# I've read the bible...... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 29, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430 "2011-03-29T21:14:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/41 "2011-03-30T12:58:58Z")
> [@](#): > > There are parts of the Bible I have read innumerable times, over and over again. But it’s not really a book that lends itself to reading cover-to-cover. Yup. I’m working on my third cover-to-cover reading, but I’ve probably read some chapters at least one hundred times. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/42 "2011-03-30T13:04:06Z")
I’ve never read it cover to cover _in order_, but I think it’s safe to say that there’s no part of it that I’ve never read (at least once), and some of its books I’ve read many times. ETA: I’m not sure which of the poll’s options this corresponds to. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/43 "2011-03-30T13:10:54Z")
I’d read quite a bit of it before I was able to jam that Bassilisk Tooth through its leather cover. It was a pretty close call, let me tell you. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/44 "2011-03-30T13:13:35Z")
Never read it, but took a “bible as literature” class in college. One of the text books had side-by-side comparisons of the gospels, which was interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/45 "2011-03-30T13:16:51Z")
> [@raindog](#): > > Darn!!! > > Should read “haven’t read it **AT** all” Got it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/46 "2011-03-30T13:25:31Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > I participate in an annual Trivia Night which consists of ten themed rounds of ten questions each. One of the rounds is always Bible trivia, and my team always gets slammed in that round. Last year we were leading by two points going into the final round (Bible, of course), and ended up in third. > > So I downloaded a free Bible onto my Kindle and figured I could gradually work through it by the next Trivia Night, and we might have a fighting chance at getting a few questions right. That was four months ago and I’m still not done with Genesis. God, it’s boring. See if you can find [Asimov’s Guide to the Bible](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimov%27s_Guide_to_the_Bible). It’s a highly readable summary which gives you the relevant Cliff’s notes and offers some decent (if slightly dated) commentary besides. You’ll breeze right through and come away with some actual retention. ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/47 "2011-03-30T13:32:01Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Got it for you. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/48 "2011-03-30T13:34:19Z")
Read through the NT several times. I tried reading the OT but gave up somewhere around Jeremiah, so I’m not sure what to vote for. ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/49 "2011-03-30T13:36:35Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I’ve never read it cover to cover _in order_, but I think it’s safe to say that there’s no part of it that I’ve never read (at least once), and some of its books I’ve read many times. > > ETA: I’m not sure which of the poll’s options this corresponds to. For my purposes,for you it means _at least_ cover to cover. If you’ve read _all of it_, it doesn’t matter if you’d done it in a planned manner (in order) or as a result of other study/reading methods. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/50 "2011-03-30T13:37:01Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > See if you can find [Asimov’s Guide to the Bible](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimov%27s_Guide_to_the_Bible). It’s a highly readable summary which gives you the relevant Cliff’s notes and offers some decent (if slightly dated) commentary besides. You’ll breeze right through and come away with some actual retention. Thanks, I’ll look for that! ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/51 "2011-03-30T14:16:47Z")
Read the whole thing cover-to-cover just once (the Living Bible version). I’ve read portions of both the New and Old Testaments several times and in several different versions, though, because I’m interested in the historical aspect of the Bible and Christianity despite being an atheist. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/52 "2011-03-30T15:04:06Z")
Is there an audio book version? With Charlton Heston reading the god parts? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/53 "2011-03-30T15:10:06Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I’m one of the “not cover to cover, but pretty knowlegeable” votes mostly because I skipped over the who-begat-whom sections. Those can be kind of fun, if you happen to read them just when you’re studying genealogy in Social Studies. The Book of Numbers in the other hand… le yawn! But then, it’s a census, those are much more fun with colored pie charts. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/54 "2011-03-30T15:39:28Z")
I’ll count myself in the cover to cover, multiple versions. Now, I’ve never picked up the book and read straight through from Genesis to Revelation. However, I’ve listened to the Daily Audio Bible since 2008, which does cover the entire Bible over the course of a year. The podcast switches translations every week, although it does tend to use too many of the dumbed down translations. I think I’ve pretty much read every word in the King James and NRSV Bibles I have at home. The 3 year lectionary covers a lot, but not all, of the entire Bible over a 3 year period. ---
**Author:** ![charmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/53a042/32.png) [@charmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charmstr)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/55 "2011-03-30T16:00:03Z")
Cover to cover for me. It was about 30 years ago and it cured me of any lingering tendencies toward Christianity. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/56 "2011-03-30T16:03:12Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Is there an audio book version? With Charlton Heston reading the god parts? [Sort of.](http://www.amazon.com/Charlton-Heston-Presents-Word-Vol/dp/5550121204/ref=tmm_abk_title_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301500911&sr=1-1) ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/57 "2011-03-30T16:13:15Z")
Starting at the beginning is a really _bad_ way to read the Bible, truthfully, because while Genesis (aside from the genealogies) and the first part of Exodus can be pretty interesting in a modern translation, it’s quite a slog to get through the next couple of books. That’s where most people can go no further. Then, if you do manage to get to Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Samuel you’re good but you’ll hit a wall with Chronicles and Kings unless you skip the tedious bits. Books like Psalms and Proverbs are great but they need to be savored a little bit at a time - reading Psalms straight through is like devouring a giant box of chocolates all at once; you’ll hate it by the end unless you pace yourself. A plan that lets you read the whole Bible in a year or two but has you skipping around to different books (not in order) is probably the easiest way to do it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/58 "2011-03-30T16:18:05Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > [Sort of.](http://www.amazon.com/Charlton-Heston-Presents-Word-Vol/dp/5550121204/ref=tmm_abk_title_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301500911&sr=1-1) 😃 Wow. I was kidding, but it makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/59 "2011-03-30T16:23:40Z")
I’m not sure if “cover to cover” includes skipping Psalms and lots of paragraphs of begatting, and sometimes skipping the repetitive parts of the New Testament (although I’ve been through them all at least once). On the other hand, I’m not really at all knowledgeable about the Bible, other than the same stuff most other people know (although I often incorrectly over-attribute what other people know). ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430/60 "2011-03-30T17:18:00Z")
I’ve read it straight through a few times but I’ve opened it up thousands of times, and I’m pretty good with helping people find what they’re looking for just by memory. I have read various translations but the only one I’ve read cover-to-cover is the KJV because that’s what I grew up with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-read-the-bible/576430.md?page=4)