Reading the Bible (Merged with recent same topic threads)

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I am wondering how individuals manage to read the Bible if they have chaotic work lives. How are your plans for reading set up?

I’m asking because I am on a new work schedule with a new job so (for now) the only time I would have to read the Bible would be on my break at work. This isn’t a very long break, maybe only 30 minutes or so, which maybe gives me 5-10 minutes to read the Bible passages.

I read from a variety of different translations thus far, but the main two I use for reading in English are the Jerusalem Bible (1966) and the Common English Bible (for NT reading only). I am mostly concerned with OT reading because I am only re-reading through the NT currently, while reading through the OT the first time. The JB is a huge block of a book, probably one of the of the thickest of all Bibles I own (not something I could easily bring to work). I know many people here are into the Douay-Rheims and prefer Catholic-only translations.

However, I would prefer to keep my old (like 50-60 years old) Douay Bibles at home so they do not get worn. I really need a “portable” Bible that I can still read from and possibly make notes if I want to. I do have a zipper RSV: CE Bible that is small and durable, but I’m not a big fan of “thee’s, thou’s,” etc. I also have a small ESV with Psalms+Proverbs.

I am wondering, does the RSV: CE come in a similar zipper Bible version but as the Second Edition with updated language?
 
I sell single volumes of each book of the Doauy-Rheims Study Bible for 5 dollars and under, which over half of the NT is finished. It has the original footnotes and marginal notes from the 1609 Bible, its as orthodox as it gets:thumbsup:.

As for time, it is tough when you have to work all the time. In my situation, I work 40 hours a week, and every spare moment I have I devote to Scripture, especially my project on the DRSB, which means very little tv or anything like ball games and so on. I would pray for guidance for making and finding time for study. If your working 60 to 70 hours a week then its going to be tough, and if you have time you will struggle with being so tired that you may not feel like reading without falling asleep. If you are working 40 like me, then keep in mind that I get at least an hour in, sometimes much more especially on weekends. But its my passion! I am married and have a 16 year old son, and I make sure that I spend plenty of time with them, but when it comes to study they give me my space.
 
Tous_Logous said:
I am wondering how individuals manage to read the Bible if they have chaotic work lives. How are your plans for reading set up?

I’m asking because I am on a new work schedule with a new job so (for now) the only time I would have to read the Bible would be on my break at work. This isn’t a very long break, maybe only 30 minutes or so, which maybe gives me 5-10 minutes to read the Bible passages.

I read from a variety of different translations thus far, but the main two I use for reading in English are the Jerusalem Bible (1966) and the Common English Bible (for NT reading only). I am mostly concerned with OT reading because I am only re-reading through the NT currently, while reading through the OT the first time. The JB is a huge block of a book, probably one of the of the thickest of all Bibles I own (not something I could easily bring to work). I know many people here are into the Douay-Rheims and prefer Catholic-only translations.

However, I would prefer to keep my old (like 50-60 years old) Douay Bibles at home so they do not get worn. I really need a “portable” Bible that I can still read from and possibly make notes if I want to. I do have a zipper RSV: CE Bible that is small and durable, but I’m not a big fan of “thee’s, thou’s,” etc. I also have a small ESV with Psalms+Proverbs.

I am wondering, does the RSV: CE come in a similar zipper Bible version but as the Second Edition with updated language?
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This probably isn’t a very helpful answer, but If I am at work and I want to look over some Scripture, I use biblegateway.com. Normally it is the first hit if you enter a Book, chapter, verse into Google Search.

I keep the print Bible at home, as you say it is hard to mind time to pull out a big book on the job.
 
I read every day for a few minutes, or sometimes more, while I eat my breakfast. I am on my fourth cover-to-cover reading of the Bible like that, by doing a few minutes each day. Consistency is key and it is now a part of my life. The day doesn’t seem complete without it.

I use a zippered, thinline RSV-CE from Oxford. It has only very minor differences from the 2CE. ignatius.com/IProducts/23883/ignatius-bible-compact.aspx

-Tim-
 
If you have, or are interested in getting, a kindle, they have kindle versions of the RSV2CE, NAB, and Ignatius Study Bible NT. I have all three on mine and bring it to work with me every day. You can make bookmarks, highlights, and notes and can search for words. Also, the footnotes and cross-references are usually hyper-linked so you can easily check them out. I think it’s a good investment if you have the money for it.

Also, if you have a smart phone, there is a Bible app by Youversion (I think it is free) that has over 30 English translations included in it.
 
Hi Tous

The time I can find in the day is getting up at 6am. I make a cup of tea for myself and my wife and I can then settle down for about 30 minutes for prayer and scripture reading. About 20 minutes every day will get you through the bible in a year. I’ve used One Year Bibles in the past - each day you get OT, NT, Psalm & proverbs. They are good for encouraging discipline. These days I just use an ordinary bible - either the NRSV or ESV as both are well respected for keeping close to the original languages.
 
Timewise, I primarily read at the end of the day after my wife goes to bed. I usually read 30-60 minutes, but use my eyes for a timer… when they start crossing, its time to put the book down and turn off the light.

As for reading out of the house - if you have a smartphone, look for two apps:

1: Laudate (has Douay Rheims and New American Bible)
2: Lighthouse Catholic Media Bible app (has RSV-CE, and marks where you left off when you close the app). It’s suppsed to update to the 2nd Catholic ed but it’s not updated for google play store yet.
 
Tous_Logous said:
I do have a zipper RSV: CE Bible that is small and durable, but I’m not a big fan of “thee’s, thou’s,” etc. I also have a small ESV with Psalms+Proverbs.

I am wondering, does the RSV: CE come in a similar zipper Bible version but as the Second Edition with updated language?
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I think this is interesting to note that the RSV-CE, as foar as I can tell, only lapses into the old language (thee and thy) when someone breaks out into spoken prayer. Other than that, it is in very understandable language. I am open to correction.

So does the RSV-2CE do away with this particular quirk, that only spoken prayers are in the old language?

-Tim-
 
I currently do not have a smart phone, kindle, ipad, etc. I do not get internet on my phone so that’s not an option.

I was actually thinking of getting one of those “one year Bibles.” I remember being at the used bookstore and I actually found a Catholic edition one, but never bought it. Returned a week later only to find they didn’t have it anymore. They usually do have the Protestant one year Bibles but I know those don’t include the Deuterocanon.

I’m also wondering if audio Bibles would work. I remember seeing a Catholic “Gobible” on ebay such as this: ebay.com/itm/NRSV-GoBible-Traveler-Catholic-Edition-Narrated-by-Stephen-Johnston-2013-NEW-/290866140294?pt=US_Nonfiction_Book&hash=item43b8f91486

Would something like that be worth the money?
 
Please forgive me – I know this probably has been asked 1,000 times on this forum.

What is the chronological order for the OT books past 2 Chronicles (specifically for the prophecy books)? Should I just read all of the prophecy books in the order they appear in the Bible, or are they not in the correct order? I’m reading through the whole thing for the first time, and I don’t want to get confused by reading them out of chronological context.
 
AssisiFollower said:
Please forgive me – I know this probably has been asked 1,000 times on this forum.

What is the chronological order for the OT books past 2 Chronicles (specifically for the prophecy books)? Should I just read all of the prophecy books in the order they appear in the Bible, or are they not in the correct order? I’m reading through the whole thing for the first time, and I don’t want to get confused by reading them out of chronological context.
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If I were you, I’d skip Chronicles until later, honestly (1 and 2 Chronicles is pretty much a repeat of 2 Samuel through 2 Kings). Chronologically, the next books to read would be Ezra & Nehemiah, though the internal chronological order of the two books is kind of internally scrambled (most of the book of Nehemiah appears to come chronologically before the second half of the book of Ezra). After them is 1 Maccabees. 2 Maccabees is in the same time period as the first part of 1 Maccabees.

Anyway, here’s my suggested order of reading:
Genesis,
Exodus,
Numbers,
Joshua,
Judges,
1 & 2 Samuel,
1 & 2 Kings,
Ezra & Nehemiah,
1 Maccabees,
Gospel of Luke,
Acts,
Revalation,
Gospel of John,
the so-called “Wisdom” books (Job through Wisdom of Solomon),
the New Testament Letters,
the Prophets,
Gospel of Matthew,
Leviticus,
Deuteronomy,
Ruth,
1 & 2 Chronicles,
Tobit,
Judith,
Esther,
2 Maccabees,
Gospel of Mark,
and then start all over again.

Why? Genesis through Revelation gives a basic framework of salvation history.

The Gospel of John seems to fit after Revelation because they’re from the same community (traditionally, the same author - John the apostle).

The Wisdom books are roughly in their traditional chronological order of writing (though the Psalms have songs from many eras).

The prophets are also in semi-chronological order [the “great prophets” - Isaiah, Jeremiah (with Lamentations & Baruch), Ezekiel, and Daniel - are in general chronological order within themselves, and the “12 Lesser prophets” - the other prophetic books are in chronological order within themselves].

The New Testament letters combine the Wisdom-book-type of didactic teaching with prophecy, which is why I sandwich them between the Wisdom books and the prophetic books.

The rest is just making sure odds & ends are covered.
 
AssisiFollower said:
Please forgive me – I know this probably has been asked 1,000 times on this forum.

What is the chronological order for the OT books past 2 Chronicles (specifically for the prophecy books)? Should I just read all of the prophecy books in the order they appear in the Bible, or are they not in the correct order? I’m reading through the whole thing for the first time, and I don’t want to get confused by reading them out of chronological context.
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You should find this chart helpful. The bottom section of the chart has all the books you should read in order to get the chronological order of the Bible. Beneath each book is listed other books that fall during that time period and can be read alongside those books:

Outline of the Bible
 
Ehhh… it’s worth considering that the Church arranged the Bible in a certain way on purpose.

As far as chronology goes, not even the verses within the books are chronological! And some that take place “early” were written much more recently than their settings depict.

But as for it, the advice above is good to get it in a chronological view.
 
The title is self-explanatory. 🙂 I am 16 years old and I hope to know the proper ways of reading the scriptures instead of just randomly opening the Bible and start reading where my I landed my eyes on. If anyone could give me some handful guides , that would be great ! Blessed by the best.

You are loved ,
Eugene
 
This link was provided on CAF in the last couple of days:
biblestudyforcatholics.com/download/category/2
It takes you through the Bible (not all the books) in the historical sequence of events - I plan to follow that. This is set out to take 3 months if you follow the weekly reading plan.

There was also a link to a site that gives you 365 days worth of readings, so, if you follow that you will read the whole Bible in a year.

Both the above are simply reading. There are also Catholic Bible Study guides which would provide readings and commentary or questions to think about.
 
Thank you Vivienne for the quick and informative reply 🙂 . But the thing that I am asking about is that , are there any things that I have to do before , while and after reading the Bible.

You are loved ,
Eugene
 
xEugene said:
Thank you Vivienne for the quick and informative reply 🙂 . But the thing that I am asking about is that , are there any things that I have to do before , while and after reading the Bible.

You are loved ,
Eugene
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I find it depends on my particular reasons for reading the Bible at any time. If I’m simply reading for information I may just read as I would any other book that I’m reading for information, e.g. following the historical time-line readings I linked to above.

If I’m reading for spiritual enlightenment then I would pray for guidance and wisdom before I read and would meditate on the passage I had just read afterwards. And this could be done when reading it as history as well.
 
i have gone to** agapebiblestudy.com
**
this site has taught me a great deal and has helped me read the Bible with greater insight.
there is a section that explains how to read the Old Testament and studies of the first five books, the Pentateuch. i started with a study of the Didache and then the 8 last things. you should check it out. i love it. 😃
 
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