Over the last year, I’ve heard a lot of folks ask me how to read more Bible. Some want to read it for spiritual reasons, other for curiosity’s sake. Either way, I’m a big advocate of reading more Bible. Below is a week-by-week chart for reading the entire Bible in about one year. The readings from the Jewish Bible (Tanakh) are based on a 19th century cycle of studying the Bible and the Christian Writings are my work.
A few words before we jump into the readings.
1) The Bible is not one text. There are so may styles and genres of literature within each book or letter or sermon much less between texts that when we read a biblical text we need to ask “What kind of text am I reading right now?” Poetry serves a different purpose than wisdom literature than prose than exhortation. Be aware of what you’re reading.
2) Similar to above, the Bible wasn’t written as at one time. It was written in bites and snippets and stitched together over thousands of years. A text in Genesis was not written with the same intention as a text in 1 Kings or Mark’s gospel. Again, this requires a different set of eyes when reading the texts. It is better to ask “What is in the text?” not “what do I want the text to say?”.
3) The Tanakh as a life of its own aside from the Christian Writings. They should be seen as an integral work. The Christian Writings are reflections on and additions to the Tanakh. Jesus only used the Law and Prophets as scripture. Daniel was relatively new (about 150 years old) and not in the canon yet. The Psalms were sacred, but not in the Bible. Therefore, when we as modern Christians read the Jewish Bible, we should not see Jesus in every nook and cranny. Jesus, to the Christian, is the fulfillment of prophecy which is different from the prophets predicting Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection.
4) Don’t get stressed. Pick one column to read this year, pick one column and read that part of the Bible this year. Pick another next year. Pick two. And if you forget a week, go back and read it. Or don’t! Be generous with yourself whatever your spiritual practices are.
| Week of | Torah | Prophets | Writings | Gospel | Christian Writing |
| Sept 26 | Gen 1.1–6.8 | Josh 1–11 | Ps 1–11 | Mk 1 | Acts 1-2 |
| Oct 3 | Gen 6.9–11.32 | Josh 12–19 | Ps 12–20 | Mk 2-3 | Acts 3-4 |
| Oct 10 | Gen 12.1–17.27 | Josh 20–end | Ps 21–34 | Mk 4-5 | Acts 5-7 |
| Oct 17 | Gen 18.1–22.24 | Jg 1–11 | Ps 35–42 | Mk 6 | Acts 8 |
| Oct 24 | Gen 23.1–25.18 | Jg 12–end | Ps 43–51 | Mk 7-8 | Acts 9-10 |
| Oct 31 | Gen 25.19–28.9 | 1 Sam 1–8 | Ps 52–65 | Mk 9-10 | Acts 11-13 |
| Nov 7 | Gen 28.10–32.3 | 1 Sam 9–13 | Ps 66–73 | Mk 11 | Acts 14-15 |
| Nov 14 | Gen 32.4–36.43 | 1 Sam 14–25 | Ps 74–79 | Mk 12-13 | Acts 16-17 |
| Nov 21 | Gen 37.1–40.23 | 1 Sam 26–end; 2 Sam 1–7 | Ps 80–90 | Mk 14 | Acts 18-19 |
| Nov 28 | Gen 41.1–44.17 | 2 Sam 8–18 | Ps 91–106 | Mk 15-16 | Acts 20-21 |
| Dec 5 | Gen 44.18–47.27 | 2 Sam 19–end | Ps 107–119 | Mt 1-3 | Acts 22-23 |
| Dec 12 | Gen 47.28–50.26 | 1 Kg 1–6 | Ps 120–136 | Mt 4-5 | Acts 24-25 |
| Dec 19 | Ex 1.1–6.1 | 1 Kg 7–10 | Ps 137–150 | Mt 6-7 | Acts 26-27 |
| Dec 26 | Ex 6.2–9.35 | 1 Kg 11–19 | Job 1–6 | Mt 8-9 | Acts 28; Rom 1-2 |
| Jan 2 | Ex 10.1–13.16 | 1 Kg 20-end; 2 Kg 1-5 | Job 7–12 | Mt 10-11 | Rom 3-5 |
| Jan 9 | Ex 13.17–17.16 | 2 Kg 6–12 | Job 13–20 | Mt 12 | Rom 6-8 |
| Jan 16 | Ex 18.1–20.23 | 2 Kg 13–18 | Job 21–25 | Mt 13-14 | Rom 9-11 |
| Jan 23 | Ex 21.1–24.18 | 2 Kg 19–end | Job 26–28 | Mt 15-16 | Rom 12-14 |
| Jan 30 | Ex 25.1–27.19 | Jer 1–8 | Job 29–38 | Mt 17-18 | Rom 15-16; 1 Cor 1 |
| Feb 6 | Ex 27.20–30.10 | Jer 9–17 | Job 39–end | Mt 19-20 | 1 Cor 2-5 |
| Feb 13 | Ex 30.11–34.35 | Jer 18–31 | Esther | Mt 21-22 | 1 Cor 6-8 |
| Feb 20 | Ex 35.1–38.20 | Jer 32–37 | Song of Songs | Mt 23 | 1 Cor 9-11 |
| Feb 27 | Ex 38.21–40.38 | Jer 38–48 | Pr 1–6 | Mt 24-25 | 1 Cor 12-14 |
| March 6 | Lev 1.1–5.26 | Jer 49–end | Pr 7–12 | Mt 26 | 1 Cor 15-16 |
| March 13 | Lev 6.1–8.36 | Ezek 1–9 | Pr 13–17 | Mt 27-28 | 2 Cor 1-4 |
| March 20 | Lev 9.1–11.47 | Ezek 10–17 | Pr 18–22 | Lk 1 | 2 Cor 5-8 |
| March 27 | Lev 12.1–13.59 | Ezek 18–22 | Pr 23–27 | Lk 2-3 | 2 Cor 9-11 |
| April 3 | Lev 14.1–15.33 | Ezek 23–27 | Pr 28–30 | Lk 4 | 2 Cor 12-13; Gal 1-2 |
| April 10 | Lev 16.1–18.30 | Ezek 28–30 | Pr 31–end | Lk 5-6 | Gal 3-5 |
| April 17 | Lev 19.1–20.27 | Ezek 31–40 | Dan 1–3 | Lk 7 | Gal 6; Eph 1-3 |
| April 24 | Lev 21.1–24.23 | Ezek 41–43 | Dan 4–6 | Lk 8 | Eph 4-6 |
| May 1 | Lev 25.1–26.2 | Ezek 44–46 | Dan 7–8 | Lk 9 | Phil 1-3 |
| May 8 | Lev 26.3–27.34 | Ezek 47–end | Dan 9–end | Lk 10-11 | Phil 4; Col 1-3 |
| May 15 | Num 1.1–4.20 | Is 1–5 | Ezra 1-5 | Lk 12 | Col 4; 1 Th 1-3 |
| May 22 | Num 4.21–7.89 | Is 6–9 | Ezra 6-end | Lk 13 | 1 Th 4-5; 2 Th |
| May 29 | Num 8.1–12.16 | Is 10–13 | Ruth | Lk 14-15 | 1 Tim 1-5 |
| June 5 | Num 13.1–15.41 | Is 14–20 | Neh 1-5 | Lk 16-17 | 1 Tim 6; 2 Tim 1-3 |
| June 12 | Num 16.1–18.32 | Is 21–24 | Neh 6-end | Lk 18-19 | 2 Tim 4; Titus; Philem |
| June 19 | Num 19.1–22.1 | Is 25–29 | 1 Ch 1–5 | Lk 20-21 | Heb 1-5 |
| June 26 | Num 22.2–25.9 | Is 30–33 | 1 Ch 6–11 | Lk 22 | Heb 6-8 |
| July 3 | Num 25.10–30.1 | Is 34–40 | 1 Ch 12–17 | Lk 23-24 | Heb 9-11 |
| July 10 | Num 30.2–32.42 | Is 41–44 | 1 Ch 18–23 | Jn 1 | Heb 12-13 |
| July 17 | Num 33.1–36.13 | Is 45–49 | 1 Ch 24–end | Jn 2-3 | Jam 1-4 |
| July 24 | Dt 1.1–3.22 | Is 50–58 | Lamentations | Jn 4-5 | Jam 5; 1 Pet 1-3 |
| July 31 | Dt 3.23–7.11 | Is 59–end | 2 Ch 1–4 | Jn 6 | 1 Pet 4-5; 2 Pet 1-2 |
| Aug 7 | Dt 7.12–11.25 | Hos 1–6 | 2 Ch 5–8 | Jn 7 | 2 Pet 3; 1 Jn 1-2 |
| Aug 14 | Dt 11.26–16.17 | Hos 7–12 | 2 Ch 9–14 | Jn 8 | 1 Jn 3-5; 2 Jn |
| Aug 21 | Dt 16.18–21.9 | Hos 13–end | 2 Ch 15–24 | Jn 9-10 | 2 Jn; Jude; Rev 1 |
| Aug 28 | Dt 21.10–25.19 | Joel & Amos | 2 Ch 25–27 | Jn 11 | Rev 2-5 |
| Sept 4 | Dt 26.1–29.8 | Ob, Jon, & Mic | 2 Ch 28–34 | Jn 12-13 | Rev 6-9 |
| Sept 11 | Dt 29.9–30.20 | Nah, Hab, Zeph, & Hag | 2 Ch 35–end | Jn 14-15 | Rev 10-12 |
| Sept 18 | Dt 31.1–31.30 | Zech 1-8 | Ecc 1-5 | Jn 16-17 | Rev 13-16 |
| Sept 25 | Dt 32.1–32.52 | Zech 9-end | Ecc 6-9 | Jn 18-19 | Rev 17-19 |
| Oct 2 | Dt 33.1–34.12 | Malachi | Ecc 10-end | Jn 20-21 | Rev 20-22 |
St. Augustine's Chapel 