1    UNITED MONARCHY. Samuel acted as prophet in the time of Saul, around 1050 bc, anointing both Saul and David king.

2    NORTHERN KINGDOM. Elijah and Elisha prophesied in the 9th century bc. The 8th century prophets Amos and Hosea denounced the social injustices of Israel.

3    SOUTHERN KINGDOM. Isaiah son of Amoz spoke in Jerusalem in the 8th century, Jeremiah and Zephaniah in the 7th. They warned that God would judge the faithless city. Micah spoke out against both north and south in the time of Isaiah.

4    NINEVEH. (Capital of the Assyrian Empire) The book of Jonah is about a message of doom preached to Nineveh, and its repentance. Nahum celebrated the destruction of the city by the Babylonians in 61 bc.

5    BABYLON. (Capital of the Babylonian Empire) Habakkuk, at the end of the 7th century bc, asked why God had allowed this cruel empire to succeed. Ezekiel, exiled in Babylonia in the 6th century bc, spoke to his fellow-prisoners about their future return to Israel. Daniel was in exile at the same time.

6    EDOM. Obadiah foretold of the doom of Edom after this country had taken advantage of Judah at the fall of Jerusalem in 58 bc.

7    AFTER THE EXILE. Joel (5th or 4th century bc) promised hope after a plague of locusts. Haggai and Zechariah spurred the returned exiles to rebuild the Jerusalem temple around 520 bc. Malachi in the 5th century bc called Israel to be faithful as God's people.