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New to the Bible? This page gives a short orientation and a few places to begin. Read at your own pace.

What the Bible is

The Bible is a collection of books written over many centuries. It has two parts. The Old Testament was written mostly in Hebrew, with some parts in Aramaic. The New Testament was written in Greek and tells of Jesus and the first Christians.

Protestant Bibles have 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include these 66 and also some additional books, such as Tobit, Judith and the Wisdom of Solomon. BibleTide shows the 66 books for now.

Where to begin

There is no single right place to start. Many people begin with one of these:

• The Gospel of Mark: the shortest of the four accounts of the life of Jesus (16 chapters).
• The Gospel of John: another account of Jesus' life, with long conversations and teaching (21 chapters). Read John 1.
• Genesis: the first book, with the accounts of creation, Abraham, Jacob and Joseph (50 chapters).
• Psalms: 150 songs and prayers. You can read them in any order.

If you would like a passage for each day, choose a reading plan.

How references work

A reference such as John 3:16 means the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16. John 3:16–18 means verses 16 to 18 of the same chapter. Chapter and verse numbers were added long after the books were written, to make passages easier to find.

To go to a passage, type the reference in the box at the top of the page. Short forms work too: jn 3 16 opens John 3:16. To find a word or phrase, use search.

Using BibleTide

• Verses: tap or click a verse to copy it, share it, highlight it, add a note or bookmark, compare translations, or see the Hebrew and Greek words behind it (Study).
• Small numbers and letters: the small numbers in the text are verse numbers. A small letter marks a footnote; tap it to read the note. You can hide both under Aa.
• Settings: the Aa button changes the text size and turns dark mode on or off.
• Listen: the speaker button reads the chapter aloud and goes on to the next one.
• How are you feeling? Pick a feeling to read a passage for it.
• Reading plans: your progress is kept on your device. You do not need an account.
• Verse of the day: a short passage, different each day of the year.
• Translations: four English translations are available. About the translations describes each one, and How to choose a translation explains the differences, including why some verse numbers seem to be missing.
• Install it as an app: in Chrome or Edge, use the install button in the address bar; on an iPhone or iPad, tap Share and then Add to Home Screen. It then opens like an app and works offline.