Have you ever decided to read the whole Bible through and given up at Noah’s ark? You and me, both. Many of us have heard of “read the Bible in a year” plans, and have been encouraged to do so by well meaning church leaders. If reading straight through the Bible hasn’t worked out for you, here are 3 alternative ways to read the whole Bible. At the end; we’ll go over some extra tips to help you achieve your Bible-reading goal!
1. Read in the traditional Hebrew Arrangement: TaNaKh
Did you know that our contemporary Christian Bibles have the Old Testament books in a completely different order from the traditional and current Jewish arrangement? Current English translations group the old testament books by genre. The Hebrew arrangement groups three categories of books: the Torah (teaching), Prophets, and Writings. You may have seen this abbreviation before: “TaNaKh.” Ta; Torah, meaning “teaching.” Na; Nevi’im, meaning “prophets.” Kh; Ketuvim, meaning “writings.” (The Old Testament, Richard S. Hess).
| Torah | Nevi’im | Ketuvim |
| Genesis | Joshua | Job |
| Exodus | Judges | Psalms |
| Leviticus | 1-2 Samuel | Proverbs |
| Numbers | 1-2 Kings | Ruth |
| Deuteronomy | Isaiah | Esther |
| Jeremiah | Lamentations | |
| Ezekiel | Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) | |
| (The Twelve): Amos | Ecclesiastes | |
| Obadiah | Daniel | |
| Jonah | Ezra-Nehemiah | |
| Micah | 1-2 Chronicles | |
| Nahum | ||
| Habakkuk | ||
| Zephaniah | ||
| Haggai | ||
| Zechariah | ||
| Malachi |
Why read in this order? Personally, I find the tradition appealing. I want to know the story line that the Jewish people see when they read through the Hebrew Bible in this order! Also, it helpfully places the prophets directly after 1-2 Kings. Many of these prophecies took place during the events of 1 and 2 Kings, so you will (hopefully) have those events fresh in your mind.
After you have read the Old Testament in the TaNaKh order (or simultaneously), you can read the New Testament in the traditional order or whatever order you like. Our current English translations have the New testament arranged by Gospel accounts (eyewitness stories of Jesus’ ministry), Acts (the formation of the church after Jesus ascended), the Epistles (letters to churches), and the final prophecy, Revelation. A lot of the lesser known New Testament books still have incredible truth and teaching – I’m excited for what you’ll learn!
2. Use a Chronological Bible or Chronological Bible reading plan.
Thanks to the invention of chronological Bibles and chronological reading plans, now you can read all the stories in the Bible in the order they happened! This may be a great option if you have difficulty connecting all the dots across the books of the bible, or if you just like reading things in order. Think of a chronological Bible like this: someone rolled out the whole Bible on a very long scroll, and then cut out all the different chapters and rearranged them in the order that everything happened.
This isn’t what they actually did, but hopefully that gives you a good idea. In a Chronological Bible, you’ll find all those prophecies in the Nevi’im right alongside the events in 1-2 Kings, and you’ll find the Psalms King David wrote right there amid the story of his life. If you’re not overly concerned with literature analysis in scripture reading, the Chronological Bible could simplify the 66 books of the Bible for you. That may just help you reach your goal of reading the whole Bible.
Alternatively, a chronological reading plan tells you you which chapters and verses to read so you don’t have to buy a Bible that is specifically chronological. Here are a couple options for chronological Bible reading plans from YouVersion and Ligonier. I have not personally used their plans, but I have had good experiences with their other content.
3. Read in whatever order you like and track with a chart or app.
You are free to throw out all the Bible-reading plans and read in whatever order you choose! This way you can “draw near to God” as you prayerfully choose which book to read next each time. Reading in your own order also allows you to keep yourself refreshed by going back and forth between the Old and New Testaments. Taking a break from dense literature (think Leviticus) by reading lighter literature (think Psalms or Ephesians) can help you stay motivated to complete your Bible reading goal.
The trick to making random-order-Bible-reading work is to use a Bible reading tracking app or chart of some sort. Aim for 3 chapters a day Monday-Friday and 5 chapters a day on the weekends to complete your reading in one year. Adjust those numbers lower or higher to fit your timeline. This has become my favorite way to read the whole Bible. It is so satisfying each time you check off your daily chapters!
These Bible Reading Chart apps are very similar to the one I used the first time I read my whole bible through:
- Google Play – Bible Reading Chart app by Alacran Software
- App Store – Daily Soul Bread: A simple Bible reading checker
Do you know how you want to read the whole Bible through now? Here are some additional tips to help you accomplish your goal:
Read strategically to help you reach your goal
If you ever find yourself stuck in your reading plan, simply change it up a little bit. There’s no point in rigidly adhering to your plan if it ultimately throws you off it all together. If you’ve been slogging through 1-2 Chronicles and just can’t take it anymore, go ahead and skip to another book or take a turn in the New Testament. Just make sure to mark where you left off so you can come back to it later.
Choose a timeline that works for you.
A Bible school professor told my class about an Indian man who was so hungry for scripture after becoming saved that he read the whole bible in 3 months and started right over. While his hunger for Jesus is beautiful, there is no rule that says you must read your bible so quickly or even within one year. It is completely fine to set your goal for what works best for you. You could go for 18 months or 2 years or even more if you know that’s what it will take.
Aim for a timeframe that is realistic for your schedule but also short enough that you won’t lose sight of your goal and give up. However long you choose to set your goal, use a tracking app or chart to help you keep tabs on where you are and how far you have to go. You’ll get an extra boost of enthusiasm each time you check off the chapters you have read!
Keep paying attention for the Holy Spirit’s guidance when you read
Keep working toward your goal to read the whole Bible. However, make sure you listen for the Holy Spirit, too. Sometimes God may have another passage for you to read than what will naturally come up in your reading plan. And of course, pay attention to see all the ways he speaks to you when you need it through what does come along in your Bible reading plan.
Record which Chapters & Verses you read in your journal
You can take some time to write a reading response in your journal, or you can just leave it at the scripture references. Writing about your Bible reading leaves a record of what you read related to what is going on in your life at the time. It may be fun to look back and see what God was doing alongside your Bible reading.
For more tips to help you read the entire Bible, check out this post I wrote about reading the Bible daily.!
Conclusion
Alright, that was 3 Ways to Read the Whole bible! I hope you learned something useful. The three ways are:
- Read in the traditional Hebrew arrangement, the TaNaKh
- Read a chronological Bible or use a chronological bible reading plan
- Read in whatever order you like and track with a chart or app!
And the extra tips for accomplishing your entire-bible reading goal are:
- Read strategically to help you reach your goal
- Choose a timeframe that works for you.
- Keep paying attention for the Holy Spirit’s guidance about what to read
- Record which Chapters & Verses you read.
Thank you SO MUCH for being here and reading this. I really hope it helps you out on your bible reading journey. Make sure to join my email list if you’d like to know as soon as my next post is available.
Let me know down below, have you ever read the whole Bible? How did you do it? What tips do you have to share with anyone who is trying to read the whole Bible for the first time?
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
-Almost a Walrus
