Reddit mentions of The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People (Selections from the New International Version)

Something like The Story might interest you.

It's okay if you feel confused about which version to read. Christianity is very diverse. On top of that, there are dozens and dozens of English Bible translations of varying quality. The NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) is the kind you'd commonly see in a classroom setting, so I will start with that one. The Access Bible (NRSV) is a beginner's academic study Bible designed for undergrad college students, and I think it's quite good.

For something simpler, there is the CEB Navigation Bible, designed for people completely new to the Bible. The CEB (Common English Bible) is a newer translation that is designed for a simpler reading level.

A simple abridged version of the Bible is The Story. It's in the NIV (New International Version), by far one of the most popular English translations, and feels somewhere between the CEB and NRSV in reading level. The Story shortens the Bible and divides it into chapters like a novel to covers key events of the biblical narrative.

In terms of companion books - The Abingdon Introduction to the Bible is good for a beginner. And so is A Reader's Guide to the Bible.

An online resource that I like quite a bit is Enter the Bible, which was created by scholars for students. In terms of material it would be most similar to the Access Bible because it tries to distill academic insights for students. https://www.enterthebible.org/

I did a 40 day plan and went through the NT to get in a good study habit. Then spent 5-6 months going through The Story. Finally, spent another year going through the whole Bible chronologically. I felt that going through this way was manageable and most importantly the focus was learning rather than just trying to get through.

There really is no wrong way to read through just make sure you gear your plan around what you hope to get out of reading rather than just reading it for the sake of making it through.

Good Luck!

I would recommend "The Story" which is the scriptures, but arranged in a story book format. You start at the beginning and read it to the end. I highly recommend it for a new believer


http://www.amazon.com/The-Story-NIV-Continuing-People/dp/031095097X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396973306&sr=8-1&keywords=The+story

http://www.thestory.com/home


I do not agree with those saying to skip the Old Testament or to return to it later. The Book of Genesis lays out the foundation of sin.. why we need a Redeemer to begin with.. Without Genesis, the rest of the Bible is nonsense.

Read "The Story"

There is a book called The Story. I haven't read it, but I hear it is like the bible, assuming you don't want to read an actual bible. I'd recommend NIV, myself, so you can read the thing straight. Jesus calls people to discipleship, because just reading the text can be hard to make sense of it and what is going on. Read and talk with learned people about it.

The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People (Selections from the New International Version) https://www.amazon.com/dp/031095097X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_5kEXDbB99TGTD