Targets

People often ask, Where should I start to read the Hebrew Bible?

Ha! If there ever was a loaded question that's it. Why should you read, why would you want to, what will we do with the choices, all bound up in a 'where should I start' question.

I am now looking for a lottery on where will I finish. Even one on the odds of finishing. C'mon bookmakers, do a lottery and give me a cut. Somehow, I doubt it.

But here's the chapters left by book. So how will I finish - with a gradual sweep or a book at a time?

Book		chapters left Dec 12	out of
Torah	Genesis	25	50
	Exodus	8	40
	Leviticus	7	27
	Numbers	16	36
	Deuteronomy	6	34
Former Prophets	Joshua	9	24
	Judges	16	21
	1 Samuel	18	31
	2 Samuel	18	24
	1 Kings	10	22
	2 Kings	9	25
Later Prophets	Isaiah	28	66
	Jeremiah	20	52
	Ezekiel	28	48
Other	Daniel	9	12
	Ezra	7	10
	Nehemiah	11	13
	1 Chronicles	21	29
	2 Chronicles	19	36

So far I have done specific groups of books completely. I think it was important to have begun with the Psalms, and to have done the five scrolls. I think Deuteronomy should be completed. I suspect it is another key to the formation of the history. Samuel, Kings and Chronicles will support each other. As one chapter is done, its parallel passages will be guessed. The final section lags the others.

Overall, both more and less detail at once:

Books	Chapters	Verses	by vs	Chapters 'Done'	Verses compl ch	Words compl ch	weeks left	% 'done' by ch
1 Torah	187	5853	25%	125	3847	52943	16.7	66.8%
2 Former Prophets	147	4317	19%	67	1902	30827	20.1	45.6%
3 Later Prophets	166	3928	17%	90	1911	29184	16.8	54.2%
4 The 12	67	1050	5%	67	1050	14357	0.0	100.0%
5 Books of Truth	223	4512	19%	223	4512	34841	0.0	100.0%
6 The 5 Scrolls	39	745	3%	39	745	10118	0.0	100.0%
7 Other	100	2792	12%	33	742	11252	17.1	33.0%
Totals	929	23197	100%	644	14,709	183,522	70.7	69.3%