How to Start Reading the Bible When You Are New to It

Published November 8, 2026. By Lamplight.

Start small and make it daily. Pick one short book, such as the Gospel of Mark, read one chapter or less each day, and stay with it for a week before you change anything. Use a translation you can follow, and do not worry about finishing fast. Steady beats ambitious.

Where should a beginner start reading the Bible?

Not at page one. The Bible is a library of 66 books written over a long stretch of history, and reading it front to back from Genesis can stall somewhere in the middle. A better plan is to start with one short book and finish it.

The Gospel of Mark is a common choice. It is the shortest of the four Gospels, with 16 chapters, and it moves quickly. It tells the story of Jesus in a direct way, so you get the main story before you get the background. When you finish it, you will have read an entire book, and that feels good.

Another option is the Psalms. There are 150 of them, many are short, and they put into words what people feel on good days and bad ones. You can read one on a hard morning and be done in two minutes. Many readers keep a Gospel going and read a psalm alongside it.

How much should you read each day?

Less than you think. Ten minutes is plenty. For Mark, that may be a whole chapter or only half of one. What counts is that you come back tomorrow. A small habit that survives a busy week is worth more than a big plan that dies on day three.

It helps to tie the reading to something you already do. Read with your coffee, in the car before work, or on the couch after the kids are asleep. Put a reminder on your phone at that time. Lamplight can add a daily reminder to your phone calendar for subscribers, but any alarm works.

Which translation should a beginner read?

Use one you can understand without a dictionary. For most new readers that is a modern English translation. Lamplight offers the World English Bible and the King James Version. We wrote a plain comparison in KJV vs WEB: which Bible translation to read. If you are unsure, start with the WEB and try the KJV later.

Should you use a reading plan?

A plan can help because someone else has already chosen the passages, so you do not have to decide each morning. That removes a small but real obstacle. The risk is that a plan can feel like a test. If you fall behind, you may feel behind forever, and quit.

If you want a short plan, Lamplight has eight, each seven days long, for seasons such as anxiety, grief, feeling worn out, marriage and waiting. Each day has a passage, a short reflection, one question and a prayer. They come with a subscription, and you can see the day titles and passages on the reading plans page before you decide. You do not need a plan to begin. Plain reading of Mark works fine.

What should you do while you read?

• Read the passage once straight through without stopping.
• Read it again slowly and notice one thing: a word, a person, a question.
• Write that one thing in a sentence of your own, in a notes app or a notebook.
• End with a short prayer if you pray, even if it is only one line.

You do not need a study method to begin. Reading, noticing and answering in your own words is enough. Depth comes from showing up over weeks, not from doing it perfectly on day one.

What if you miss a day, or a passage confuses you?

Missing a day is normal. Do not read two chapters to catch up. Just read the next one. If you want a reminder that you are not alone in this, Lamplight keeps the daily verse free, so a missed day never locks you out.

Confusion is normal too. Some passages were written for a different time and a different audience, and they will not make sense on the first pass. Here is what helps. Read the verses just before and after. Check the same passage in the other translation. Make a note of the question and keep going. If it still nags at you, ask a pastor or a friend who reads the Bible. Lamplight is a small software company, not a church, and it is not a substitute for a local church or a teacher.

What should you read after you finish Mark?

Pick another short book and repeat what worked. A letter such as Philippians has only four chapters, so you can finish it in a few days. Another Gospel is a good choice too, because reading a second telling of the same story helps you notice what each writer stresses. Keep the habit, change the book, and add a psalm when you want a quieter morning.

There is no correct order for a whole life of reading. Some people go back to the same book every year. Others move on to longer ones once they are confident. What matters is that you can say, honestly, that you read it.

What is a simple first week?

• Day 1: Mark 1, or the first half of it.
• Day 2: Mark 2.
• Day 3: Mark 3, plus one psalm.
• Day 4: Mark 4.
• Day 5: Mark 5, and write down one question.
• Day 6: Mark 6.
• Day 7: Rest, or read Mark 7. Then look back at your notes.

At the end of the week, you will be well into Mark and holding a handful of notes. That is a real start. Keep going to chapter 16 and you will have finished a whole book.