You’ve probably tried it before. You pick up a Bible, flip to Genesis 1:1, and decide this is the year you’re finally going to read the whole thing. It starts off strong. Creation is cool. Noah’s Ark is classic. But then you hit Leviticus, and suddenly you’re wading through hundreds of pages of ancient dietary laws and instructions for skin diseases. Most people quit right there. Honestly, it’s because reading bible scriptures in order isn’t as straightforward as reading a modern novel. The Bible isn't a single book; it’s a library of 66 different books written over roughly 1,500 years. If you try to read it from cover to cover like a Stephen King thriller, you’re going to get confused because the "order" in your standard Bible is topical, not chronological.
Why the Standard Order is Kinda Confusing
The layout you see in a standard King James or NIV Bible follows a specific tradition. It’s grouped by genre. In the Old Testament, you’ve got the Law first (the Pentateuch), then History, then Poetry, and finally the Prophets. This creates a weird time-travel effect. You might read about King David in the book of 2 Samuel, but you won't read his personal journals (the Psalms) until hundreds of pages later. Then you’ll read the prophets who lived during the exile, even though the historical narrative of that exile happened way back in the "History" section. It’s a mess for your brain.
When people talk about reading bible scriptures in order, they usually mean one of two things: the canonical order (the way it's printed) or the chronological order (the way things actually happened).
The canonical order is the one most of us know. It’s the "Table of Contents" version.
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
...and so on.
This order was largely solidified by early church councils and Jerome’s Vulgate. It’s great for finding a specific verse during a sermon, but it’s terrible for understanding the "plot" of humanity.
The Chronological Shake-up
If you want to understand the actual flow of history, you have to rip the table of contents apart. For example, the book of Job is nestled right before Psalms in most Bibles. But many scholars, like those at the Bible Gateway or The Bible Project, suggest Job might be one of the oldest stories in the collection, potentially taking place around the time of Abraham. If you’re reading chronologically, Job moves from the middle of the book all the way up to the front.
It changes everything.
Suddenly, you aren't just reading disconnected poems; you're seeing how a man's suffering fits into the early development of faith. The New Testament is the same way. We usually start with Matthew, but many historians believe Mark was written first. And then you have the letters of Paul. He wrote Galatians and 1 Thessalonians way before the Gospels were even fully penned and circulated. Reading the New Testament bible scriptures in order of their authorship gives you a glimpse into the raw, chaotic energy of the early church before it was an established institution.
The Problem with "Order"
The Bible is ancient.
It’s complicated.
It’s gritty.
Real history is rarely a straight line. Many books of the Bible overlap. For instance, the books of 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles cover almost the exact same time period but from different perspectives. Kings is like the gritty, political news report of the monarchy's failures. Chronicles is more like a spiritual retrospective, focusing on the temple and the "good" parts of the Davidic line. If you read them back-to-back, you’ll feel like you’re experiencing glitchy deja vu.
Different Ways to Organize Your Reading
You don't have to be a scholar to find a rhythm that works. Most people fail because they try to do too much at once.
If you're looking for the bible scriptures in order that makes the most sense for a beginner, don't start with Genesis. Start with John. Why? Because the whole point of the Christian Bible is Jesus. Starting at the end of the story makes the beginning much more interesting. It’s like watching a movie where you see the finale first, and then the rest of the film is a flashback explaining how the characters got there.
Some people prefer the "Historical Backbone" approach. This involves reading the narrative books first—Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, Ezra, and Nehemiah—and skipping the "extra" stuff like the laws or the poetry until later. This gives you the "story" without the 50-page descriptions of how to build a tabernacle. You can go back and fill in those gaps once you actually care about the people involved.
Dealing with the "Boring" Parts
Let’s be real. Numbers is a tough read. It’s literally a census.
But there is value there.
When you see the names and the counts, you realize these weren't just characters in a myth; the authors were obsessed with recording these people as real, breathing humans. Even so, if you're reading for spiritual growth rather than academic study, it’s okay to skim the genealogies. Seriously. Don't let a list of "begats" stop your momentum.
A Nuanced Look at the New Testament Sequence
The New Testament has a very specific "logical" order. It starts with the life of Jesus (Gospels), moves to the spread of the church (Acts), dives into the theology of what it all means (the Epistles), and ends with the future (Revelation).
But wait.
There’s a catch.
The Epistles aren't even in chronological order! They are actually organized by size. Paul’s letters go from the longest (Romans) to the shortest (Philemon). It has nothing to do with when they were written or which one is the most important. It was just a practical way for ancient scribes to organize the scrolls. If you want to read Paul’s bible scriptures in order, you’d start with something like 1 Thessalonians and end with 2 Timothy, his "swan song" written from a Roman prison.
Why Context Trumps Order Every Time
If you ignore the context, the order doesn't matter. You could read the Bible perfectly from start to finish, but if you don't realize that the minor prophets (like Amos or Hosea) were screaming at a specific group of corrupt politicians in a specific decade, their words just sound like random anger.
I remember talking to a friend who was struggling with the book of Lamentations. They thought it was just depressing. But once they realized it was written by someone literally sitting in the ashes of a destroyed Jerusalem, the "order" of the book made sense. It wasn't just a poem; it was a survival scream.
Practical Steps for Organizing Your Study
If you want to actually stick with it, you need a plan that isn't just "start at page one." Here is a realistic way to approach it.
First, decide on your goal. Are you reading for history? Go chronological. Are you reading for peace of mind? Stick to the New Testament and the Psalms for a while. There is no "Bible Police" that will arrest you for jumping around.
Next, use a modern translation if you're struggling. The King James Version is beautiful, but the English is 400 years old. If you're trying to track bible scriptures in order, using a version like the NLT (New Living Translation) or the ESV (English Standard Version) makes the narrative flow much more naturally. It feels less like a textbook and more like a story.
Third, get a "Chronological Bible." These are specially printed Bibles where the editors have already done the hard work of cutting and pasting the verses into a timeline. It puts the Psalms of David right where they happened in his life. It puts the prophets right next to the kings they were talking to. It’s a game-changer for clarity.
Things to Keep in Mind
- The Bible isn't chronological by default. The standard order is based on the type of writing (Law, History, Poetry, etc.).
- The New Testament is organized by length. Paul's letters go from longest to shortest, not by date.
- The "Silent Years" matter. There’s a 400-year gap between the Old and New Testaments. Nothing in the Bible was written during this time, but a lot happened historically (like the rise of the Roman Empire) that makes the New Testament make more sense.
- Overlapping accounts are common. Don't get confused when you read the same story twice in different books. It's just different "camera angles" on the same event.
Actionable Next Steps
To get started with a more meaningful way of reading bible scriptures in order, don't just wing it. Download a reputable reading plan. The YouVersion app or Bible Gateway have "Chronological" plans that sync with your phone.
👉 See also: What are the seraphim and why do we keep getting them so wrong?
Alternatively, try the "Breadth and Depth" method. Spend 10 minutes reading the historical narrative (like the book of Acts) to see the order of events, then spend 5 minutes in a single Psalm to slow down. This prevents the "history burnout" that happens when you're just trying to check boxes.
If you’re feeling bold, grab a notebook and map out a timeline yourself as you go. Mark down when a certain king reigned and then draw a line to the prophet who lived at the same time. Seeing it visually is often the only way to make the order stick in your brain. Stop treating it like a single book and start treating it like a journey through time. You'll find that the "order" isn't just about sequences; it's about seeing how one story builds on the last until the whole picture finally comes into focus.