39BOOKS
Old Testament
Israel’s stories, laws, poetry, wisdom and prophets. The first part of the Christian Bible reaches back before Jesus’ life.
A FIRST-TIME READER’S GUIDE
A little context.
A clearer beginning.
The Bible can feel like a world you’ve arrived in halfway through. You don’t need to catch up all at once. Here are a few things that make the first page less unfamiliar.
FIRST, KNOW THE EDITION
The wording.
The collection.
These are two different choices, and separating them clears up a lot.
- Translation = the wording
- This app uses the World English Bible (WEB), Updated text: a translation into modern English. It is in the public domain, so its text can be freely read and shared.
- Collection = the books included
- The app contains 66 books, the collection commonly used in Protestant Bibles. It is not the 73-book Catholic collection. The difference is about which books are included, as well as some book order and text differences.
If you’re following a church, class or reading group, ask which translation and collection they use. You can compare that with this app before you begin.
A SMALL LIBRARYTwo parts. Many kinds of writing.
27BOOKS
New Testament
The accounts of Jesus’ life and teaching, the first Christian communities, and letters about faith and everyday life.
66 books in this app · World English Bible
THERE IS MORE THAN ONE WAY IN
Choose one place.
Begin gently.
Reading from the first page to the last is one option. You can also start with a shorter book or a single poem. Here are three suggestions.
- 01TO MEET JESUSA Gospel
Mark, chapter 1
A direct account of Jesus’ ministry. A good starting point if you want to see who Jesus is and what he does.
New Testament - 02TO BEGIN WITH THE BEGINNINGSThe opening book
Genesis, chapter 1
The Bible’s opening creation account. Begin here if you’re curious about the foundations of its larger story.
Old Testament - 03FOR A SHORT, REFLECTIVE READINGPoetry and prayer
Psalm 23
A brief poem of trust, expressed through the image of a shepherd. Read it slowly; poetry speaks differently from a story.
Old Testament
For your first reading, try Mark 1.
Open the web reader Open the reader, choose a book and chapter, or use its reference search. Read a little, notice a line, and leave room for a question.
LET THE TOOLS HELP WITH THE UNFAMILIAR
Follow your questions.
Keep your place.
Looking for a passage?
Find a book or reference
↗A name means nothing yet?Use the chapter picker or reference search to reach the reading you want.
Meet the person. See the connections.
↗Prefer to hear the words?Profiles, family links and maps give unfamiliar people and places some context.
Listen at your own pace
↗A line stays with you?Narration and spoken-text highlighting help you follow the passage.
Highlight it. Keep a note.
↗Save an observation or a question, then return to the passage later.
A FEW WORDS YOU MAY MEET
Less jargon.
More clarity.
You don’t need to memorize these. They’re here whenever a label raises a question.
Is this a Protestant or a Catholic Bible?
Catholic and Protestant name Christian traditions. Protestant is a broad term for many different churches.
This app has the 66-book Protestant collection: 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books.
Catholic Bibles have 73 books: 46 in the Old Testament and the same 27 in the New Testament. They include Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, plus additional parts of Esther and Daniel. Catholics call those writings deuterocanonical.
| Collection | Old Testament | New Testament | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protestant | 39 | 27 | 66 |
| Catholic | 46 | 27 | 73 |
The World English Bible also exists in a Catholic edition, but that is not the collection included here. Orthodox traditions have their own collections, which can differ too.
Why does a Wiki article say “Hebrew Bible”?
The Hebrew Bible, also called the Tanakh, is the Jewish collection of Scriptures. This app’s Old Testament contains the same set of books, divided and arranged differently. Jewish and Christian traditions also read them in different religious contexts.
An article may use “Hebrew Bible” when discussing those writings or a person in them. That label does not change the app’s translation: you are still reading the World English Bible in English.
What is a Gospel? How do chapter numbers work?
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the four Gospels: accounts of Jesus’ life and teaching in the New Testament.
A reference such as John 3:16 means the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16. Chapters and verses are numbered sections that help you find a passage.
Do I have to read the whole Bible in order?
No. Start with one book, a chapter, or a psalm. Reading the surrounding passage helps a line make sense. There is no need to rush, and it’s fine to return to something you didn’t understand.
Are the Wiki articles and maps part of the Bible?
They are study aids alongside the Bible text. Articles provide background; maps and family views help show connections. They can include interpretation or uncertain historical identifications. Look at the cited passages and the labels for inferred relationships or proposed locations.
Sources for this short guide
World English Bible publisher: the 66-book edition · USCCB: Catholic and Protestant book collections · My Jewish Learning: Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. Starting points are suggestions for exploring, not a required reading order.
ONE PAGE IS A REAL BEGINNING
Take the next small step.
Choose a reading space that feels comfortable. Start with a little.