In the first part, Jean-Pierre Prevost brings out the main features of the biblical books and takes account of the deep affinities between the message of the prophets and the message of Jesus -- who clearly saw himself within the same tradition as a messenger for the people of Israel.

The second part of How to Read the Prophets is devoted to the words of the great prophets themselves: Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the prophets known as "the prophets of the return" -- those such as Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, who accompanied and guided the people of Israel when they returned to their land after the Babylonian exile. Finally, Prevost examines that most puzzling of prophets, Jonah -- who in spite of his best efforts also became the mouthpiece of God -- as well as women such as Miriam, Deborah, Isaiah's wife, Huldah, and Noadiah, who also speak out in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Always more than just an analysis of the texts, How to Read the Prophets goes to the heart of what each prophet proclaimed and uncovers how urgent those messages were to the prophet's contemporaries and how much they resonate for us today.