh and Psalm 151[16]. Orthodox churches have no single closed list.
Other pages give 7, 12, 14, 15 or 16 books. All of them can be right. Three things change the number.
The 1611 Bible prints it as Baruch chapter 6, so it counts 14 entries.[1] We give it its own page, so our list has 15. Most Orthodox Bibles also count it on its own.[5]
Read the deuterocanonical books online, free, and hear every chapter narrated in the King James wording. Most books also open in Greek, word by word, and in Brenton’s Septuagint English with its own narration.
New to these books? Begin with a story.
A faithful family in exile, a long journey, and the angel Raphael. A good first book.
A widow trusts God and saves her besieged city from the general Holofernes.
Prayers, a dream and royal letters found in the Greek form of Esther.
Greek and Brenton open the Septuagint form of Esther; some additions are only partly there.
On the righteous, death and immortality, and the Wisdom of God.
The longest of these books: wise counsel for home, work, money, friendship and prayer.
Confession, wisdom and comfort, under the name of Jeremiah’s scribe.
One chapter warning the exiles against idols. The 1611 Bible prints it as Baruch 6.
The prayer and hymn of the three young men in the fiery furnace.
Greek and Brenton open as Greek Daniel, chapter 3.
One chapter
A faithful wife is falsely accused, and the young Daniel proves her innocent.
Brenton audio opens as Greek Daniel “chapter 0”.
One chapter
Daniel exposes the priests of the idol Bel and is kept safe in the lions’ den.
Brenton audio opens as Greek Daniel “chapter 13”.
One chapter
The Jewish revolt against King Antiochus IV, led by the Maccabee brothers.
The same struggle retold, with the mother and her seven martyred sons (chapter 7).
The return from exile retold, with the contest of the three young guards.
Ezra’s visions and his hard questions to God about suffering and the end.
The short prayer of a wicked king who repents.
No Greek study page. Brenton audio opens as 2 Chronicles 37 (Orthodox order).
One chapter
God delivers the Jews of Egypt from King Ptolemy IV. In most Orthodox Bibles.
Godly reason rules the passions, shown in the Maccabean martyrs. In an Orthodox appendix.
David’s short psalm about his youth and Goliath. In Orthodox Bibles.
Free tools in the reader, the same for every book on this page.
127 of 365 days
The Septuagint Bible in a Year reads from these books, and you can turn the Apocrypha on or off.
Open the plan13 cross references
Wisdom 2:12 points to Isaiah 53 and more, in the Septuagint reader.
Open Wisdom 225 + 26 verses
The Greek word for “alms” links its uses in Tobit and Sirach.
Strong’s G16540.5x–3x speed
Slow it down or speed it up, make the print bigger, or switch to dark mode.
Septuagint BibleiPhone app
The same books in our free iPhone app, The Historic Faith.
Get the appNo point-scoring. Each church as it speaks for itself, quoted from its own documents.
Protestant
From the Greek apokryphos, “hidden.”[15]
Luther’s 1534 Bible set these books apart in their own section, as useful and good to read but not equal to Scripture.[11] The 1611 King James Bible printed them between the Testaments.[1] The Church of England’s Article VI says the Church reads them
“for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine”
The Westminster Confession (1646) went further:
“The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture”
For Anabaptist readers: Do the Anabaptists use a broader canon?
Catholic
“Of the second canon,” a name first used in 1566.[4]
North African councils at Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) listed them among the Scriptures,[12] and the Council of Trent fixed the list on 8 April 1546:
“Tobias, Judith, Esther” … “Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus” … “Jeremias, with Baruch” … “two books of Machabees”
The 1592 Clementine Vulgate printed the Prayer of Manasseh and 3 and 4 Esdras in an appendix, outside the canon.[7]
Orthodox
“The readable books,” worthy of reading.[4]
Athanasius in 367 named Wisdom, Sirach, Esther, Judith and Tobit as books
“not indeed included in the Canon, but appointed by the Fathers to be read by those who newly join us”
The Synod of Jerusalem (1672) confirmed these books.[14] Most Orthodox Bibles add 1 Esdras, 3 Maccabees, the Prayer of Manasseh and Psalm 151, with 4 Maccabees in an appendix. There is no single closed list.[4][5]
Both views were heard
Jerome, about 398, said the Church reads Judith, Tobit and the books of Maccabees “for the edification of the people, not to give authority to doctrines of the Church.”[10] Augustine, in the same years, listed them among the canonical books.[4] Both views were heard in the Church for centuries after.
Ethiopian Orthodox: a wider canon
It holds the Catholic deuterocanon except 1 and 2 Maccabees, and adds Jubilees, the three books of Meqabyan (different books from Maccabees) and 1 Enoch; for Enoch, see Which Bibles include the Book of Enoch?[6]
Jubilees: not on our siteMeqabyan: not on our site
In their own words, from our free library (the 1885 Ante-Nicene Fathers wording). They often name these books loosely: Sirach as “Solomon,” Baruch as “Jeremiah,” Susanna as part of “Daniel.”
Tobit 4:10 · 12:9
“When you can do good, defer it not, because ‘alms delivers from death.’”
Judith
“The blessed Judith, when her city was besieged, asked of the elders permission to go forth into the camp of the strangers…”
Sirach 3:30
“As water extinguishes fire, so almsgiving quenches sin.”
Tobit 12:8–9
“Raphael the angel also witnesses the like, and exhorts that alms should be freely and liberally bestowed, saying, Prayer is good, with fasting and alms; because alms does deliver from death, and it purges away sins.”
Baruch 3:35–37
“But he says: This is our God; there shall none other be accounted of in comparison of Him. He has found out all the way of knowledge, and has given it unto Jacob His servant, and to Israel His beloved.”
Wisdom 2:23
“For, says the Book of Wisdom, God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of His own eternity.”
Tobit, read in church
“However, since the Churches use Tobias, you must know that even in the captivity some of the captives were rich and well to do.”
2 Maccabees 7
“hear how in the book of Maccabees, where the mother of seven martyrs exhorts her son to endure torture, this truth is confirmed”
More: what the early Christians wrote about these books · what they wrote about the deuterocanonical books · early-church commentary on any verse
Each date is tagged with the tradition it belongs to. Dates after AD 300 are later than the early church our site focuses on; they show how the lists took shape.
1st century Shared
Known in Jesus’ day
John 10:22: Jesus at the Feast of Dedication, which 1 Maccabees 4 tells the start of. 1 Maccabees 4
after 94 Jewish
Josephus counts 22 books
The Jewish historian counts “only twenty-two books” in the Hebrew Scriptures.[17]
about 96 Shared
Clement of Rome
1 Clement 55 retells “the blessed Judith.” Judith 1
about 170–200 Shared
Muratorian Fragment
Lists “the book of Wisdom, written by the friends of Solomon in his honour” (date debated).[19] Wisdom 1
367 Orthodox
Athanasius
Names Wisdom, Sirach, Esther, Judith and Tobit as books “to be read.”[9]
393 / 397 Catholic
Hippo and Carthage
African councils (canon 24) list Tobit, Judith and two books of Maccabees as Scripture.[12]
about 398 Shared
Jerome
The Church reads them “for the edification of the people.”[10]
1442 Catholic
Council of Florence
Gives the list that Trent later confirms.[13]
1534 Protestant
Luther’s Bible
Puts them in a separate section after the Old Testament.[11]
1546 Catholic
Council of Trent
Names them as Scripture on 8 April.[3]
1563 / 1571 Protestant
Article VI
Read “for example of life,” not to set doctrine.[2]
1611 Protestant
King James Bible
Prints 14 entries between the Testaments.[1] 1 Esdras 1
1644 / 1666 Protestant
Puritan England
Parliament bars reading them in church; KJVs are first bound without them.[11]
1646 Protestant
Westminster Confession
“not being of divine inspiration.”[8]
1672 Orthodox
Synod of Jerusalem
Confirms the books for the Orthodox churches.[14]
1826–27 Protestant
Bible societies
British and American societies stop paying for Bibles that include them.[11]
Each answer starts short. Beside it is the proof, with the source named, and a link to go deeper.
Both counts are right. The 1611 King James Bible printed 14 entries, with the Letter of Jeremiah as chapter 6 of Baruch; we list 15 because it has its own page. Catholics count 7 books plus the Greek parts of Esther and Daniel. Most Orthodox Bibles add 1 Esdras, 3 Maccabees, the Prayer of Manasseh and Psalm 151.
The three reasons the numbers differ (the Letter of Jeremiah, the parts of Esther and Daniel, and the Esdras names) are set out in Why the count is 7, 14, 15 or more.[1][2][3][4]
Mostly the name and the standing. Apocrypha (Greek apokryphos, “hidden”) is the Protestant name for books read but not counted as Scripture. Deuterocanonical (“second canon”) is the Catholic name for the seven books, plus the Greek parts of Esther and Daniel, that it holds as Scripture. The Orthodox say anagignoskomena, “the readable books.”
Three: 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh. The 1611 King James Bible printed all three between the Testaments. The 1592 Clementine Vulgate, the Catholic Latin Bible, printed them only in an appendix, as 3 Esdras, 4 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh, outside the canon.
Yes, most of it. The Catholic Old Testament includes Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and the Greek parts of Esther and Daniel. The Council of Trent named them on 8 April 1546. 1 and 2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh are not part of the Catholic canon.
Long before Trent, the African councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) listed “Tobit. Judith. Esther.” and “Macchabees, ij. books.” among the Scriptures,[12] and the Council of Florence (1442) gave the list that Trent later confirmed.[13] Trent’s own words are quoted under each tradition in its own words.[3]
Most Orthodox Bibles keep the Catholic list and add 1 Esdras, 3 Maccabees, the Prayer of Manasseh and Psalm 151, with 4 Maccabees in an appendix. The Orthodox call them the anagignoskomena, the “readable books.” There is no single closed list for every Orthodox church, so Bibles differ a little.
Yes. The 1611 King James Bible printed the Apocrypha as its own section between the Old and New Testaments: 14 entries, from 1 Esdras to 2 Maccabees. The Church of England read them “for example of life,” but not to establish doctrine. Our King James text is the standard 1769 edition, which is public domain.
The 1611 contents page lists the Apocrypha between Malachi and Matthew,[1] and Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles names the same books.[2] See the drawing under Why the count is 7, 14, 15 or more.
Slowly, not in one year. Protestants took the Hebrew Bible’s list as their Old Testament. Luther (1534) set these books apart as good to read but not equal to Scripture. Parliament barred reading them in church in 1644, King James Bibles without them were bound from 1666, and the big Bible societies stopped printing them in 1826–27.
So a date you may see online, such as 1885, comes too late. The books were not cut out in one year; they faded out of print over two centuries.[11]
It depends on the church. For Catholic and Orthodox Christians, yes: these books are in their Old Testament. For most Protestants, no: they are old and helpful books, but not Scripture. Some early teachers, such as Jerome, took a middle road, reading them in church without using them to prove doctrine.
“the Church reads Judith, Tobit, and the books of Maccabees, but does not admit them among the canonical Scriptures, so let it read these two volumes for the edification of the people, not to give authority to doctrines of the Church”
Augustine, writing in the same years, listed them among the canonical books.[4]
The New Testament never quotes these books word for word, but it knows them. John 10:22 puts Jesus in the temple at the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), whose start is told in 1 Maccabees 4. And Hebrews 11:35, “others were tortured, not accepting deliverance,” is widely read as pointing to the martyrs of 2 Maccabees 7.
“Moreover Judas and his brethren with the whole congregation of Israel ordained, that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year by the space of eight days”
“hear how in the book of Maccabees, where the mother of seven martyrs exhorts her son to endure torture, this truth is confirmed”
Yes, often, though not all in the same way. Polycarp, Clement of Rome, Cyprian and Origen quote Tobit, Judith, Wisdom and Sirach, and Origen says the churches used Tobit. Others had doubts, so we show both. They also named the books loosely: Sirach as “Solomon,” Baruch as “Jeremiah.”
Their own words, both sides, are under How the early Christians read these books, each linked to the 1885 wording in our library.
Most are. The Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament the early Christians used, carries them; 2 Esdras is the exception and survives in other languages. The great 4th- and 5th-century Greek Bibles, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus, each include several of them, though no two hold exactly the same set.
The Hebrew list was shorter. The Jewish historian Josephus, writing after AD 94, counted “only twenty-two books” in his people’s Scriptures.[17] The older idea that a “Council of Jamnia” closed that list is now widely doubted.[20]
See the Greek yourself. Every verse of 14 of these books is on our site in Greek, word by word, with Strong’s numbers: 5,493 verses and 101,933 Greek words.
Yes, free and with no sign-in. Every deuterocanonical book is here: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 and 2 Maccabees and the Greek parts of Esther and Daniel, in the King James wording with narrated audio, and in Brenton’s 1851 Septuagint English with the Greek word by word.
Start with a story. Tobit (14 chapters) and Judith (16 chapters) read like short, gripping accounts of faith. Then try 1 Maccabees for history and the Wisdom of Solomon for prayer and reflection. Each chapter has narrated audio, so you can listen while you follow the words.
Right here, with no sign-in. All 15 books, 173 chapters, are narrated in the King James Version Apocrypha (first printed 1611; our text is the standard 1769 edition, public domain), and each word lights up as it is spoken. For a second version, hear Brenton’s 1851 Septuagint English with the Greek under it.
Plain teaching on where these books came from, with audio and full transcripts.
Free course: The Bible: Exploring Facts and Myths (15 lessons).
Our own numbers (chapters, verses, Greek words, audio, early-church passages) were counted on our site and data on November 6, 2026. Canon facts and quotes come from the sources below.
Audio narrated by The Historic Faith (a computer voice, not a recording of a person). King James Version Apocrypha: first printed 1611; our text is the standard 1769 edition, public domain. Septuagint English: Sir Lancelot Brenton, 1851, public domain. Greek text word by word from Rahlfs (1935), via eliranwong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Early-church quotes from our library (1885 Ante-Nicene Fathers wording).
Keep going
Coming soon: One page for each book Why most Protestant Bibles dropped them The Orthodox books
