The Old Testament is about the people of Israel, the law they were given, the prophets and the psalms. The New Testament is about Jesus and the first Christians. The word “testament” means “covenant” here, a binding agreement.
They belong together
The New Testament quotes and keeps pointing back to the Old. Christians often read the Old in the light of Jesus. Jewish tradition reads the Hebrew Bible on its own terms, and that is an important difference to know about.
Old does not mean outdated
The Old Testament makes up two thirds of the Bible, and many of the best-known texts are there: creation, Moses, the Psalms, Isaiah. Without it, much of what Jesus says is harder to understand.
Read them together
Try reading Isaiah 53 together with the story of Jesus’ suffering, or Genesis 22 together with Hebrews 11. The cross references on each verse show where the two parts speak to each other.