I tried reading The Bible from cover-to-cover several times but I always quit. When I succeeded it was because I read whatever book interested me at the time, marked it off, and repeated the process until I’d read everything. It goes without saying that I will have to read it again a couple of more times to get a better understanding but reading it in it’s entiriety once is a start.

I did it two ways. The one I enjoyed the most was an organized “Read the Bible in one year” Bible..

The other way was straight from beginning to end… :D

Good luck… Inch by inch it’s a cinch!! You can do it & you’ll be so proud of your accomplishment too!!

~M

Read it along with a study guide or study guides for different perspectives and interpretations as that will help you out. Hope that points you in the right direction!

I am on my 7th journey though the bible. I drive a truck and went though the first couple times using audio books. After that, I have used the cover to cover methodology. My current journey is targeted by going though specific stories.

I tried starting in the Old Testament and it was too difficult. I suggest starting with the New Testament and then get into the Old. A good Bible with interesting footnotes might help make historical and other connections!!

Good luck :)

I tried to read the bible many times. Each and every time I would try, I would fall asleep. I always started with Genesis, and fell asleep when I got to the genealogies. I told my problem to a co-worker who suggested that I start with the book of John, and ask God to help me understand it. He told me that John was written to Gentiles, and that the other gospels were written to show a different aspect of Jesus’s ministry. The best preacher/teacher that I know of is Joseph Prince. His understanding, and depth of knowledge into the context of the times, and the original languages is astounding, refreshing, and enlightening. You can watch broadcasts from his website www.josephprince.org

There are a tons of commentaries available, but it’s a double edged sword because they will definitely color your opinion of the Bible. It’s like a Rorschach test. If someone tells you the ink blot is a butterfly, you will have a hard time seeing it as anything else.

My big recommendation is don’t try to understand it all or appreciate it all the first time through. Accept that you’re going to miss a lot of it. Do a scan, highlight what you would like to go back and study in the future. Once you take that pressure off yourself, you’ll be able to go through it a lot faster. You’re better off reading 100% of the Bible and missing 50% of it, than reading 0% of the Bible.

I used The Great Adventure Bible Series on Salvation History to start with. It is a Catholic-based study, but many Protestants also take the course as it is so well put together and easy to follow from the historic context. Here is a link to a summary of the 90 day plan…it doesn’t hit everything, but enough to get a sense of the flow. There are other charts at show what books you should read in parallel with some of the main ones, but this list gives the main thread.

http://biblestudyforcatholics.com/download/get/51

I will see if I can find the timeline itself online…

You could read the bible from cover to cover and take notes on anything that interest you. This is probably not the best way though :D

I suggest attending a Jewish torah or bible study class which works with both the original Hebrew and then English translations. Every translation is an interpretation. If you work with several translations plus a rabbi competent with the Hebrew, you will get a good perspective on the Hebrew is, and how it can be understood as an English speaker.