Reading the Bible and Book of Mormon from beginning to end?

[lydie15]

Hey,

Well I know that in the Church it is encouraged for every member to have read the Bible and Book of Mormon entirely, and most people have read it from start to finish. A few years ago I tried it, but got lost in 2nd Nephi in the Book of Mormon and Exodus in the Bible... I've tried many times but I have trouble with understanding it all in its depth and I don't want to miss important messages in what I'm reading.

Are there any tips/ideas on how I can do this while not missing out on the important messages, and still understanding everything I read? Is there a different order I should read the books in?

I would really like to read the scriptures entirely, I think it will help strengthen my knowledge and testimony of the Lord and the Church. Thanks! :)

[FunkyTown]

I read the bible from front to back originally about 11 years ago, followed up with the Book of Mormon about 9 years ago.

I'd just read it. Read a chapter a day and you'll find you're learning things you'd never learned before. Even Numbers and Leviticus had something new for me. It's a pretty amazing thing.

I would read it in order.

[Dravin]

I read the bible from front to back originally about 11 years ago, followed up with the Book of Mormon about 9 years ago.

I'd just read it. Read a chapter a day and you'll find you're learning things you'd never learned before. Even Numbers and Leviticus had something new for me. It's a pretty amazing thing.

I would read it in order.

A lot of the images and situations Isaiah invokes become clearer if you can wrap your head around Chronicles and Kings.

[the_last_gunslinger]

I didn't have a problem reading The Book of Mormon cover to cover. I've done in twice so far and am starting a third reading. There are some books contained therein that can be pretty confusing, but as a whole, it is a much more easily accessible book of scripture than the Old Testament. I think if you can get past 2nd Nephi, you'll have less trouble. I particularly liked the Book of Alma, and read through that lengthy segment quite fast.

As for the Holy Bible I can completely sympathize. I got through the first six book of the Old Testament and coulnd't force myself to go further. I would actually recommend reading the New Testament first, easier to understand, perhaps a little more relevant and it's easier to see parallels between our church and the church established in that day. It made it quite a bit more interesting.

[Guest gopecon]

There are some beautiful passages from Isaiah in 2nd Nephi that can trip up a lot of people. They can be hard to understand, especially when compared with the narrative style that most of the rest of the book contains. I'd encourage you to push through them, it will get easier to understand with experience, but don't let the difficulty there keep you from the rest of the book.

[Dravin]

Oh, I just remember, don't discount the value of a study guide. For example the Institute manuals can be helpful. You can download them here: Institute Courses and Manuals - LDS Institute

[Blackmarch]

Hey,

Well I know that in the Church it is encouraged for every member to have read the Bible and Book of Mormon entirely, and most people have read it from start to finish. A few years ago I tried it, but got lost in 2nd Nephi in the Book of Mormon and Exodus in the Bible... I've tried many times but I have trouble with understanding it all in its depth and I don't want to miss important messages in what I'm reading.

Are there any tips/ideas on how I can do this while not missing out on the important messages, and still understanding everything I read? Is there a different order I should read the books in?

I would really like to read the scriptures entirely, I think it will help strengthen my knowledge and testimony of the Lord and the Church. Thanks! :)

do it a little at a time (like say a page a day or something), and have a notebook handy for jotting down ideas or questions that pop into your mind as you read. If you don't understand a verse theres quite a few resources you can turn to, such as teachers in the ward, going to LDS.org, or posting at a site like this.

And i don't know of anyone that was able to catch every nuance and message contained therein with just one read-through... I know I get new insights and aha moments on various scriptures i have repeatedly read before.

[Vort]

Well I know that in the Church it is encouraged for every member to have read the Bible and Book of Mormon entirely, and most people have read it from start to finish. A few years ago I tried it, but got lost in 2nd Nephi in the Book of Mormon and Exodus in the Bible... I've tried many times but I have trouble with understanding it all in its depth and I don't want to miss important messages in what I'm reading.

The story goes that the LDS soldier found himself in the field of battle with nothing but his rifle, his fatigues, his boots, and his pocket Book of Mormon. As he ran to a foxhole, he got shot, but the bullet deflected off his Book of Mormon, saving his life. When he checked his pocket edition later, he found the bullet never made it past 2 Nephi.

Are there any tips/ideas on how I can do this while not missing out on the important messages, and still understanding everything I read? Is there a different order I should read the books in?

My advice for 2 Nephi: If the Isaiah chapters are giving you trouble, just read them without worrying about understanding everything. The Isaiah chapters are unique in the Book of Mormon for being difficult to understand for many readers, especially those who have never read it. Just slog through them, not worrying about whether you think you understand them, and read the rest. Don't let 2 Nephi hold you up.

The good news is that in years to come, you will begin to find some real beauty and meaning in 2 Nephi. The fact that you don't find it now doesn't matter. Don't worry about it. Just push through. There is not really all that much Isaiah in 2 Nephi; chapters 12 through 24, which make up the bulk of the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon, span only 16 pages. Chapters 7 and 8, also Isaiah, are only about 2½ pages total.

As for Exodus: I'm 48, and am rereading the Old Testament for the first time in many years. I actually found Exodus to be quite engaging and interesting. My problem had been in Numbers, but this time around, except for a couple of dry spots and a couple of disturbing spots, I have found even Numbers to be interesting. I'm now at Deuteronomy; we'll see how that goes.

I would really like to read the scriptures entirely, I think it will help strengthen my knowledge and testimony of the Lord and the Church. Thanks! :)

Best of luck to you. Push through and don't worry about understanding everything the first time. You won't, but that's okay, because you don't need to. And you will find the rest of the Book of Mormon so interesting and great that you will be glad you pushed through the Isaiah chapters of 2 Nephi.

[bytor2112]

A few years back I was struggling with the Old Testament. I picked up a copy of the First Two Thousand Years by Cleon Skousen, and while I may not completely agree with the work, it did bring the Old Testament to life for me. A couple of months later I was called to be the Gospel Doctrine Teacher and .....yep, it was Old Testament.

[Jenamarie]

I read the Old Testament (almost all the way through) a few years ago. One tip: Don't ignore the footnotes! They often give definitions to some of the trickier words (for example: the foot note in Exodus [i believe] for Urim and Thummin says Lights and Perfections! I'd never known that before, and it shed a whole new light on the translation process of the Book of Mormon)

Sometimes following a footnote to another scripture can take you to a scripture elsewhere that restates the one that's tripping you up, but with slightly different wording that makes it more understandable, or a tricky word is used in a context that allows you to figure out what it means.

This will make the reading more slow-going, but far more enlightening. :)

[Backroads]

I'm on my third time doing it... I'd like to read the standard works all the way through once a year.

Tips:

The commentaries really do help.

Keep a running notepad of your thoughts.

Read in bigger chunks. It makes for better comprehension.

[Jenamarie]

I'm on my third time doing it... I'd like to read the standard works all the way through once a year.

Tips:

The commentaries really do help.

Keep a running notepad of your thoughts.

Read in bigger chunks. It makes for better comprehension.

Oooh yes, I did these two as well! I have a "Scripture Journal" that I write down my thoughts, or interesting scripture references into. It's invaluable. :)

I also read the first five books of the OT in two months, and WOW, was that an awesome read! (although I admit to skipping over the geneological chapters )

[LittleWyvern]

If you're just getting overwhelmed by the amount of stuff you want to read, try approaching your goal as "I'm going to read one or two chapters every day" instead of "I'm going to read the entire Bible/Book of Mormon by date X." One is a lot easier to keep than the other, but you'll achieve the same think with both. :)

[Jennarator]

Listen to the audio as you follow along can really help. It is easier to understand than just words on a page. If you are anything like me, it helps a ton. But it doesn't work for everyone. Good luck!!

[bytebear]

For the OT, I got the Church's institute manuals (there are two) for the OT. That gave me highlights to cover and insight. I found that much more useful than just doing a straight reading.

[Guest]

A few years ago around August, President Hinckley encouraged everyone to read the BofM by the end of the year. I didn't start for some reason until November or December. That meant reading a whole lot every day. I really enjoyed it, though. Reading big chunks all at once made things come alive more for me.

I don't always think it's necessary to start with Nephi and end with Moroni, either. I have a hard time keeping with it, too, to the point that I get to not reading at all. This time I'm starting in Mosiah because that's my favorite part. 3rd Nephi would be nice to read right now, with Christmas coming. That's where we happen to be in our family reading.

I agree with just powering through Isaiah. I struggle with a lot of it, but I think I understand more as I read the scriptures more and more. I figure his writings are a lot like the temple. There's no way I'll understand all of it right now, but hopefully I'll get a little more each time through.

Good luck!

[rayhale]

I’ve noticed that no one stated the Doctrine and Covenants, or the Perl of Great Price, so I will. If your LDS, then you should be able to read all the scriptures in four years, since Gospel Doctrine studies the scriptures in a four year cycle. There are four main ways that I have read the scriptures:

Read them like a novel, from beginning to end.

Read them along with the audio narration.

Read them along side with commentary books, Institute manuals, and other helps.

Read with a specific topic in mind.

[rayhale]

I’ve noticed that no one stated the Doctrine and Covenants, or the Perl of Great Price, so I will. If your LDS, then you should be able to read all the scriptures in four years, since Gospel Doctrine studies the scriptures in a four year cycle. There are four main ways that I have read the scriptures:

Read them like a novel, from beginning to end.

Read them along with the audio narration.

Read them along side with commentary books, Institute manuals, and other helps.

Read with a specific topic in mind.

[Windseeker]

Read them while eating green eggs and ham..

..5 ways

[mnn727]

.. I've tried many times but I have trouble with understanding it all in its depth and I don't want to miss important messages in what I'm reading.

Try a modern language version of both. KJV is nearly impossible to understand to the average modern person, especially when you get to the Isaiah chapters or many parts of the O.T.

[UrbanFool]

Listening in audio is one way to help get past the harder parts. I also finally found an affordable unmarked copy of David Ridges' The Book of Mormon Made Easier (the first part) and although it took me much longer to read, I sure understood it a lot more. I've been trying to use the Institute book for the remainder of the BoM, but gave up after a few days. It didn't help me at all.

For me, the impossible chapter was the one about grafting olive trees. That nearly put me to sleep. Maybe too many semesters of plant grafting in high school.

[cwald]

I have read the BOM cover to cover with my kids twice. I guess perhaps I will be the exception here and say I really enjoy the Isiah chapters.

I really enjoy the NT. Read it through several times personally. Right now, our family gave up on the BOM reading and decided to work through the NT. I think the key to helping kids read the NT is to use a different version than KJ. We've found that the NIV is much easier for kids and teenagers to understand and follow. That's just my opinion.

[rameumptom]

I will soon post Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine lessons here. The first lesson will be background, describing the events occurring in the days of Lehi, the Documentary Hypothesis and its impact on the scriptures (Bible and Book of Mormon), and the changes that occurred in the temple that led to apostasy.

When I begin posting in a couple weeks, you can find the lessons (posted weekly) here:

Book of Mormon - LDS Social Network Forums

[pam]

I'm excited about the lessons for next year in the Book of Mormon. I have my favorites. Nephi and Abinadi.

[UrbanFool]

I'm excited about the lessons for next year in the Book of Mormon. I have my favorites. Nephi and Abinadi.

I'm excited about it too. I'm about petered out on the New Testament. At least Revelation is coming up though.