Reading the Bible chronologically
A chronological plan reads the Bible in the order things happened, not the order the books are printed. The prophets sit beside the kings they spoke to, the Psalms beside David’s life, and the letters beside Acts.
- 13 eras, Creation to the early church
- 1,189 chapters, every one read once
- 11 min a day, over a year
Why read it in order?
Read front to back, you meet Isaiah long after the kings he spoke to, and Paul’s letters after Acts has finished. Read in order, each book lands in its setting: you read Kings and Chronicles side by side, then hear the prophet speak into the same years. Short notes in Ribbon explain why each passage sits where it does, and where dates are debated, they say so.
The 13 eras
- 1 · Creation – Babel
Beginnings
11 chapters · about 3 days in a one-year planThe story starts before Israel exists: creation, the fall, the flood and the scattering of the nations at Babel. Everything that follows answers the problems opened here.
Genesis
- 2 · c. 2000–1800 BC
The Patriarchs
81 chapters · about 23 days in a one-year planGod calls Abraham and promises land, descendants and blessing to all nations. The promise passes to Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, ending with the family in Egypt.
Job, Genesis
- 3 · c. 1450–1400 BC (date debated)
Exodus & Wilderness
138 chapters · about 54 days in a one-year planIsrael is rescued from Egypt, receives the Law at Sinai, builds the tabernacle and spends forty years in the wilderness.
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Psalms, Deuteronomy
- 4 · c. 1400–1050 BC
Conquest & Judges
49 chapters · about 19 days in a one-year planJoshua leads Israel into the land; then comes a long cycle of drift, oppression and rescue under the judges.
Joshua, Judges, Ruth
- 5 · c. 1100–1010 BC
Samuel & Saul
50 chapters · about 16 days in a one-year planSamuel, the last judge, anoints Israel's first king. Saul's reign unravels while David rises.
1 Samuel, Psalms, 1 Chronicles
- 6 · c. 1010–970 BC
King David
87 chapters · about 22 days in a one-year planDavid unites the tribes, takes Jerusalem, brings the ark to Zion and receives God's promise of an everlasting throne. Samuel and Chronicles are read side by side.
2 Samuel, Psalms, 1 Chronicles
- 7 · c. 970–930 BC
Solomon
107 chapters · about 25 days in a one-year planIsrael's golden age: the temple is built, wisdom flourishes and Solomon's heart is slowly drawn away.
1 Kings, Psalms, 2 Chronicles, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes
- 8 · c. 930–722 BC
The Divided Kingdom
97 chapters · about 29 days in a one-year planThe kingdom splits: Israel in the north, Judah in the south. Prophets confront kings in both, and the earliest writing prophets appear.
1 Kings, 2 Chronicles, 2 Kings, Obadiah, Joel, Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah
- 9 · c. 722–586 BC
Judah Alone
141 chapters · about 45 days in a one-year planJudah survives Assyria under Hezekiah, sinks under Manasseh, revives under Josiah and finally falls to Babylon.
2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Isaiah, Psalms, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Lamentations
- 10 · c. 597–539 BC
Exile in Babylon
60 chapters · about 24 days in a one-year planFar from the land, God still speaks: Ezekiel among the exiles and Daniel in the courts of Babylon and Persia.
Ezekiel, Daniel
- 11 · 538–c. 430 BC
The Return
108 chapters · about 22 days in a one-year planCyrus lets the exiles go home. The temple and walls are rebuilt, the Law is read again, and the Old Testament closes waiting for God to come.
Ezra, Psalms, Haggai, Zechariah, Esther, Nehemiah, Malachi
- 12 · c. 5 BC – AD 30
The Life of Christ
89 chapters · about 39 days in a one-year planThe four Gospels are read in step with each other, so each period of Jesus' life is seen through every account that covers it.
John, Luke, Matthew, Mark
- 13 · AD 30–c. 95
The Early Church
171 chapters · about 45 days in a one-year planThe Spirit is poured out and the gospel spreads from Jerusalem to Rome. The letters are read at the point in Acts where they were written.
Acts, James, Galatians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 1 Timothy, Titus, 1 Peter, Hebrews, 2 Timothy, 2 Peter, Jude, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Revelation
Why Job comes straight after Genesis 11
Job is read here because its setting looks patriarchal: wealth measured in flocks, Job offering sacrifice as head of his family, and no mention of the Law or Israel. The date of writing is debated.
One of the notes Ribbon shows as you read.
Make a chronological plan for your dates
Free, with the same eras. Or follow it in Ribbon, with the notes on the page as you read.