To read the Bible for beginners, start with the Gospel of John, read one chapter a day, and pray for understanding. You don’t need a theology degree—just an open heart. This 10-step guide offers a gentle, practical way to begin with no pressure and no judgment.
Why the Bible Is Worth Reading
Before we talk about how
to start reading the Bible, let’s talk about why. The Bible is far more than a self-help book or a collection of ancient stories. Scripture describes itself as something alive — something that speaks, shapes, and changes us.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”— Hebrews 4:12 (ESV)
That’s more than poetry. The Bible claims it can reach the deepest parts of who you are — your motivations, your fears, the things you’ve never said out loud. Millions of people across thousands of years have found comfort in its pages during grief, direction during confusion, and hope when everything felt dark. You don’t have to understand it all at once. You just have to open it.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”— Psalm 119:105 (ESV)
Think of the Bible as a lamp rather than a floodlight—it shows you the next step. That’s all you need right now. The next step.
What the Bible Actually Is (A Quick Overview)
The Bible can feel overwhelming because it is a library of 66 books, written over roughly 1,500 years by about 40 different authors. It’s divided into two main parts:
The Old Testament (39 books) covers creation, the history of Israel, poetry, wisdom literature, and the prophets. It points forward to the coming of Jesus.
The New Testament (27 books) tells the story of Jesus’ life, the early church, letters to believers, and the hope of what’s to come.
You’ll find history, poetry, prophecy, letters, laws, and stories all woven together by one central theme: God’s relentless love for people and His plan to restore what sin has broken. This big picture helps individual verses feel like chapters of one long, love-filled story instead of scattered puzzle pieces.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”— 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
10 Practical Steps to Start Reading the Bible
Here’s a clear, gentle path forward — ten steps, no pressure. You don’t need to follow every one perfectly. Just pick what fits and begin.
1. Pray Before You Read
This is the most important step, and it takes about ten seconds. Before you open your Bible, simply ask God to help you understand what you’re about to read. You don’t need fancy words. Something like, “God, please open my eyes to what You want to show me today”
is more than enough.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”— James 1:5 (ESV)
2. Start with the Gospel of John
Don’t start at Genesis chapter one. The best place to begin is the Gospel of John
in the New Testament. John was written specifically so that readers would come to know who Jesus is. It’s warm, personal, and full of stories that draw you in. After John, try the Gospel of Mark (short and fast-paced) or Luke (detailed and compassionate).
“But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”— John 20:31 (ESV)
3. Read One Chapter a Day
You don’t need to read for an hour. read the Bible daily
— sometimes just 15 or 20 verses — is a beautiful starting pace. The Gospel of John has 21 chapters, which means you’ll finish it in three weeks. Consistency matters far more than quantity. Five minutes every day will shape you more than two hours once a month.
4. Choose a Translation You Can Understand
The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, so every English Bible is a translation. For beginners, these are excellent choices:
ESV (English Standard Version) — accurate and readable, a great all-around choice.
NIV (New International Version) — clear, modern English, widely used.
NLT (New Living Translation) — very easy to understand, uses everyday language.
Pick one that feels natural when you read it aloud. You can always explore other translations later.
5. Use a Reading Plan
A reading plan removes the daily decision of what
to read so you can focus on actually reading. Apps like YouVersion (Bible App) offer hundreds of free plans — from 7-day topical studies to read the Bible in a year. For beginners, try a plan that walks through the Gospels first, then the Psalms, then Genesis.
6. Read with a Pen in Hand
Keep a notebook or journal nearby. When a verse stands out to you — even if you’re not sure why — write it down. Jot questions in the margin. Underline phrases that comfort you. This is a conversation, not schoolwork. Writing helps you slow down and pay attention to what God might be saying to you personally.
7. Ask Three Simple Questions
After reading a passage, ask yourself these three questions:
What does this tell me about God?
What does this tell me about people?
How should I respond today?
You don’t need a commentary or a study guide to get started. These three questions will open up almost any passage and help you move from reading to understanding to living it out.
8. Don’t Skip the Psalms
The book of Psalms
is the prayer journal of God’s people. It covers every emotion you’ve ever felt — joy, fear, anger, gratitude, despair, praise. When you don’t know how to pray, read a Psalm. When you’re hurting, Psalm 23 or Psalm 46 will meet you right where you are.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”— Psalm 46:1 (ESV)
9. Give Yourself Grace When You’re Confused
You will read things that confuse you. Good — that means you’re paying attention. Scholars have spent entire lifetimes on these texts. When something doesn’t make sense, mark it and move on. Don’t let one confusing passage stop your entire journey. Understanding grows over time, like a seed becoming a tree.
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”— Proverbs 4:18 (ESV)
10. Read with Others
Reading the Bible doesn’t have to be a solo journey. Find a friend, join a small group, or attend a Bible study at a local church. When you read with others, you hear perspectives you’d never notice on your own, and you have people to ask when something confuses you. The Bible was meant to be lived out in community.
For more background, see when the Bible was written and by whom.
Where to Start Reading the Bible: A Beginner’s Roadmap
If you want a simple order for your first few months, here’s a gentle roadmap for how to start reading the Bible:
Month 1: Gospel of John (21 chapters) — meet Jesus
Month 2: Psalms 1–50 — learn to pray and worship
Month 3: Genesis 1–25 — see the beginning of God’s story
Month 4: Gospel of Luke — see Jesus through a doctor’s eyes
Month 5: Proverbs — gain daily practical wisdom
Month 6: Acts — watch the early church come alive
This roadmap gives you variety — story, poetry, wisdom, and history — while keeping you grounded in the most accessible and life-giving parts of Scripture. There’s no wrong way to do this, but this path has helped countless people fall in love with the Bible.
Helpful Tools and Apps for Bible Reading
You can find excellent Bible study resources for free on your phone. Here are a few to try:
YouVersion Bible App — multiple translations, reading plans, audio Bible, highlights and notes. Available on any phone or tablet.
Blue Letter Bible — when you want to dig deeper into a word or verse, this free tool shows you original Greek and Hebrew meanings, commentaries, and cross-references.
Bible Project (YouTube) — beautifully animated videos that explain each book of the Bible in about 8 minutes. Watching a Bible Project video before reading a book gives you helpful context.
A physical Bible — there’s something irreplaceable about holding a Bible in your hands, turning pages, and writing in the margins. Consider a study Bible with footnotes that explain difficult passages (the ESV Study Bible and NIV Life Application Study Bible are excellent choices).
What to Do When You Don’t Understand a Passage
You are going to read passages that confuse you — every Bible reader does, no matter how long they’ve been at it. Here’s what helps:
Read the surrounding verses. Context solves most confusion. Read the full chapter, not just the single verse.
Check a different translation. Sometimes a passage in ESV becomes crystal clear in NLT, or vice versa.
Look up the book introduction. Most study Bibles include a brief introduction before each book that explains who wrote it, when, and why. This background changes everything.
Ask someone. A pastor, a trusted Christian friend, or an online community can often answer your question in a few minutes.
Give it time. Some passages make sense only after you’ve read more of the Bible. A verse in Romans might click after you’ve read Genesis. Trust the process.
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.”— Psalm 119:130 (ESV)
Related: The ACTS Prayer Method: A Simple Way to Pray When You Don’t Know Where to Start · How to Start a Prayer Journal as a Christian: Simple Steps for a Deeper Daily Walk · Small Group Bible Study for Everyday Life: Grow Together in Christ
If this blessed your heart, it might bless someone else too. Share it with someone who needs encouragement today.
Frequently Asked Questions About Reading the Bible
How long does it take to read the Bible?
Reading the entire Bible takes about 70 hours at an average reading speed. If you read one chapter a day, you’ll finish in roughly three years. If you read three chapters a day, you can finish in about a year. But there’s no rush — it’s far better to read slowly and absorb deeply than to race to the finish. The Bible isn’t a book you complete; it’s a book you return to for the rest of your life.
Should I read the Bible in order from Genesis to Revelation?
You can, but most pastors don’t recommend it for beginners. The Bible isn’t arranged chronologically, and some early books (like Leviticus and Numbers) contain detailed laws that can be difficult without context. Starting with the Gospels — especially John or Mark — gives you the foundation of the Christian faith first. Once you know Jesus, the rest of the Bible opens up in beautiful ways.
What Bible version is best for beginners?
The ESV, NIV, and NLT are all excellent for beginners. The NLT is the easiest to understand because it uses very natural, everyday English. The ESV is slightly more word-for-word and is widely used in churches. The best version is the one you’ll actually read — so pick the one that feels most natural and comfortable to you.
How much of the Bible should I read each day?
There’s no magic number. One chapter a day is a wonderful starting pace — it usually takes about five to ten minutes. Some days you might read more because you’re captivated by the story; other days, a single verse might stop you in your tracks and give you enough to think about all day. Quality matters more than quantity. Let the words sink in rather than rushing through them.
What if I don’t feel anything when I read the Bible?
That’s completely normal, especially at the beginning. Bible reading isn’t always an emotional experience — sometimes it’s an act of quiet faithfulness, like watering a garden before you see any flowers. Keep reading, keep praying, and trust that God’s Word is doing work in you even when you can’t feel it. Jesus compared God’s Word to a seed planted in soil. Seeds grow silently before they break through the surface.
If you’ve been putting off reading the Bible because it felt too big, too confusing, or too intimidating — today is a beautiful day to begin. You don’t need to have all the answers. You don’t need to understand everything. You just need to open the book, ask God to meet you there, and start reading. He promises that when you seek Him, you will find Him. So grab your Bible — or download an app on your phone — open the Gospel of John, chapter one, and read. Just one chapter. That’s your next step. And it might be the most important step you take this year. What’s one thing you’re hoping to discover as you begin reading the Bible?
How many verses are in the Bible?
The Bible contains 31,102 verses — 23,145 in the Old Testament and 7,957 in the New Testament. It has 66 books, 1,189 chapters, and was written by more than 40 authors over roughly 1,500 years. Don’t let the size intimidate you — you don’t need to read it all at once. Start with one chapter a day and let God meet you there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to start reading the Bible?
The best place for beginners to start is the Gospel of John. It is warm, personal, and focuses on the life and identity of Jesus.
Which Bible translation is best for beginners?
Excellent choices include the NIV (New International Version) for clear English, the NLT (New Living Translation) for everyday language, or the ESV (English Standard Version) for accuracy and readability.
How much of the Bible should I read each day?
A sustainable starting pace is reading one chapter a day or even just 15–20 verses. Consistency is much more important than reading large amounts at once.
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Hannah Brooks
