"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
Psalm 119:105 · King James Bible
Start here
The Bible is not a novel. It is a library — sixty-six books gathered over a millennium and a half. You do not read a library from cover to cover on the first day. You start with a book. You get to know one. Then another.
Which book first?
For someone who has never read the Bible before, the traditional first book is the Gospel of John. It is short. It is direct. It tells you plainly who Jesus is, and why the Church exists. Read a chapter a day for three weeks. If you finish John and want more, read Mark next — the shortest and most vivid of the four Gospels.
Then what?
After the Gospels, three good next books are Genesis (the beginnings), the Psalms (the prayer-book), and Romans (the Gospel explained). We have an overview of each in the Workshop. Beyond those four books you can walk the Bible for the rest of your life without running out of ground.
How much per day
Small and steady beats big and rare. One chapter of a Gospel and one Psalm in the morning — ten minutes — is a lifetime rhythm. Read the same passage each day for a week if you like. You are not trying to finish anything. You are trying to be there.
How to read it
Slowly. Out loud, if you can — the Bible was written to be heard. Notice repeated words. Notice questions. Notice who is speaking to whom. If a sentence stops you, stop with it. Take one line from what you read and carry it into the day. The old Christian name for this is lectio divina — 'divine reading' — and there is a Chapel page on it in the household library.
As a family
The old rhythm is a psalm at breakfast, a Gospel passage at bedtime. Ten minutes each. If children are small, use one of the kids Bible stories in the Kids library; each has the verse-anchor from the KJV so the small mouths hear the actual words of Scripture from the start.
Which Bible
Our household uses the King James Bible — for its beauty, its accuracy, and because it is the version of the English-speaking Church for four hundred years. If the Elizabethan English is hard at first, remember: it becomes easier every week. The Bible is worth learning a slightly older English for.
What if I miss a day
Then you missed a day. Come back tomorrow. The whole thing is a walk, not a race. Read what you can. God is patient with beginners.