A reading plan for the year ahead.
Pick a plan and a start date. The tool generates your daily readings and remembers which days you've finished. Four plans available: the full Bible in a year, the full Bible in 90 days, just the New Testament in 90 days, or just the four Gospels in 30 days. Progress saves in your browser — no account required.
How this works
The Protestant Bible has 1,189 chapters — 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New. The plans below divide those chapters evenly across whatever time frame you pick, walking through the canon in order: Genesis to Revelation. Some days you'll read three chapters, some four; the average comes out to the daily rate the plan promises.
The tool tracks your reading by day number, not calendar date. If you miss a week, your unread days stay unchecked — pick up where you left off. Progress saves to your browser's local storage, so the same browser on the same device will remember your place across sessions.
The five plans
- 1 year · full Bible (canonical) — 365 days, averaging 3.26 chapters per day, in canonical order (Genesis to Revelation). The classic. About 15 minutes of reading daily.
- 1 year · chronological — Same 365-day pace but in historical rather than canonical order. Job sits beside Genesis (patriarchal era). Psalms after 2 Samuel (Davidic era). Pre-exilic prophets interleaved with the Kings narrative. The New Testament rearranged by approximate composition date — James before Galatians, Paul's letters before the Gospels, Revelation last. The same texts, with the storyline restored.
- 90 days · full Bible — Intensive. About 13 chapters daily, 45 minutes of reading. The Bible reads differently at speed; narratives compress, themes emerge. A good fit for Lent or a focused summer push.
- 90 days · New Testament — 260 chapters across 90 days. Around 3 chapters daily, with extra room for the dense theological passages. A standard choice for someone wanting depth in Paul, the Gospels, and the General Epistles.
- 30 days · the Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in a month. About 3 chapters daily. The four accounts of Jesus's life read against each other in close sequence — a useful annual practice during Advent or Lent.
How to actually finish a reading plan
The honest part: most people who start a one-year plan don't finish. Three things help.
Time, not place. Pick a specific time of day rather than promising yourself you'll "find time." Mornings before email, or evenings after the family is settled, both work better than "whenever."
Read aloud when stuck. Some sections — the Levitical sacrifices, the Chronicles' lists of names, parts of Ezekiel — slow most readers to a crawl. Reading aloud, even quietly to yourself, breaks the stall.
Catch up or skip ahead — don't drop out. If you miss three days, don't try to read them all on Saturday. Mark them complete (or don't) and pick up from today. The point is to read the Bible, not to keep a streak.
FAQ
How long does each day's reading take?
At a moderate pace (200 words per minute), an average chapter takes about 5 minutes. Three chapters is 15 minutes; thirteen chapters is roughly 45 minutes. Narrative sections (Genesis, Acts) read faster than legal sections (Leviticus, Deuteronomy) or prophets (Ezekiel, Jeremiah).
What's the difference between chronological and canonical reading?
A canonical plan reads books in the order they appear in your Bible — Genesis to Revelation. A chronological plan reorders the books to follow historical sequence — Job sits with Genesis (patriarchal era), Psalms after 2 Samuel (Davidic era), pre-exilic prophets interleaved with the Kings narrative they address. The New Testament rearranges by composition date — James before Galatians, Paul's letters before the Gospels were widely written, Revelation last. This tool offers a book-level chronological plan; a more granular chapter-interleaved chronological plan (where individual Davidic psalms sit beside the events that prompted them) is on the roadmap.
What happens if I miss a day?
Nothing. The tool tracks which day numbers you've marked complete, not which calendar dates have passed. Missing a week means your unread days stay unchecked. You can mark them done later, or skip and pick up at today's reading.
Will my progress sync across devices?
Not currently. Progress saves to your browser's local storage, which is specific to one browser on one device. Using the same plan on phone + laptop would mean tracking each separately. We're considering adding sync; for now, the no-account approach is the simplest.
Which Bible translation should I use?
Whichever you'll actually read. For a first time through, a readable modern translation like NIV, NLT, or CSB lowers friction. For careful study, ESV or NRSV keep more of the underlying syntax. The plan works with any translation since it points at chapter ranges, not specific verses.
Related tools
Pair the reading with a Kerygma round.
Read a chapter, then play a 5-question round on the same category. Free for seven days; no credit card required.
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