The Holy Bible is one book that is full of stories that you can share with your little one. The Bible is a book that is full of faith and wisdom. It is where we can find the word of God, and in its stories, we can find His teachings as well as feel His incredible love for all of us.
The Bible is truly a book that many parents wish to share with their children. If you are seeking a way to introduce your precious little one to the word of God, these Old Testament stories will be a wonderful way to do so. These 13 short and interesting Old Testament stories are simple and full of wonder and will help your child to learn God’s word and understand how much He loves us.
With these Old Testament stories, you and your little one can enjoy God’s word together through beautiful, amazing tales of faithfulness, courage, and devotion to God and his will.
Old Testament Stories For Kids
Read, enjoy, and take to heart these 15 short and interesting Old Testament stories for kids together with your little one.
1. God Made The World In Seven Days
(Taken from Genesis 1 & 2)
Have you ever wondered about how everything in the entire universe came to be?
In the beginning, there was nothing. There was no Earth, no sun, no moon. In every space and in every place, there was nothing but darkness. But even amidst all the darkness, God was there.
God had a plan, and He put His plan into motion.
On the first day, God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light, across all of space, shining His love.
On the second day, God created the heavens and the earth, with the wide, open sky in between. There was now night and day, heaven and earth.
On the third day, God made the seas. He called for the land to come rising up from the water. God said, “Let there be trees. Let there be plants.” And the earth started to grow living things.
On the fourth day, God made the stars to give light to the earth at night. He made the sunshine during the day, and the moon shines during the night.
On the fifth day, God said, “Let the sea fill with fish. Let the sky fill with birds.” He made animals walk, crawl, swim, fly, and swing from high above.
On the sixth day, God made a man and a woman in His image, so they would be like Him. Of all His creations, it was the people who were going to be in charge and look after all of them.
On the seventh day, God was finished. It was a day of rest. He blessed the seventh day. And the man and the woman began to awake. They were Adam And Eve, and they opened their eyes to the beauty of God’s creation.
2. Adam And Eve
(Taken from Genesis 2:8 – 3:24)
Adam And Eve lived in the Garden Of Eden. They were free to do what they want, and eat what they wanted. God only had one commandment: “No eating from the tree at the middle of the garden.”
Because God forbade it, Adam And Eve became curious. A serpent came and tempted Eve into taking a bite from the fruit of the forbidden tree. Adam ate it too.
God was sad because they disobeyed Him. He told Adam And Eve that they had to leave the garden, and from now on would have to work for their food.
Even though they disobeyed God, He loved Adam And Eve very much. And He would continue to watch over them and love them.
3. Cain and Abel
(Taken from Genesis 4:1-17)
God continued to give beautiful gifts and surprises. Soon, Eve had a baby in her tummy! Baby Cain was born as a wonderful blessing from God. Another blessing soon followed, a second son named Abel.
Adam And Eve were so happy to have a family. God was so good to them.
Cain and Abel grew and grew. Like all kids, each of the brothers was special in their own way. Cain became a farmer, and Abel became a shepherd.
Abel always walked around with a smile and was always full of peaceful joy. Soon, Cain became worried, wondering if God loved Abel more than him. Cain got more and more jealous until one day, Cain killed Abel. Then he tried to hide what he did.
But God knew. God always knows what is in our hearts and in our minds. So He knew what Cain did. He sent Cain away to wander in the desert all by himself.
Cain was very sorry. He prayed and prayed to God. God was listening to Cain’s prayers. God said that He would look after Cain and keep him safe and that someday, Cain would have his own family.
4. Noah’s Ark
(Taken from Genesis 6 – 9)
As time passed, families began to grow. There were more people, and they moved to new lands. But the more people there were and the farther they went off to, the more they began to forget about God. They weren’t listening to Him anymore.
There was one man who was different. That man was named Noah. Noah loved God with his entire heart and always listened to Him. So when God told Noah to build a big boat, he did. When God told him to fill the boat with animals, two of each, he did. When God told him that his family should go in the boat with the animals, he and his family did.
God then shut the big boat’s door. And he began to make it rain.
It rained and rained and rained. For 40 days and 40 nights straight, the rain fell and water-filled the earth. There was no ground left. The mountains could no longer be seen.
After 40 days and nights, God made the rain stop. Noah peeked out and saw that the boat was floating on a vast, open sea. There was nothing else left. He sent a bird to fly out and see if there was a place to dock the boat. There was none. He tried again, and this time the bird came back with a green leaf on its beak. It had found land!
The boat landed on a rock. The water got lower and lower. And God said, “It is time.”
The doors of Noah’s boat opened. Noah, Noah’s family, and the animals all stepped out to dry land – and into a world that was wonderful and new.
Noah was grateful to God. He looked up to the sky and saw something he had never seen before: A rainbow! God said to him, “This is a rainbow. I made it so everyone would know this promise, that I shall never flood the earth again.”
5. The Tower Of Babel
(Taken from Genesis 11:1-9)
The people wanted to build a tower. They wanted to make it so high that it would reach the heavens. One brick, two bricks, three bricks, four bricks. Up they went.
God saw what was going on, and He did not like it. He knew just how to stop them.
As they were building, the people suddenly stopped. All of a sudden, they couldn’t understand each other anymore. Each one was speaking a different language! No one could understand. No one could talk to each other. No one could build.
So they stopped building, and they went home.
6. God’s Promise To Abraham
(Taken from Genesis 12:1-9, 15:1-6)
Abraham and Sarah loved God with all their hearts. They trusted Him completely. When God told them that they had to leave their home and their family behind, they obeyed Him. They knew that God would take care of them.
They no longer had a house and lived in a tent among people they did not know. Abraham and Sarah thought it would be wonderful if they had a house and a child. But they knew that God was taking care of them, and they were happy. That made God happy, too.
One night, Abraham was looking at the stars in the sky. Then, he heard God speak. “Do you see all these stars? One day, your family will be as many as these stars.” Abraham did not have a child yet, but he believed in God and trusted Him. And God blessed Abraham and Sarah.
7. Joseph The Dreamer
(Taken from Genesis 37 – 45)
Abraham had a son called Isaac. Isaac had a son called Jacob. Jacob had 12 sons. The second to the youngest one was named Joseph.
One day, Jacob gave Joseph a beautiful coat that had many colors. Joseph saw that his father loved him very much. When his brothers saw his coat, they became angry and jealous.
One day, Joseph woke up and told his family what he dreamt: “One day, you will all come and bow to me. I will be your ruler.” That made his brothers even angrier. So one day, they stuck him inside a pit. They heard some travelers passing by and gave Joseph to them. The travelers brought Joseph to Egypt.
Joseph was sad. But he trusted God. Joseph believed in God and knew that He would take care of him. And he was right! Soon, he got a job serving an important man.
But the lady of the house-made up a lie that got Joseph put into jail. Still, Joseph trusted God. He knew God was with him, and he decided to help others in jail with him. He told them about their dreams.
Once, the King had a dream that bothered him. No one could tell the King what his dream meant. The cupbearer spoke up and said someone in jail could help him.
Joseph was called to the King. He told the King, “Your dream means the land will dry up, so you need to save up food.” Thanks to Joseph’s help, the kingdom was able to prepare. The King was glad and put him in charge. And Joseph lived like a king from then on.
People came to the palace to ask for food — including his brothers! Joseph was so happy to see his family. He forgave them, and they stayed with him in Egypt, where he was like a King. His dream from way back had come true.
8. Moses And The Burning Bush
(Taken from Exodus 2 – 12)
When Moses was a baby, his mother decided to put him in a basket on the river to protect him from the wicked King. When his sister Miriam saw the princess at the river for her bath, she sent the basket towards the princess’ direction. The princess saw baby Moses and adopted him.
When Moses grew up, he did not like how mean the King was to the people of Israel. The King found out and didn’t want Moses around anymore, so Moses fled.
He was far from the King, in a new place, tending sheep peacefully. One day, while he was looking after his sheep, a bush suddenly burst into fire! God spoke to Moses and said he should go back and free the people of Israel. God told Moses, “I will be with you.”
Moses went back. He faced the King and told him to let his people go. But the King would not listen. He did not want to take orders from God. The King made the people suffer more. Moses told the King he would be punished. He gave the King one last warning, and when he did not listen, his son died. The King had enough and told Moses to leave and take the people of Isreal with him.
Moses fled with the people of Israel. God showed them the way. God heard their prayers and set them free! They were happy.
9. Moses And The Red Sea
(Taken from Exodus 14:5-22)
Moses and the people of Israel had fled Egypt. They were free. But one day, while camping by the seaside, they turned and saw that the King had sent his army to capture them all again!
Moses had faith. He prayed to God. He reached out his staff over the red sea, and it parted to make way for him and the Israelites to pass. They hurried to the other side, and then God told Moses to stretch out his staff again, and the sea closed upon the enemies and engulfed them.
God had kept them safe!
10. Samson And Delilah
(Taken from Judges 13 – 16)
An angel came and told a woman that she would have a son. The baby came, and she named him Samson. She did all that the angel told her to do. She raised Samson well, she took care of him, and most importantly, she made sure his hair was never cut. She obeyed all that she was told, and Samson was blessed. He grew to be big and strong.
One day, Samson went for a walk. He encountered a lion! Samson had no weapons, but he was not scared. He knew God was with him. He killed the lion with his bare hands! He had incredible strength, but he never bragged about it.
Samson’s enemies told his girlfriend Delilah to find out the secret to his strength. Samson told Delilah, “I must never cut my hair.” That evening, his hair was cut while he was sleeping. He was tricked and was no longer strong. And he was put in jail.
His enemies were gleeful. They wanted to laugh at the man they used to fear. So they made his guards take him to the arena in chains. What they did not know was that his hair had grown again. Samson prayed to God for one last chance to be strong. Then he pushed the pillars, and the entire arena collapsed!
11. David And Goliath
(Taken from 1 Samuel 16 – 17; 2 Samuel 5)
The prophet Samuel went to visit Jesse in Bethlehem. God had chosen one of Jesse’s sons to be King. Jesse called his big, strong sons. Samuel asked if those were his only sons, and Jesse said there was one more, David, but he was just a boy. Samuel called for David, and when he saw David, Samuel said, “He’s the one!” Samuel blessed David as the future King.
One day, Jesse told David to bring lunch to his older brothers. His brothers were soldiers, and David went to the battlefield. He heard a war cry ring out. David saw his brothers and the rest of the Israeli army, all terrified. The enemy had a giant named Goliath on their side!
David was not afraid. “With our trust in God, why should we be afraid?”
King Saul handed David armor, a sword, and a helmet. But they were all too heavy for the shepherd boy. So David took five stones, and with his slingshot in hand, David faced Goliath. Goliath growled at David. David picked up a stone, and, wielding his sling, he hit Goliath straight in the head! Goliath fell down. David won.
David grew up to be King. He asked God for help in all he did and in how he would rule. He was a king who obeyed and trusted God. God loved him. He blessed David. David’s family grew bigger; his army became stronger. His people trusted him because they knew he would do what was fair and what was right. King David ruled a mighty land, and there was no king more beloved than he was.
12. Daniel And The Lion’s Den
(Taken from Daniel 1, 5, 6)
Nebuchadnezzar was the enemy’s King. He was taking God’s people captive. He wanted the best and the smartest of the young men to be working for him.
Daniel and his friends loved God and obeyed God. That made them the smartest and the healthiest of all. The King picked them to serve over at his palace.
One night, the King was having a feast. God came to visit him. Writing appeared on the wall! King Nebuchadnezzar was very scared. He called for Daniel because Daniel would be able to tell him what the letters meant. Daniel told him that the news wasn’t good, and God was angry. God said that the King was busy having fun and was not being good. So God was going to punish him.
The King made a new rule. For one month, the people could not pray to God. They could only pray to King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was not going to obey that rule. Daniel would only pray to God. The King loved Daniel, but because rules were rules, he had to throw Daniel into the lion’s den to punish him.
Daniel was not afraid. He trusted God. God shut the lions’ mouths and kept Daniel unharmed. When the King went to check in on Daniel, he saw that Daniel was safe. He knew God had protected Daniel. The King said, “Let us pray to the one true King!”
13. Jonah and the Whale
(Taken from Jonah 1 – 2)
God came to Jonah. He asked Jonah for help. He told Jonah to head towards a city and tell the people there to stop doing bad things and to start worshipping God. But Jonah was scared. So he ran away.
Jonah tried really hard to get as far away as possible. He wanted to hide from God because he was afraid to do what God was asking him to do. Jonah began to sail across the sea and head for a land that was very, very far away.
But God knew exactly where Jonah was. He sent a mighty storm Jonah’s way, and the waters were getting dangerous because of it. The sailors who were on the boat with Jonah were scared. Jonah asked the sailors to throw him out into the water. The sailors threw Jonah out, and the waters became quiet and safe again.
Jonah was in the water. A whale came up to him, and it swallowed Jonah whole!
While he was inside the whale, Jonah prayed to God. He told God that he was wrong for trying to run away and hide. He asked for God’s forgiveness and said he would obey Him. God heard Jonah, and He had the whale spit Jonah out.
Jonah then went to the city God had told him to go. In this city, the people did now know God. Jonah told them all to stop doing bad things and to believe in God. The people and the ruler of the city listened to Jonah. They believed in God, and they were saved.
14. The Birth of Jesus
(Taken from Matthew 1:18-25)
Now that Christmas is just a month away, are you already excited about the holiday? But wait, before you make plans for the celebration, do you know how baby Jesus was born? If not, do you want to hear that beautiful story?
Read on.
Joseph was the husband of Mary. When he found out that Mary was pregnant, he was not willing to stay with her anymore.
But the Lord’s angel appeared in his dream and said, “Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
It was night when Mary gave birth to her child. There were some shepherds nearby who were taking care of their sheep. And an angel appeared in front of them and shared some good news with him. He let the shepherds know that their savior was born. And it was the time they should go and visit him.
After some time, more angels appeared and helped the shepherds with the way to find their newborn prophet. Following the bright star in the night sky, they managed to reach Bethlehem, where baby Jesus was born.
Also, there were these three wise kings who went all the way to meet baby Jesus, who would be their savior. That is when the world rejoiced and celebrated to welcome their prophet. Hence, we celebrate the Christmas day.
15. Jesus Walks on Water
(Taken from Matthew 14)
Have you ever played a game where you throw rocks into the water and see if you can make them jump and float?
Well, I never succeed, no matter how many times I try. But I think you can guess what will happen if you try to walk in the water!
Now, let me tell you the story of Jesus when he walked on the water.
Once, Jesus went up to a mountainside so that he could pray peacefully. He asked his disciples to wait for him on a boat and dismissed them.
Suddenly, the wind started blowing, making the boat float to a distance. No matter how they tried to row the boat to where Jesus was, they failed.
They were concerned about Jesus and were thinking of ways they could get to their prophet as he was all alone on the mountainside. All of a sudden, they saw a man-like creature walking on the lake water.
This made them panic in fear as they thought it was a ghost. It is when Jesus replied, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
One of his disciples, Peter, asked him if he could come to him and take him to the boat. Jesus said, “Come,” and Peter started walking on the water too. But as soon as he got afraid seeing the wind, he started to sink and shouted, “Lord, save me!”
Jesus caught his hand immediately, saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
They got onto the boat safely. The disciples of Jesus said, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Conclusion
These Old Testament stories are full of God’s teachings and of His eternal love. Through these stories, your little one will learn how much God loves them, and they will know the importance of faithfulness and obedience.