In short
- A good place to start reading the Bible is a Gospel: Mark is the shortest at 16 chapters, and John says plainly why it was written.
- The Bible is a library of books in many genres, so you do not have to read it from the first page to the last; many beginners who do stall in Leviticus.
- The Protestant Bible has 1,189 chapters, so reading it in a year takes about 3.3 chapters a day, while one chapter a day covers the New Testament in under nine months.
- A simple pattern makes any passage fruitful: read it slowly, reflect on one line, and answer with a short prayer.
- When you get stuck, change books, compare a second translation, or ask someone; the Bible itself shows a reader asking for help.
To start reading the Bible, begin with a Gospel rather than page one. Mark is the shortest and moves fastest; John is slower and more reflective. Read about one chapter a day, then continue with Luke and Acts, and add Genesis and the Psalms. Read slowly, think about one line, and pray briefly.
That is the short answer. The rest of this guide explains the reasons, so you can adjust the plan to your own life and tradition.
Where should a beginner start reading the Bible?
The Bible is a library, not a single book. It holds 66 books in Protestant editions and 73 in Catholic ones, written over many centuries: history, law, poetry, letters, prophecy, and four accounts of Jesus called Gospels. A library does not have to be read shelf by shelf.
The Gospels are the natural door, because the rest of the Bible is read in their light. Here are four starting points that work well for new readers.
| Start here | Length | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Mark | 16 chapters | The shortest Gospel. Brisk scenes, little commentary. Good if you want the story first. |
| John | 21 chapters | Long conversations and a clear purpose. Good if you want to know who Jesus is said to be. |
| Luke, then Acts | 24 + 28 chapters | One author, two volumes: the life of Jesus and the first decades of the church. |
| Genesis with the Psalms | 50 chapters, 150 psalms | The beginning of the story alongside the Bible's prayer book. |
Mark tells you in its first sentence what kind of book you are holding.
1The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
John waits until almost the last page to say why he wrote.
30Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; 31but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
A simple order that many people follow: Mark, then John, then Luke and Acts together. By then you will have read about ninety chapters, and you will know the central story well enough to go back to the beginning.
When you do go back, read Genesis for the story and a psalm a day for prayer. The Psalms have been the daily prayer of Jews and Christians for thousands of years, and they give you words on days when you have none.
Why not start at page one and read straight through?
Some people do, and enjoy it. Genesis is one of the great narratives of the Bible, and the first half of Exodus is hard to put down.
The trouble usually comes afterwards. The second half of Exodus gives detailed instructions for a tent of worship, and Leviticus is 27 chapters on sacrifices, purity, and priestly duties. These chapters matter. They shaped Israel's worship, and the New Testament, the Letter to the Hebrews above all, leans on them. But they were not written as an introduction, and many first-time readers stop there and conclude the Bible is not for them.
It is kinder to yourself to meet Leviticus later, when you know the story it serves. Starting with a Gospel is not skipping the Old Testament. It is choosing the order in which to read it.
Which translation should you read?
Read one you can understand without effort. For a first reading, a clear modern translation serves better than a famous but difficult one, and the best choice is often the translation your own church reads aloud, because you will hear it again on Sunday.
Catholic and Orthodox readers will want an edition that includes the books their churches read; why the lists differ is explained in why Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Bibles differ. For a comparison of the main English versions, see which Bible translation should I read.
Whatever you choose, it helps to have a second translation at hand for the verses that puzzle you. In Emmaus the whole Bible is free and works offline, and you can set two translations side by side for exactly that purpose.
How much should you read each day?
Start with one chapter a day, or less. The arithmetic of the whole Bible is useful mainly for showing that there is no hurry.
The Protestant Bible has 1,189 chapters: 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New. Divide 1,189 by 365 and you get about 3.3 chapters a day to finish in a year. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles are longer, because they include further Old Testament books, so a one-year plan asks a little more each day.
| Daily pace | What it covers |
|---|---|
| One short passage | A Gospel in a few months, with time to think |
| 1 chapter | The New Testament in under nine months |
| 1 chapter and 1 psalm | A Gospel and the prayer book together |
| 3 to 4 chapters | The whole Protestant Bible in one year |
Two things are worth knowing about chapters. They vary enormously in length, and they are not original to the text. The chapter divisions we use were made in the early thirteenth century and are credited to Stephen Langton; verse numbers came in the sixteenth century with the printer Robert Estienne. They are there to help you find your place. You may stop where the story stops.
For most beginners, a small pace kept for months does more than a large one kept for a week. If the question on your mind is how to keep going, building a daily Bible reading habit takes that up in detail.
How do you read so that it stays with you?
Reading the Bible is not like reading the news. The aim is not to get through it but to let it speak, and that takes a slightly slower pace and a simple pattern.
- Read. Read the passage once at an unhurried pace. If you can, read it aloud; for most of history Scripture was heard, not seen.
- Reflect. Read it again and notice one word or sentence that stays with you. Ask what it says about God, and what it says about the life you are living this week.
- Pray. Answer in your own words. Thanks, a question, a request, or a single honest sentence is enough.
- Carry. Take one phrase into the day. Write it down or repeat it on the way to work.
The whole pattern fits in five minutes. Christians have practised a fuller form of it for many centuries under the name lectio divina, which is worth learning once the short version feels natural.
One line from the longest psalm describes what this kind of reading is for. A lamp for the feet does not light the whole road, only the next step.
105Your word is a lamp to my feet,
and a light for my path.
What kinds of Bible reading plans are there?
A reading plan is a schedule that tells you what to read each day. You do not need one for your first Gospel, but a plan helps once you want to read more widely.
| Plan type | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Canonical | Genesis to Revelation in the printed order | Readers who like to see the whole shelf, book by book |
| Chronological | Rearranged in the rough order of events | Readers who know the outline and want the history to connect |
| Blended | Old Testament, New Testament, and a psalm each day | Most beginners; a hard chapter is always balanced by an easier one |
| Lectionary | The daily readings appointed by a church | Readers who want to read with their tradition and its calendar |
For a first full reading, a blended plan is the gentlest. On the day the Old Testament reading is a list of names, you still have a psalm and a paragraph of the Gospel.
If you belong to a church that follows a lectionary, the appointed daily readings are a plan already made, and they tie your reading at home to what you hear in worship.
What can you do when you get stuck?
Everyone gets stuck: at a genealogy, a law that seems strange, a violent chapter, a letter whose argument you cannot follow. Getting stuck is not a sign that you are reading badly.
The Bible has a scene about exactly this. An official from Ethiopia is reading the prophet Isaiah in his chariot when Philip comes alongside and asks a question.
30Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
31He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him.
The official's answer is honest, and nothing in the story blames him for it. Some practical ways through:
- Keep reading. The next chapter often explains the last. Mark the hard verse with a question and move on.
- Change genre. If a book has gone dry, read a psalm or a chapter of a Gospel for a few days, then return.
- Compare translations. A second version often clears up what one translator's wording made obscure.
- Follow a cross reference. Scripture explains Scripture, and a note pointing to another passage is often the fastest help.
- Ask someone. A pastor, a priest, a study group, or a friend who has read longer. The Bible was given to a community, and it has always been read in one.
- Begin again without apology. If a week goes by, open to today's reading, not to the backlog.
One last thing. You do not have to understand everything in order to be fed by something. Read the next chapter tomorrow, and let what was clear today be enough for today.
Questions
What book of the Bible should a beginner read first?
Most beginners do well to start with a Gospel. Mark is the shortest, 16 chapters of quick, vivid scenes from the life of Jesus, and takes a little over two weeks at a chapter a day. John is more reflective and states its own purpose near the end. After a Gospel, many readers continue with Acts, then turn to Genesis and the Psalms.
Should I read the Bible in order from Genesis to Revelation?
You can, but you do not have to. The Bible is a collection of books arranged by type, not a single book written to be read straight through. Genesis and the first half of Exodus are stories and read easily. The legal and ritual chapters that follow, especially Leviticus, are where many first-time readers stop. Starting with a Gospel and returning to the Old Testament later is a common and sound approach.
How long does it take to read the whole Bible?
The Protestant Bible has 1,189 chapters. At about three or four chapters a day you finish in one year. At one chapter a day it takes a little over three years, and the New Testament alone, 260 chapters, takes under nine months. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include additional Old Testament books, so the whole takes somewhat longer at the same pace.
How much of the Bible should I read each day?
For a beginner, one chapter a day or even one short passage is enough. A pace you can keep matters more than a large one you abandon. Chapters vary a great deal in length, and their divisions were added in the Middle Ages, so it is fine to stop where a story ends. If you want to finish the Bible in a year, plan on three to four chapters daily.
What should I do when I do not understand what I am reading?
First, keep going; much becomes clear from the next chapter. Mark the verse with a question and return to it later. Read the passage in a second translation, look at a cross reference, or use a study Bible's notes. And ask someone: a pastor, a priest, a friend who has read longer. In Acts 8 an official reading Isaiah says he cannot understand without a guide, and one is sent to him.
