IS the BIBLE a good book to read?

Question

I mean aside from any religious connotations?

I think proverbs come from the Bible, right? Are the stories entertaining??

If I was to read the Bible, which version is best, and what is the difference between the Old and New Testaments?

Answer 1

Some books are better than others, gets a little wordy, but all in all is a good read.

Answer 2

Mos stories have cryptic meanings and are written in an old english with flawed translations. So no, I would not consider the bible easy or entertaining reading. If your interested proverbs they make collections of just those. Go to a christian book store and they will point you in the right direction. The storytelling is very stark and meant as a telling of history, so I again doubt you will find it entertaining in itself. But the bible is a great source of history to pre-agriculture messpotamia if your interested in that.
The old testament was written before jesus, the new testament written afterwards. The OT is written as a definition to what a christian should be and where they came from. The NT mainly is devoted to the coming of Jesus and what that means to christians. The NT is what is focused now days in most churches because it has a very strong message of love while the OT depicts god as being unforgiving and even vengeful.
As far as pure entertainment most religious sources are not viable options, unless your looking for some sort of uplifting. But if your interested in the history these books contain, the context they are written, and understanding religion theologically, contact me and I'll give you some recomendations.

Answer 3

Yes, even if you aren't 'religious' the Bible is a 'good book' to read ... but to 'do it properly' you'll need at least four 'different translations' ... the King James version (which is the most 'poetic'), the New American (the current Catholic Bible in the U.S.), the new Jerusalem Bible (the BEST of the 'modern English translations') ... and one other ... I have a copy of a Coptic Bible that was given to me by a man who was born in Africa ... they are all 'just different enough' to give me 'things to think about' when I'm reading. If you read SLOWLY ... no more than one 'chapter' a day ... you'll find some really WONDERFUL stories ... but BEWARE because the New American Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible have 8 more 'books' than the other two ... these are the 'official' Apocrypha of the Bible ... and the Apocrypha have some of the BEST stories.
The 'Old Testament' tells of the 'time before Jesus was born' and the New Testament tell of the 'life and afterlife of Jesus Christ' plus the 'letters from St. Paul,' and the Revelation of St. John the Divine (the LAST and most 'discussed' book in the Bible because it speaks of 'the end of the world' which hasn't come yet.

Answer 4

If you get a good version of the Bible not the King James or something dumb the Bible has some pretty interesting stories especially in the Old Testament. Proverbs is found in the Bible I read a chapter from it everyday. I really like 1 and 2 Kings its a bunch of stories about the early jewish kings.

Answer 5

The Bible is a very good book to read, regardless of your religious stand. The Old Testament is the written law and history (lots of stories about greed, sex, and murder). The New Testament is the fulfillment of the law and the proof of the history (miracles and parables). Proverbs is in the Old Testament. I think they could be entertaining. Many of the popular adages we hear today are from Proverbs.

Personally, I like the New King James version. I find that is the easiest to read.

Answer 6

The Bible's a great book to read!!! Some schools are using the bible as a literary study. There's so much poetry and grammar, etc. It's a book that's lasted hundreds of years, unchanged. Proverbs may be entertaining, but they're also great words of wisdom. They show the moral truths that even Atheists follow. If you read the Bible, you may find out how amazing it actually is, and how true it is. There isn't a best version, but it's easier to read modern translations like NIV and NLT. The KJV and NKJV are at times confusing with the ancient words. The Old Testament is before Christ, and the new is afterward. The Old is the laws, and the New is the great Gospel. Good luck in your reading, I hope you learn from your reading.

Answer 7

The Bible is a good book to read but it takes some concentration. The Torah is the Old Testament. It was dictated to Moses by God. The "New Testament" is about the life of Jesus and has many authors.
If you wanted to read it, get a study Bible or a youth Bible.
Personally, I would not read the new Testament first because it is not accurate and the versions within it contradict each other but I am Jewish so I am biased.
As a child I read about the Bible in books called "The Little Midrash". They put the stories in context and told them in a way that I could understand. I found and still find the stories entertaining.
Even if you think of it as a "fiction" work, it does not hurt to read it. We read "fiction" all the time.
Read the Torah and then if interested and feel you have a good basis, read the New Testament. I have even read the Book of Mormon to understand it better but I agreed with noot one word of it.

Answer 8

You should start in the New Testament with the Gospels. (John 1st then Matthew, Mark and Luke) Once you have read the New Testament you can understand the Old Testament. Proverbs is in the Old Testament. The New King James version is the easiest to understand. The Old Testament was written before Jesus and the New Testament was written after Jesus. Good luck!! If you are reading the Bible for the first time, you should get a commentary to help you understand the wording.

Answer 9

Yes. Read it.

I am a Christian, but I still have at times sat down and read some of the books in the Bible just to read a story. It can be entertaining reading when reading it like that. The Bible is a collection of books, so I would not recommend trying to read it from cover to cover. I would read it book by book. There is a Proverb for every day of the month so you could read one a day for some daily wisdom. It might be a bit helpful to you if you can get some historical and cultural references before reading some of it so you can understand better what is going on.

I use the King James version myself, but for someone who has very little or no knowledge about the Bible I would start with one of the versions that is written in more of a "today's English" style.

The difference between "Old" Testament and "New" Testament is content. The Old Testament is about the life and times of the Hebrews (the nation of Israel), their ancestors, and predecessors from the time of Creation to just a bit after they were freed from being captives in the Babylonian/Persian empire. It was written before the birth of Jesus Christ. It contains history (Genesis - Esther), a book of what some classify as Jewish mythology, but I consider a book about a real person who went through trials and came out stronger in the end (Job), poetry, songs, wisdom (Psalms - Song of Solomon), and books of prophesy (Isaiah - Malachi). The New Testament was written in the time when the Roman Empire was in full swing, after the birth of Jesus. It contains biographies on the life of Jesus (Matthew - John), a book of history of the early church (Acts), a collection of letters written by the apostles to various churches or people (Romans - Jude), and a book of prophesy about the end times (Revelation).

I would not suggest starting out with either Jeremiah or Revelation. These two books are way to hard to understand completely for even those who have good comprehension of the Bible. I would start with the book of John.

Answer 10

Yes, it is.

Even though I am an atheist, I have read the book twice and it has helped me quite a bit in shaping up some of the things in my life. It teaches you how to be more compatible with the others and in turn answers lots of questions which might be haunting you.

The Old Testament is said to be an actual excerpt from the scriptures found and whereas New Testament is considered, people believe it to be amended, added upon by most of the historians.

All in all, Bible is worth reading atleast once in life.

Answer 11

I guess much will depend on your purpose. The more you seek from the bible, the more will be revealed to you. Some read it and their lives are profoundly changed forever. Others say it looks good on the coffee table or treat it like a pulp fiction novel. Still others find it utterly confusing.

In all cases it will deliver to you exactly what you want from it. So it's all up to you.

The King James Version is the most poetic, probably the most accurate and the most difficult to read.

Modern versions like the New International Version or the New Living Translation are easier on the brain.

If you want to get serious, get an amplified bible which will give you more resources and meaning. Top that off with a concordance for serious study.