How to Read the Bible

A simple guide to start reading Scripture with confidence, even if you’ve never opened a Bible before.

Step one: get a Bible you'll actually read

Our study Bible picks.

Any translation you'll actually read works. A study Bible adds notes, maps and background on every page, so you're never reading alone. These are the ones our team uses and recommends.

Our top pick

ESV Study Bible

Crossway · ESV

The gold standard. Notes, maps, charts and articles on every page. Like having a teacher sitting next to you.

Best for: Going deeper in the Year of the Bible

See it →New to the Bible

Life Application Study Bible

Tyndale · NLT

Easy to read with practical notes that answer “so what does this mean for my life?”

Best for: New believers and first-time readers

See it →Points to Jesus

The Jesus Bible

Passion · NIV

Shows how every book of the Bible points to Jesus, just like we do every Sunday.

Best for: Seeing the one big story

See it →For women

She Reads Truth Bible

She Reads Truth · CSB

Beautifully designed, with devotionals, timelines and space to journal.

Best for: Daily reading with room to reflect

See it →For men

He Reads Truth Bible

He Reads Truth · CSB

Clean design, book introductions and key passages highlighted.

Best for: A focused daily rhythm

See it →Write in it

ESV Journaling Bible

Crossway · ESV

Wide margins for notes, prayers and Sunday takeaways as you read through the year.

Best for: SOAP journaling and sermon notes

See it →Ages 8–12

NIV Adventure Bible

Zondervan · NIV

A real Bible made for kids, with notes, maps and fun facts.

Best for: Kids reading along with the family

See it →Ages 3–8

The Jesus Storybook Bible

Sally Lloyd-Jones

Every story whispers his name. The best place to start for little ones.

Best for: Bedtime and family Bible night

See it →

Which translation should I use?

Bible translations, compared.

Every good translation is trying to do the same thing: carry the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek into English faithfully. Some stay closer to the exact words. Others focus on the meaning of the whole sentence. Both are good, and reading two side by side is one of the best ways to understand a hard verse.

Word for wordThought for thoughtParaphrase

Translation	Approach	How it reads	Great for	Study Bible pick
NASB	Word for word	Very precise, a little stiff	Careful, word-level study	—
ESV	Essentially literal	Accurate and readable, a bit formal	Study, memorizing, reading aloud	ESV Study Bible · ESV Journaling Bible
NKJV	Word for word	The King James feel in modern English	Readers who love the KJV tradition	—
CSB	Optimal equivalence	Accurate and very clear	Everyday reading that stays close to the original	She / He Reads Truth Bible
NIV	Balance of word and thought	Smooth, natural, widely used	Daily reading for almost anyone	The Jesus Bible · NIV Adventure Bible
NLT	Thought for thought	Easy, warm, conversational	New readers, teens, reading big chunks	Life Application Study Bible
The Message	Paraphrase	Like a friend retelling it	A fresh angle next to a translation (not for study on its own)	—

Our recommendation: pick the ESV, CSB, NIV or NLT and stick with it for the Year of the Bible. On Sundays you'll see a few different translations on screen, and that's on purpose.

Go deeper

Books on reading the Bible.

Want to understand what you're reading, not just get through it? Start with one of these. They're from the same Library our team and Love Group leaders are reading in 2027.