Bible Recommendations for Those Disenchanted With the Bible
If "learning to enjoy the Bible again" is a 2024 resolution
For many years, I set the same spiritual resolution every January 1st: Read through the Bible in a year. I failed every. single. time. I could not force myself to care about Leviticus or Numbers. If I missed a day, I felt guilty. If I skimmed, I felt guilty. If I got lost in thought, I felt guilty.
This was before I realized resolutions don’t work for me. In my life, sustainable change only happens when I make small, incremental steps that (1) I enjoy even if they are challenging and (2) Integrate into my real routine.
Some people I know are machines and have read the same Bible every day since they were 12 and when they’re elderly, they’ll hand down a massive KJV with ten million notes from decades of study. That is not me (in basically any area of my life other than maybe brushing my teeth)- I am always changing things up.
Like last year, I read through most of the New Testament, Genesis, Esther, and some of the Psalms. The only New Testament version I read was the First Nations Version. One year, I only listened to the NIV Bible. Other years, I focused on different study Bibles. When my faith was unraveling, I couldn’t even look at the Bible. When I was in grad school, I interacted with the Bible so much I barely wanted to read it outside of research for papers or assignments. My relationship with the Bible changes a lot and I need to keep things fresh. I’ve made peace with that part of myself!
That being said, if you’re looking at 2024 and want to spend more time with the Bible, I wanted to share four recommendations based on my experience.
Note: I’m an NRSV gal, but if I’m studying a certain verse or passage I will often look at multiple versions on BibleGateway to see how they differ. The only version I avoid like the plague is the ESV which I talk about here.
This is my favorite Study Bible and the one I use most often. The notes are accessible and well-researched, and I don’t feel like I’m being sold an apologetic or indoctrinated into a certain viewpoint. This is something I’ve learned to look out for in some study Bibles— when footnotes are presented as fact rather than opinion, or when footnotes attempt to explain away real tensions in the Bible. I don’t want to feel like I’m being indoctrinated when I’m studying the Bible. I think this one does a great job at presenting scholarly opinions while leaving room for disagreement.
This is another NRSV Study Bible with great footnotes that I use less often but still enjoy. It includes the Apocrypha which is helpful (although there are not footnotes for that section which is a bummer). The footnotes focus on the literary flow of the Bible and connect texts to other biblical texts as well as other ancient texts. In the back, it includes a detailed timeline of biblical history and some full-color maps which can be helpful to refer to when studying.
This is the Bible I spent the most time with last year. It is a translation written by Indigenous North Americans from over twenty-five different tribes, and a translation council that consisted of twelve Native North American elders, pastors, young adults, and men and women from different tribes and diverse geographic locations. I was introduced to the FNV in seminary and I’m so glad because it was a gift to my soul in 2023. It helped me read the New Testament like the first time, without the passive familiarity of a church kid. If you struggle with the Bible but you’re still curious and want to read, give this one a shot. I’ve never read anything like it and I savored every word.
her.Bible is an audio Bible read by many different women and it is just as wonderful as it sounds. They use the New Living Translation of the Bible. Every time I listen, I think of how many scholars believe Phoebe delivered and read aloud the book of Romans… and how powerful (and sadly, how often rare) it is to hear women read the Bible aloud. If you want to listen to the Bible this year, I cannot recommend her.Bible enough.
I hope these suggestions inspire you if you’re curious about the Bible. If you’re not and need a break? Well, I hope you didn’t even make it this far in the post!! But if you did, pressure’s off. Be at peace and know God loves you.
Savannah
Writing Prompt: What is your relationship like to the Bible? Do you have a routine that works? Have you ever had a routine that worked for you?
What did I miss: Share in the comments if there is a Study Bible or translation you like! I’ll check it out!
Thank you so much for the recommendations!! I’ve been looking for an audio Bible read by women. 😭😭
One translation I’ve been looking into is the New Messianic Version Bible. I don’t know a lot about it but I started comparing specific Bible verses such as Isaiah 43:10 on the YouVersion app (not sure if it’s available on Bible Gateway?). I find it so beautiful that they spell out specific Names of God. As I heal from my past church experiences of mixing the idea of God with voices of fear and shame every other sentence, I find it so healing to read the specific Names of God to differentiate and remind me that God is His own Person, regardless of humans’ opinions.
Even though some of the English phrasing is hard for me to read, I loved reading the story of Lazarus in John 11 in the NMV as well.❤️
I spent some time connected with Jehovah's Witnesses - and currently identify as LGBTQ - so my relationship with the Bible is very complicated. Sometimes I can tolerate the Psalms? I also had a phase where I agreed with the ESV types - it all feels like a dangerous slippery slope to me. First Nations version is appealing but a sale price would be nice.