The Alpha and the Omega — Reading the Bible from Beginning to End


Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Numbers…

The first books of the Old Testament. I used

This is something that I started my freshman year of high school. I decided that I should read the Bible from beginning to end. I made it all the way through the Old Testament and got stuck. I stopped somewhere in Matthew 3 years after I started, but I don’t remember why.

Now, I am nearly complete with the New Testament. Today, I start the book of James.

I have already read through James a few months ago though during a great devotional led by Francis Chan (linked here).

I have read a couple hundred books over the past few years and many have been faith-based. Many of the authors are pastors who have shared that a life goal of theirs is to read the Bible through 10 times or read the Bible through in 5 different versions or other things of that nature.

Recently during my devotionals and studies, I began comparing various translations.

I primarily read the NIV version but frequently compare that with the KJV version as that is most similar to the original language.

Then I look at the following in this order:

NET (New English Translation)
ESV (English Standard Version)
YLT1898 (Young’s Literal Translation 3rd Revision 1898)
MSG (The Message)
GNT (Good News Translation)
NLT (New Living Translation)
AMP (The Amplified Bible)
OJB (Orthodox Jewish Bible)
RVR1960 (Biblia Reina Valera 1960)
NVI (Nueva Versión Internacional)

I read with the NIV and study with the KJV.

Beyond that, all of the other versions help provide a fuller picture. I know that not everyone reads either KJV or NIV so I want to understand what other people are reading so I can better connect to them as individuals and provide another perspective.

The Bible, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, was originally written in Greek and Hebrew. Because of that, many mentors in my life have stressed the importance of studying the first translation to English — the KJV (King James Version).


I love what the pastor Tom Mullins shared on Father’s Day this past year.

Men in life should do 3 things:

1. Know the truth
2. Live out the truth
3. Model the truth

That is really what restarted my Bible reading.

Pastor Tom shared that a simple way to begin would be reading a chapter of Proverbs, the gospel, and Paul’s letters, every day.

So I started there and finished Proverbs 5 times, the gospels, and all of Paul’s letters.

Now, I begin each morning with a chapter of Proverbs, an old testament chapter and a new testament chapter.

As I mentioned above, I’m now in Proverbs, James, and 1 Chronicles.

I’m learning a lot and really taking what Mark Batterson shared in his book “The Circle Maker” and am seeking to pray through the Bible rather than read through the Bible.

It’s been incredible.

I’m also working on committing various verses to memory.

Here are three.

The first, from John, has been my favorite as long as I can remember. My grandmother shared the second with me and the third jumped out the last time I read that chapter of Proverbs.

“Remain in me as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” — John 15:4 NIV
“This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” — Isaiah 66:2 ESV
“As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” — Proverbs 27:19 NIV

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