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Holy Bible: New International Version
by Anonymous
by Anonymous
Inder's review
bookshelves: pre-19th-century, currently-reading, long-term-projects
Oct 08, 08
bookshelves: pre-19th-century, currently-reading, long-term-projects
Recommended to Inder by:
Uh, God?
I'm working on a major project, and I figured, since I've got several books on my currently-reading list that I'm not likely to complete for years, I might as well add another, and share my progress here.
I am trying to read the entire Bible, as an adult, for real (no cheating, skimming, or skipping, not even dietary rules or geneologies). I have been meaning to do this since childhood, because, beyond the religious aspect, I feel that the Bible (or at least some big chunks of it) is essential reading for any educated person; furthermore, knowledge of the Bible is a great help if you're interested in literature. It's a book that many claim to have read, but few have actually read cover to cover, and understandably - this is not easy stuff. It makes the Odyssey look like a trashy adventure novel.
I've been working on this for about a year now, and I'm obviously not moving too fast. My motto is "baby steps, baby steps."
Why the NIV? I'll be honest. Of all the translations I've looked at, this one is the easiest to digest, without being totally dippy. ("The Message"? Uh. No.) I tried the NKJ, but wow, that was slow-going. I prefer its poetry, but I also like to be able to progress through more than one sentence per sitting.
As you can see, I started with the NT, but skipped Revelation (because ... whoa ... I have no idea what I'm even reading about there) and then started back into the Hebrew Bible, where I've almost polished off (survived?) Leviticus. It seemed easier to start with the NT (because, um, it's shorter) but now I'm realizing I'll have to reread it when I finish the rest of the book, because, hello, the NT actually doesn't make much sense without the Hebrew Bible. Smart people warned me that this was true, and I ignored them, but they were right.
Ahem. This is gonna take a while.
So here's where I am right now:
1. Genesis - Read
2. Exodus - Read
3. Leviticus - Read (this book has a bad rap - it's really interesting!)
4. Numbers - Currently reading
5. Deuteronomy
6. Joshua
7. Judges
8. Ruth
9. 1 Samuel
10. 2 Samuel
11. 1 Kings
12. 2 Kings
13. 1 Chronicles
14. 2 Chronicles
15. Ezra
16. Nehemiah
17. Esther
18. Job - Read (great stuff, but whew, those conversations get tough!)
19. Psalms - Steve and I are tackling this, one psalm per night; check back in a 140-odd days.
20. Proverbs
21. Ecclesiastes
22. Song of Solomon
23. Isaiah
24. Jeremiah
25. Lamentations
26. Ezekiel
27. Daniel
28. Hosea
29. Joel
30. Amos
31. Obadiah
32. Jonah
33. Micah
34. Nahum
35. Habakkuk - Read
36. Zephaniah
37. Haggai
38. Zechariah
39. Malachi
40. Matthew - Read twice
41. Mark - Read
42. Luke - Read
43. John - Read twice (could go into how "one of these gospels is not like the others," but this doesn't seem like the appropriate place for that)
44. Acts - Read
45. Romans - Read
46. 1 Corinthians - Read
47. 2 Corinthians - Read at least twice (and still don't get much of it)
48. Galatians - Read
49. Ephesians - Read
50. Philippians - Read
51. Colossians - Read
52. 1 Thessalonians - Read
53. 2 Thessalonians - Read
54. 1 Timothy - Read
55. 2 Timothy - Read
56. Titus - Read
57. Philemon - Read
58. Hebrews - Read
59. James - Read
60. 1 Peter - Read
61. 2 Peter - Read
62. 1 John - Read
63. 2 John - Read
64. 3 John - Read
65. Jude - Read
66. Relevation - Read
Stay tuned for (very) periodic updates!
P.S. Wikipedia is so cool. This is what I'm talking about.
I am trying to read the entire Bible, as an adult, for real (no cheating, skimming, or skipping, not even dietary rules or geneologies). I have been meaning to do this since childhood, because, beyond the religious aspect, I feel that the Bible (or at least some big chunks of it) is essential reading for any educated person; furthermore, knowledge of the Bible is a great help if you're interested in literature. It's a book that many claim to have read, but few have actually read cover to cover, and understandably - this is not easy stuff. It makes the Odyssey look like a trashy adventure novel.
I've been working on this for about a year now, and I'm obviously not moving too fast. My motto is "baby steps, baby steps."
Why the NIV? I'll be honest. Of all the translations I've looked at, this one is the easiest to digest, without being totally dippy. ("The Message"? Uh. No.) I tried the NKJ, but wow, that was slow-going. I prefer its poetry, but I also like to be able to progress through more than one sentence per sitting.
As you can see, I started with the NT, but skipped Revelation (because ... whoa ... I have no idea what I'm even reading about there) and then started back into the Hebrew Bible, where I've almost polished off (survived?) Leviticus. It seemed easier to start with the NT (because, um, it's shorter) but now I'm realizing I'll have to reread it when I finish the rest of the book, because, hello, the NT actually doesn't make much sense without the Hebrew Bible. Smart people warned me that this was true, and I ignored them, but they were right.
Ahem. This is gonna take a while.
So here's where I am right now:
1. Genesis - Read
2. Exodus - Read
3. Leviticus - Read (this book has a bad rap - it's really interesting!)
4. Numbers - Currently reading
5. Deuteronomy
6. Joshua
7. Judges
8. Ruth
9. 1 Samuel
10. 2 Samuel
11. 1 Kings
12. 2 Kings
13. 1 Chronicles
14. 2 Chronicles
15. Ezra
16. Nehemiah
17. Esther
18. Job - Read (great stuff, but whew, those conversations get tough!)
19. Psalms - Steve and I are tackling this, one psalm per night; check back in a 140-odd days.
20. Proverbs
21. Ecclesiastes
22. Song of Solomon
23. Isaiah
24. Jeremiah
25. Lamentations
26. Ezekiel
27. Daniel
28. Hosea
29. Joel
30. Amos
31. Obadiah
32. Jonah
33. Micah
34. Nahum
35. Habakkuk - Read
36. Zephaniah
37. Haggai
38. Zechariah
39. Malachi
40. Matthew - Read twice
41. Mark - Read
42. Luke - Read
43. John - Read twice (could go into how "one of these gospels is not like the others," but this doesn't seem like the appropriate place for that)
44. Acts - Read
45. Romans - Read
46. 1 Corinthians - Read
47. 2 Corinthians - Read at least twice (and still don't get much of it)
48. Galatians - Read
49. Ephesians - Read
50. Philippians - Read
51. Colossians - Read
52. 1 Thessalonians - Read
53. 2 Thessalonians - Read
54. 1 Timothy - Read
55. 2 Timothy - Read
56. Titus - Read
57. Philemon - Read
58. Hebrews - Read
59. James - Read
60. 1 Peter - Read
61. 2 Peter - Read
62. 1 John - Read
63. 2 John - Read
64. 3 John - Read
65. Jude - Read
66. Relevation - Read
Stay tuned for (very) periodic updates!
P.S. Wikipedia is so cool. This is what I'm talking about.
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Deborah
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rated it 5 stars
Oct 01, 2008 06:03pm
Quite an undertaking! You can knock out proverbs-one a day- easy and fun. Psalms and Song of solomon pretty easy to get through if you something to boost you when you're getting bogged down! Good luck, you never know how a book might touch you!
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Good for you. I find that the Bible is something that once you begin, you never really finish. Each time you read it you find something new and with every new bit of knowledge, you understand the rest of the Bible a little bit more.I love your review because it was refreshingly honest. The Bible is a huge book to tackle, but oh how rewarding. Keep at it...believe me, the rewards are great.
And when you do get to some of the tougher to understand books, keep praying for understanding and lean on a bible study or two to kind of point you in the right direction. I know that it has been over 10 yrs since I first read the Bible all the way through, and it is only now, after a tiny little bit of help from Beth Moore, that I really "get" how to read Daniel and Revelation. They are understandable--and no one has to spoon feed you their interpretation of it either. It does take knowing "how" to approach books like that, however. Once you get pointed in the right direction, it is as if someone has given you the first couple letters of a code. All of a sudden you start to understand the patterns and the symbolism and it all clicks.
I am so amazed every time God suddenly makes what was once confusing so simple. He really is an amazing God.
Keep at it! I'm am really proud of you, and anyone else who keeps an open mind and truly seeks out wisdom. God Bless!
