ESV Study Bible | English Standard Version

You can now download and print the Daily Bible Reading Plan found in the back of the ESV Study Bible and the Literary Study Bible.  It is perforated to allow for creating four separate bookmarks, matching the four main sections of the reading plan.

As written in the plan’s introduction…

This schedule of daily Bible readings is designed for reading through the entire Bible in one year.

There are four readings for each day. These readings are divided into four main sections: Psalms and Wisdom Literature; Pentateuch and the History of Israel; Chronicles and Prophets; and Gospels and Epistles.

In order to make the readings come out evenly, four major books of the Bible are included twice in the schedule: the Psalms (the Bible’s hymnal), Isaiah (the grandest of the OT prophets), Luke (one of the four biblical Gospels), and Romans (the heart of the Bible’s theology of salvation).

The list of readings from the Psalms and the Wisdom Literature begins and ends with special readings that are especially appropriate for the opening and closing of the year. The list of readings from the Pentateuch and the History of Israel proceeds canonically through the five books of Moses and then chronologically through the history of the OT, before closing the year with the sufferings of Job. The List of readings from the Chronicles and the Prophets begins with the Chronicler’s history of the people of God from Adam through the exile, followed by the Major and Minor Prophets, which are organized chronologically rather than canonically.

The Gospels and Epistles are largely grouped according to authorship; first, the writings of Luke (in the Gospel of Luke) followed by the book of Acts, then the letters of Paul (from Romans through Philemon); next Matthew, followed by Hebrews (both of which seem to have been written to largely Jewish-Christian audiences); then Mark, which was probably based on the experiences of Peter, followed by Peter’s own letters; then a repeat of Luke and Romans; finally, James and the writings of John (including the Gospel of John, the epistles of John, and Revelation).

This is just one of many good plans for reading through the Bible in one year.  This plan and a number of others are available for free at www.esv.org (direct link here). The most important thing is to take your Bible and read it, praying to the Father that the Spirit will take what all the Scriptures teach about Christ and apply it to your mind and heart and life.

Following the radio program mentioned in our last post, Dr. Mohler has written on “How to Use a Study Bible”.

From his article:

How should a study Bible be used?

1. Read the text of the Bible first. Meditate upon the text and read it with care. Apply your own knowledge of the Bible in order to understand the particular text within its context and place in the biblical story-line. Consider and note other texts that come to your mind as directly related to this text. Read the text with full attention and conviction.

2. Look carefully at the cross-references that the study Bible links to the text you are reading. Do not look only to the citations, but read the actual passages. This assistance is still the main contribution of a study Bible — making related and parallel passages more accessible. A first principle of interpreting the Bible is to interpret the Bible by the Bible. In other words, to allow the Bible to interpret itself text by text.

3. As a third step, take full advantage of the notes, articles, and other helps printed alongside the text. In some cases, short articles will help in understanding contested issues or matters that might otherwise require a Bible dictionary or encyclopedia. Where appropriate, maps can be very useful, along with tables of measurement and similar points of reference. The very best of the study Bibles will also offer some level of commentary within the notes.

Read the rest of Dr. Mohler’s article.

Albert Mohler had Justin Taylor, managing editor of the ESV Study Bible, as his guest yesterday on The Albert Mohler Radio Program.

Listen in on their discussion about Bibles, Bible translation, and Bible study resources.

Steve Whitacre, pastor of youth/family life at Sovereign Grace Church in Fairfax, Virginia, writes:

I’m not the first person to suggest 10 reasons why the ESV Study Bible is great, but I want to give you 10 reasons that I think it’s great for teenagers.  In fact, I think it’s so great, that it deserves the top spot on every teenager’s Christmas List!

Read the whole thing.

We were too delighted to receive the following note from Heather Dirkse, who teaches at Westminster Christian Academy in Elgin, IL:

This Bible has completely transformed my classroom. I cannot even begin to express how exciting it is to see 6th, 7th, and 8th graders so interested in not only reading their Bible, but also using the notes, the cross references, and the maps to find additional information and to answer questions they may have. We desire to teach God’s Word hermeneutically so that when students leave this place they are equipped to study God’s Word on their own. This Bible gives them the tools to do that!

The maps are everywhere! We don’t have to turn to the back of the Bible—the map that is relevant to what we are studying is right on the page! We use this daily.

7th grade is studying the prophecies and we have a section that discusses “The Day of the Lord.” I was able to build an entire class around the graphic organizer on The Day of the Lord found in Amos!

With the online Bible (we have smart boards), I am able to have the Bible open in front of the class. We can cross reference immediately and highlight areas we are discussing!

8th grade is studying the life of Christ. The notes consistently teach them how everything ties into the Old Testament. I have made many worksheets that engage them in using the notes and cross references to explain a certain passage.

These are just a few examples of how we are using this Bible. I wish the people who worked so hard on this could witness the excitement I have experienced in my middle school classrooms! It is a great blessing!