Job is read toward the beginning of the year since Job lived before Moses. Ruth is found along with the accounts of Judges but Esther is found almost at the end of the Old Testament readings when the nation of Israel had been exiled. The Psalms are interspersed throughout the period of the kings, but I also get to read Moses’ Psalm 90 along with his history. David’s Psalms are read after reading about his history, but the Psalms written by Asaph and other psalmists are read later and the theme of each Psalm is coordinated to an account that may have inspired the psalmists. The writings of the prophets are also found along side the events of their day as recorded in the historical books.
The Gospels are harmonized, and that is so helpful to me. It’s hard to read through the gospel accounts four times as is done traditionally, but this way brings each event to life. The book of Acts is interspersed with the epistles to the churches so that I get to read how the early churches were planted along with the corresponding epistle written to that church. The pastoral epistles are read near the end of the year since Paul wrote those while in Rome where he died. Then the Apostle John’s books are at the very end because he was the last of the apostles and with his writing of Revelation, the Bible was complete.
There are a lot of good Bible Reading apps that can be very convenient, but some may like a printable schedule that you can keep in your favorite Bible. Someone in our church asked for a chronological schedule, and as I looked there were none that I could find that had a printable list with check boxes to keep track of progress. So I created one.
I hope this is helpful to you as we approach the new year. This schedule has no dates on it, so you can start anytime and progress for 365 days.
You can download the printable schedule here.
(It’s in brochure format, so you can fold it in thirds and use it as a bookmark. Updated December 2020.)
If you wish to really saturate your day with God’s Word, use my dad’s Morning, Noon, & Night Bible Reading schedule. It will take you through the New Testament once a month! I think this year, since I normally read the New Testament twice in the year, I’m going to do more! Since I’m not sure I can do the New Testament 12 times, I’d like to shoot for at least 3 times. So, in addition to my Old Testament reading using my Chronological schedule above, but adding a couple of New-Testament-in-a-month sessions using dad’s Morning & Evening schedule.
Will you join me? Please keep in touch and let me know how you are progressing with your Bible reading.
Thanks Rebekah! Your preparation of a printable chronological schedule is a great help and ministry to your Montana family, friends and the VBC Bunch. P. M.
Thanks for posting this on your blog. I plan on reading the Bible through this year as part of my new year’s resolution, and I saw this on pinterest. Love your site! May God bless you!
Best, Jess – Houston, TX
My pleasure, Jess. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope the chronological method is a help and blessing to you!
I have been doing these readings for 7 months now and just love it. I love the way you put this in order. I looked at so many and yours was just right. Thank you for doing this for us. I love your site.
Thank you, Mary! I’m enjoying the Chronological Reading this year, too.
I found your plan last spring and just finished reading my Bible all the way through as an adult. It really helped me fall even more in love with the Word and with the Lord. My husband asked which book did I like the best or was most surprising but really it was how each book matched where I was at in my spiritual season…thank you for the plan. Going to start again!
Wonderful! I’m so glad this has been a help to you, especially that it opened up the whole Bible to you and helped see it fit together. Praise the Lord!
In addition to all the benefits you list on your website, I found it insightful to read the major and minor prophets at the time in Israel’s history when God sent them to speak. I just finished the Old Testament and look forward to new insights as I read of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the early years of the church, and promises of the second coming.
I will likely always read the Bible this way from now on! Thanks for posting the guide with check boxes! (I read on my Kindle so I like the printed list of what come next.)
That’s great! This is my favorite way to read through the Bible too.
I really appreciate your chronological read and hope to use it with our ladies in Bible study beginning in August, 2020. We will be teaching the big picture of the Old Testament and want to encourage our group to read it in its entirety and not just selected passages. Your schedule will be a big help. I hope I have permission to print and use as a resource for our 50 participants.
Thanks so much.
Thank you Lynn, Yes, please print it out and use it. I’m glad it’s a help to you.
Thanks for the compilation. I’ve been wanting to do this for some time, to understand better how the books fit in time. One thing I’ve noticed: As I’ve been reading through the OT exclusively, I really miss the NT and psalms. It made me think how blessed we are to have the whole Word. Early believers didn’t have access to what we have.
Yes, we are blessed to have the Completed Word. I’m glad you have enjoyed it.
I found your reading plan when doing a web search for a chronological bible reading plan. I would love to use this with my ladies bible group, but there is just one error that I think they would be upset with me over, and that is that Revelation on the reading plan is called “Revelations”.
I’m sure that was just an unnoticed typo. Thank you for taking the time.
Thank you, Melissa. Yes, I missed that typo. It is corrected now.