The Bible Starter Kit

Helpful Resources for Reading the Bible

I begin each year reading straight through a different version of the Bible. I start in Genesis on January 1st and finish with Revelation at the end of February. I add the Apocrypha every other year. 2025 will be my fourth time doing this practice and there are certain resources I reference each year. I wanted to share them here in an effort to enhance your reading of the Bible whether it’s your first time or 50th.

But before that, I made the case for reading straight through the Bible back in 2023. Here’s the podcast episode sharing the why, the how, and the logistics:

The Case for Reading Straight Through the Bible

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Maps

I once joked that we modern Bible readers are at a distinct advantage over those living through the events because we have maps in the back. I encourage you to have a set of maps nearby as you read through the Bible. Here is an app as well as some important maps:

Bible Map App

Download the Bible Map app on your iPhone or iPad. You can then search locations by chapter and verse. I’ll usually have my iPad open to this app while I read through the Bible. This app also shows you what is going on during our day and age in these locations. Super interesting and helpful.

The 12 Tribes of Israel

This will be key as you work your way through the Books of Deuteronomy & Joshua

Map During the Time of Jesus

Paul’s Missionary Journeys

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Lists

The Tribes of Israel

Keep a quick reference to the Names of the 12 Tribes of Israel:

The Kings of Israel & Judah

Once you arrive in the Books of Kings & Chronicles, you’ll be seeing these names a lot. It’s helpful to have this chart nearby for reference:

From The Bible Initiative - https://www.thebibleinitiative.com/southern-kingdom

The Prophets

I have a hard time keeping track of the prophets in terms of their timeframe, location, and audience. This chart helps me a lot:

From Bible805

Empires

It’s helpful to have a general outline of the large movements of power. I keep these dates nearby (all dates B.C. unless otherwise noted and Assyrian & Babylonian are the new empires):

• Assyrian - 1000 - 612

• Babylonian - 609 - 539

• Persian - 539 - 330

• Greece - 330 - 63

• Maccabean - 166 - 63

• Roman - 63 - 324 A.D.

The Disciples

Keep a list of the 12 disciples nearby:

1. Simon, who is called Peter, son of Jonah

2. Andrew, his brother

3. James the son of Zebedee

4. and John his brother

5. Philip

6. Bartholomew

7. Thomas

8. Matthew, the tax collector

9. James, the son of Alphaeus

10. Thaddaeus

11. Simon the Zealot

12. Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus

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Suggested Reading Order

Each year, I start at the beginning and read to the end. For a first time reading, that may not be the best approach. Here’s a suggested path through the Bible as suggested by Jason Staples in 2020 (skip to the 1hr 16min 44sec spot to listen in this episode) or read below:

First off, he suggests reading the Bible like a novel.

• Start with Genesis (the rest of the Bible depends on it) and read to Exodus 35

• Skip ahead to Deuteronomy and read the whole book, or at least 1 - 6, 28 - the end

• Read Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah

• Read one Proverb per day and a few Pslams a day as you are reading the other stuff

• Esther, Job, Ecclesiastes, the Prophets (use a Bible with some notes about these prophets for context)

• Read the entire New Testament from the beginning to the end

• After that, go back and read the parts you skipped over in the Old Testament

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Mark up Your Bible

I’ve written in much of this information into my main Bible. I encourage you to do the same. Here’s a photo: