Chronological Reading Plan
I recommend a chronological reading of the Bible. This helps put events into context and grasp the flow of the narrative.
Since the books of the Bible are not entirely in chronological order and some portions provide overlapping accounts and duplication, a chronological Bible best captures the historical flow of the various writings.
Because of the complexity of placing Scripture in historical order, here is an approximate chronological reading plan. It puts the books of the Bible in order. It is accessible and easy to use.
View or print a PDF file of the chronological Bible reading plan, new and updated.
Chronological Bibles
As an alternative, for a truly chronological overview of the Bible, get one of the many one-year chronological Bibles:
- The One Year Chronological Bible: available in NIV, NLT, or NKJV version.
- The One Year Bible: available in NIV, NLT, ESV, or NKJV version.
Optional Reading Plans
Another option is the following Bible reading plan. It intersperses different sections of Scripture into a daily schedule to read the entire Bible in one year.
This is my original plan. It worked for me, as it kept me reading, while minimizing boredom. This approach, however, does not provide a view of the Bible’s story arc, which requires the above Chronological reading plan.
A final option is to read the entire Bible in biblical order, from Genesis to Revelation. I don’t recommend this approach, but readers have requested it, and I am happy to provide it.
Pick One and Follow It
Regardless of which Bible reading plan you use, may God bless you as you read and study his word.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
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