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(Tip: if you choose this one, you’ll get a head start on some of the other pathways too.) 

1.    Start with Genesis, the very beginning of the story of God’s relationship with the world. This book sets the scene for everything that follows, so it’s worth reading from beginning to end.

2.    Go on to the Psalms, the songbook of Israel. This includes the famous shepherd psalm (number 23) as well as others written by King David. You can dip in and out of this book and find your own favourites.

3.    Next, read the Gospel according to Mark, which is the shortest account of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. It’s action-packed and makes a good introduction to the other three Gospels.

4.    Finish with The Acts of the Apostles. This continues the story of Jesus’ followers in the earliest churches and introduces the famous missionary Paul.

You’ve started exploring the Bible – you could go back and follow another pathway, or read other parts of the Bible that you feel drawn to.

1.    Start with Genesis, for the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Esau, Jacob, Joseph and his jealous brothers.

2.    Go on to Ruth and Esther, short stories about two brave women and their place in the history of Israel.

3.    Next, read Daniel, especially chapters 1—6, with their stories of the fiery furnace, the lions’ den, and the writing on the wall.

4.    Finish with the book of Jonah (one of the Minor Prophets), to read the story of a prophet who tries to run away from God.

You’ve started exploring the Bible – you could go back and follow another pathway, or read other parts of the Bible that you feel drawn to.

1.    Start with the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection in the Gospel according to Luke.

2.    Go on to The Acts of the Apostles, which is Luke’s sequel to his Gospel. This will tell you how Christianity began to spread beyond Jerusalem, mainly due to the work of the famous missionary Paul.

3.    Next, read New Testament Letters Volume 1 to see how Paul kept in touch with the Christians in the new churches he founded. There are 12 different letters here, so you might want to look at ‘Where to find …’ in the back of the book to pick out some of the best-known passages.

4.    Finish with New Testament Letters Volume 2, where you can read letters from Christian leaders other than Paul.

You’ve started exploring the Bible – you could go back and follow another pathway, or read other parts of the Bible that you feel drawn to.

1.    Start with The Acts of the Apostles, where we meet Paul for the first time at the end of chapter 8. (Saul is his name at this stage.) The rest of the book tells the story of his shock conversion to Christianity and his missionary journeys around the Mediterranean world.

2.    Go on to New Testament Letters Volume 1, a collection of letters written by Paul to his new churches. You can pick your own place to start, but you’ll get a good idea of Paul’s passion for his churches in Philippians and 2 Corinthians.

3.    Next, stay in the same volume and read 1 Timothy, which is a personal letter from Paul to his young apprentice Timothy.

4.    If you’re keen to read a longer letter from Paul, finish with Romans. This letter explains Paul’s understanding of how salvation through Jesus really works.

You’ve started exploring the Bible – you could go back and follow another pathway, or read other parts of the Bible that you feel drawn to.

1.    Start with Genesis, which tells the family saga of the first believers in God – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. The stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Noah are also in this book.

2.    Go on to Exodus, which tells how Moses rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, gave them God’s law and led them to the edge of their new home in the Promised Land.

3.    Next, read Joshua to see how the Israelites managed to enter their new land and settle there.

4.    Finish with Judges, which includes the stories of Deborah, Gideon and Samson. This book shows how the Israelites grew more and more lawless, falling away from God and into chaos. (If you like, read Ruth in this volume too, a short love story about an outsider who becomes an important player in the history of Israel.)

You’ve started exploring the Bible – you could go back and follow another pathway, or read other parts of the Bible that you feel drawn to.

1.    Start with 1 & 2 Kings, which tell the sad story of how David’s kingdom fell further away from God in the generations after his death. 2 Kings ends with the people being taken away from their land as prisoners.

2.    Go on to Lamentations, a series of poems about the pain and suffering of people in the city of Jerusalem when it is captured and destroyed by its enemies.

3.    Next, try either Isaiah or Ezekiel. Isaiah prophesies both the exile of God’s people and their joyful return to their land. Isaiah also includes prophecies of a great future king of Israel – the Messiah. Ezekiel gives more details of God’s reasons for being angry with his people, but ends with hope for their return in future.

4.    Finish with Ezra and Nehemiah, stories about the years after the Israelites had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city walls. (You could also finish the volume by reading Esther, about a Jewish woman who saved her people from a massacre.)

You’ve started exploring the Bible – you could go back and follow another pathway, or read other parts of the Bible that you feel drawn to.

1.    Start with the book of Psalms, a collection of poems and songs. Many of these songs would have been sung during worship at the temple in Jerusalem. Some of the psalms were written by King David, and some by a musician called Asaph. Watch out for their names as you read through.

2.    Go on to read the story of David in 1 & 2 Samuel. This will give you the background to some of his psalms.

3.    Next, to find out more about the temple worship and Asaph, read
2 Chronicles. This tells how King Solomon, David’s son, built the temple and started the worship there.

4.    You could finish by going back to 1 Chronicles for a recap of David’s life (the good bits only). You can skip the first ten chapters to avoid getting tangled up in all the family trees.

You’ve started exploring the Bible – you could go back and follow another pathway, or read other parts of the Bible that you feel drawn to.

1.    Start with the Gospel according to Matthew, which includes Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and many of his parables about God’s Kingdom.

2.    Go on to the letter of James (in New Testament Letters Volume 2). This is a very practical guide to living with peace and fairness.

3.    Next, stay in New Testament Letters Volume 2 and read 1 John. This is a short letter based on the simple command to ‘love one another’.

4.    Finish with Proverbs, an Old Testament collection of advice for making wise decisions in life and relationships.

You’ve started exploring the Bible – you could go back and follow another pathway, or read other parts of the Bible that you feel drawn to.

1.    Start with Proverbs, which includes bite-sized pieces of advice on how to live a good life.

2.    Go on to Ecclesiastes, a very different take on the meaning of life. (If Proverbs is ‘glass half full’, Ecclesiastes is more of a ‘glass half empty’ viewpoint.)

3.    Next, read Song of Songs, which is a poem that celebrates romantic and sexual love.

4.    Finish by trying the book of Job, the story of a good man who loses everything. Most of the book is a collection of poetic arguments between Job and his four friends. But at the very end, God speaks.

If you don’t get on with Job, you could skip into the New Testament instead and read the Gospel according to John. In this Gospel, Jesus explains how the true meaning of life is found through friendship with him.

You’ve started exploring the Bible – you could go back and follow another pathway, or read other parts of the Bible that you feel drawn to.