CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible: With Daily Readings Guided by Dr. George Guthrie

by George H. Guthrie, C.S.B. Bibles

The CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible features a narrative approach to the Bible, arranging the full text into a clear chronological reading plan with daily readings guided by Dr. George Guthrie. In this unique plan, the books, chapters, and verses of the Bible are organized for readers in three main acts to track the story of Scripture from beginning to end. This format is designed to draw readers into the biblical narrative, helping them apply it in their own lives. Unlike most other chronological Bibles, this arrangement is not date-specific (e.g. “January 1”), so you can jump into the plan at any point in the calendar year. FEATURES

52 weeks of readings (six readings per week) in chronological orderScripture presented in three main acts (God’s Plan for All People; God’s Covenant People; God’s New Covenant People) and seventeen total scenesAn introduction for each act and scene to provide context for the storyDurable Smyth-sewn lay-flat binding Single-column text format with wide margins for notes9-point type sizeBlack-letter textRibbon marker for easy referencing between pagesPresentation page for gift-giving The CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible® (CSB). The CSB captures the Bible’s original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture’s life-transforming message and to share it with others.

Genres: Devotional, Nonfiction

1667 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2018

About the author

Dr. George Guthrie serves as the Benjamin W. Perry Professor of Bible at Union University in Jackson, TN. As a student of the New Testament and Koine Greek, he is the author of numerous articles and seven books, including, The Structure of Hebrews: A Textlinguistic Analysis (Supplements to Novum Testamentum, 73. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1994; republished by Baker Books in 1998), Biblical Greek Exegesis (Co-authored with J. Scott Duvall, Zondervan), the NIV Application Commentary: Hebrews, and Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Hebrews. Dr. Guthrie has participated in translation projects, such as the revision of The New Living Translation, and has served as a consultant on the Holman Christian Standard Bible, the New Century Version, and the English Standard Version. He has also served for five years as a co-chair of the Biblical Greek Language and Linguistics Section of SBL, has served on the Executive Committee of the Institute for Biblical Research, and has served on the editorial board for Sheffield's JSNTS monograph series. At Union University he has led in the establishment of, and serves as Senior Fellow in, the Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, which is committed to promoting sound Bible reading, study, and interpretation at the grassroots level of the church. Dr. Guthrie holds both the Ph.D. and the M.Div. degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Th.M. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! I have tried many times to read the Bible through and this version helped me so much! It was very helpful having the Bible in order and so helpful being divided in to weekly/day reading. It was also extremely helpful having summary before you read and having a summary to read at the end of the week.

[Christina O.]

I finally read the whole Bible!

I liked how this edition organized everything chronologically. It was really helpful during Kings and Chronicles, and Acts and the Epistles. I did not enjoy reading the Gospels chronologically because there was too much repetition. I would probably read them as singular books whenever I read it again.

Never having read through the whole Bible before, I finally realized how important context is. I knew it was important, but finally being able to see the whole scope of the story has been beautiful.

[SarahO]

Finished! This was my second time through the whole Bible but the first with this version. I love how it's pieced together chronologically with little readings above each day. It also does not have headings that section the chapters off. A great way to help see the books as a whole and not just little readings.

[Joanna Gramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

First half was slow but really picked up at the end. Climax goes crazyyyy. Just when you think it’s over 🤯 A real page turner. Overall, a W book

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Bible is organized in a chronological order, so you read the books in the order the events happened (or, for the letters, in the order in which they were written). It is divided into 52 weeks of 6 readings and a day to reflect and pray about what you read all week. Every day has an explanation of that day's reading and something to look for or an exhortation to pray through the reading.

This is not a Bible to carry to church. There is an index in the back to show where each chapter is located, but it wouldn't be easy to use this Bible in a church or Bible study setting. The value of this Bible is that you can follow a chronological plan without having to flip around to get to the next reading (which would be a lot of flipping, especially with Kings/Chronicles and the gospels). I haven't used a chronological plan before because of time spent flipping around, and this was a really convenient way for me to get through a chronological plan.

Aesthetics - The leathertouch is soft and pliable. The pages have wide margins, great for those of us who take notes and write observations in our Bibles. The paper leaves something to be desired, but I found that Zebra Sarasa Clip 0.5 pens were the best for avoiding bleed-through.

[Takor Njang · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time reading through the Bible cover to cover and it’s something I definitely want to do for the rest of my life. This Bible gave me tools and concepts I’ve never considered. I’d love to read this again in the future and I’d love to have it in another version to go deeper. Amazing bible, I love the way they broke down the scenes and really made the story and threads come alive. I actually never knew there was verbatim repetition between books like the Kings and Chronicles so my eyes were open and mind extremely fascinated by the parallels that exists in the Bible. It came alive to me and I enjoyed reading God’s word like never before!

[Mallory Nall · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time reading the Bible from start to finish. Highly recommend this Bible!

[Jessica Wilkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading through this version this year. It was fascinating to see how the bible all fits together chronologically and I found the extra insights to be helpful, especially when it came to understanding some of the darker Old Testament parts. Reading chronologically meant that I was in the OT until October but that’s okay. I found this to be a beneficial yearly bible reading experience and will most likely read this particular one again in the future.

[Abbie Blain · Rating 5 out of 5]

My stars are based on the impact that a book will have on my life once I have finished the book. According to that metric, this definitely gets a five star rating. The process of reading it would be a 3.5 ⭐️ because it was TOUGH to be in the Old Testament for 10 months and then sprint through the New Testament in the last 2 months of the year. Going through this as a church helped me to zoom in on parts of scripture to have a better footing as I read so much each week. I saw new things in scripture this year and I’m thankful for the big picture view I had this year. That being said…. I am very excited to have a slower approach to scripture reading in the new year and to sit in smaller passages and delight in God’s word in a different way.

[Bob Hayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever read the Bible through in a chronological order? You may not know that the books of our English Bibles are not arranged chronologically. Genesis through 2 Kings are mostly in chronological order, and Ezra through Esther are from roughly the same time-frame: but the arrangement of the Old Testament books are made by type (law, history, poetry and prophecy) rather than time. Daniel comes before Hosea, but was written later. Ezra comes a few books before Isaiah, but is closer to Haggai and Malachi’s era. The Gospels often tell the same story three (or four) different times, and are followed by Acts: but the rest of the New Testament is composed of letters grouped according to author.

In the "Day by Day Chronological Bible," the Old Testament books are given in their chronological order (with respect to the historical unfolding of God’s dealings with Israel). Psalms and Proverbs are interspersed throughout (where their theme complements that day’s reading). The prophetic books appear in the time periods when the prophet was ministering. For example, Isaiah has some sections which describe King Hezekiah’s interactions with the Assyrians. These sections are parallel with similar accounts in both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles. The three accounts appear together in this Bible. Also, since Isaiah had a long ministry which overlapped with other prophets, the book of Micah is found in its entirety within the Isaiah readings in this Bible. (On another note, Isaiah 40-66 is treated as written by Isaiah in the same time period – which is in line with most conservative interpreters). For the New Testament, the Gospel accounts that describe the same events are arranged together, and the epistles are interspersed with Acts in the order of when they were likely written.

Reading the Bible chronologically gives a fresh perspective and is quite enjoyable. This endeavor is made much easier when you use a “day by day” Bible like this one. The chronological arrangement of the books of the Bible is spread out and divided into daily readings. Each reading is numbered in two separate ways. First, there are 52 weeks of readings, with 7 days per week. (The Bible text is actually divided into just 6 textual readings per week, so if you miss a reading it is easy to catch up.) Then the readings are also arranged according to acts and scenes. There are three acts: God’s Plan for All People (Gen. 1 – 11), God’s Covenant People (Gen. 12 – Mal. 4), and God’s New Covenant People (Matt. 1 – Rev. 22). The acts are further divided into scenes, with readings making up the content of those scenes. A final word about the arrangement: the readings are numbered and not dated. This means you can pick up this new Bible in February or June and start reading it then (no need to wait for January 1).

What makes this particular edition especially helpful are the guided readings by Dr. George Guthrie (Professor of New Testament at Regent College, Vancouver and author of several commentaries). Guthrie introduces each week’s reading plan, and each individual day’s reading – highlighting themes to be looking for and points to pray or meditate over. His thoughts are typically a short paragraph or two to get you going with that day’s reading. He provides somewhat longer introductions for each act and brief introductions for each scene as well. Aside from these introductions, there are no additional study helps outside of a Scripture index and a few maps in the back.

The look and feel of this Bible is really nice, and the text is uncluttered and easy to read (9 point font). Often daily reading Bibles don’t get the royal treatment. And while this is not actually leather, the brown imitation “leathertouch” feels like the real thing and is nice enough to bring along on Sunday morning. There are two ribbon bookmarks which is nice (but do you need two if you are following the daily reading?). I absolutely love the single column text with a nice wide margin. My main critique is that there are no footnotes or cross references. The CSB Bible normally comes with footnotes that provide additional information about the Greek text and alternative renderings, and many editions have cross references. Perhaps it was determined that notes and references get in the way of just reading the text day by day. I can sympathize with that, and a Bible like this may be aimed more for those new to Bible reading. But I still miss the notes, and feel that readers miss out on the inter-textual parallels that the cross references provide.

The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) text is noticeably improved from the earlier Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) of which it is a revision. I never liked the free use of “Yahweh” to refer to the LORD, and it seems the translation “Messiah” was inconsistently applied (used only in Jewish contexts). These idiosyncrasies have been abandoned for more mainstream translation choices, and the publisher’s name was removed from the work as well. This translation aims to be both readable and literal (using “optimal equivalence“) and compares well with the ESV, my translation of choice.

I highly recommend this exceptional Bible. It provides a user-friendly tool for reading the Bible chronologically with understanding. May it encourage people to read the Bible more and enlighten them on the big picture of what the Bible is really all about.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by the publisher. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a positive review.

[Kim Ferrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanna be so clear, my rating is for this particular layout, not the Bible in general.

That being said, I did like this plan! The chronological layout was interesting, though it made this text almost impossible to navigate outside of that one specific use. It was a LOT of reading per day, though I’m glad I’ve now gone through it at least once. Do I see myself doing this again in the near future? Definitely not. Having a big group to read with definitely helped keep me accountable & see it through to the end. Learned a lot and happy to have this accomplishment under my belt!

[Robin Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could I give the Bible anything but 5 stars?
I like to read through the Bible devotionally every few years. I liked using this one because it is arranged chronologically, with the historical narratives inter-woven with the poetry, prophecies, and letters appropriately placed. I liked reading a different translation—I’m a fan of CSB. And I really appreciated the devotional guidance and historical insights provided by George Guthrie.

[Carissa Elonen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the whole Bible was something I didn’t feel like I could accomplish. I am so thankful for a church that made this their goal in 2024! Reading it helped me gain perspective on biblical stories I didn’t have previously and helped me understand the story of Christ from a wider angle.

Got off track at times and had hours of reading to catch up on, but I am grateful that I stuck to it and disciplined myself to finish!!!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent chronological Bible! Read it in smaller parts, which is why it took me a little over two years to read. Love reading the Bible this way.

[Tim Finch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a rewarding experience! Can't wait to zoom in on some books now for 2021!!!

[Jeremiah Mays · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only New Years resolution that I was able to keep was to read through this Bible in a year. My 4 rating is both for this particular Bible and for the version itself.

I thought that the Day by Day was formatted well, and arranged in a good, interesting, chronological order. The daily writings by George Gunthrie were ok, but not very in depth which I suppose he probably wasn’t aiming for, since this is not a study bible. I didn’t like the Act-Scene-Reading format. I don’t understand why he felt it necessary to format it like a play. It didn’t make much of a difference. The “week” and “day” format would have worked just fine by itself.

The CSB- This was my first time reading through the CSB. I grew accustomed to reading it, nevertheless, It never grew on me as my favorite translation. I do believe, however, that It is a faithful translation and worth reading through at least once.

[Patrick Poteet · Rating 5 out of 5]

For several years I have been reading translations of the Bible. This was a good translation. First time reading a chronological versions. Not my favorite.

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading the CSB Chronological Bible for two weeks. For the most part I have settled into its layout and even font size, although I still need a little more light.

I don’t get the heading arrangements

Aside from the normal Biblical text: book, chapter, verse, the Chronological Bible uses a system with:

Act — Scene — Reading

So for today’s reading (Genesis 30-33) was labeled:

Act 2— Scene 1 —Reading 8

Who would know that Act 2 — Scene 4 —Reading 15 refers to Ruth (given away by the name in the text)? When it comes to later texts in which names of people or places are not mentioned, how would such a system work?

Unless a reader keeps this extra structure handy on a separate sheet, I find no value in adding it to the notes. Maybe someone has a good reason for it. But if you asked me what is Act 2 — Scene 4 —Reading 15 I would have no clue. And only by looking at p. 392 would I discover that the reading for that day is the Book of Ruth.

Perhaps it will make sense when I get to 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 &2 Kings, as well as the integrated prophetic readings. But not sure how this helps the reader.

I never did buy into the whole new structure without reference to the normal Biblical references (i.e. 1 Samuel 2). I was speaking with a member in the church who expressed interest in that kind of Bible. After five weeks, I was dissatisfied with the approach, so I gave this person who gladly accepted it.

[Leslie Hitchcock]

Of course, the Bible is 5 stars! A few thoughts about this binding:

I REALLY enjoyed the wide margins, the intro to each day's reading, and the single column format. It's big, it's beefy, and I love that!

What I didn't enjoy was translation (I really don't care for CSB-personal preference), and wrinkling and folds within the pages. So many of the pages were wrinkled near the spine and it drove me nuts. I thought the 'act-scene-reading' thing was distracting and unnecessary. I also wish Proverbs were dispersed a little bit instead of all at once, however that technically would be out of order (again, preference). I would absolutely call this one a "second" in terms of physical condition received but the pros far outweighed the cons.

Overall I don't think I can read the Bible yearly out of chronological order again. I've read before where OT, Psalms, Proverbs, and NT were read each day, but this just really works for me. I hope you will consider doing so at some point.

My only wish is that I could have this exact Bible in NASB or NKJV

[Unchong Berkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading through the whole Bible every year for the past 4 or so years, but this was the first time using the CSB translation in chronological format. I found the short introductions to the readings to be helpful, as they helped guide the reader to what era of Biblical history we were in as we read.

[Lisa Boatwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had thought to read the Bible chronologically years ago. This is the first time I've been able to read it cover to cover, but I really enjoyed it and it has made a huge difference in my relationship with God.

[Brian Langford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great way to read the Bible in a year. I enjoyed a different translation, the little preview for each day and the chronological set up.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bible’s unique format enabled me to read through the entire bible for the first time after many failed attempts. I read through it in 47 days.

[Daysha Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second time reading the Bible all the way through. Still feel like I know and understand about 1/100 of what’s in there. Plan to start it again 1/1/25

[Cindy Navarro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love it! Despite years of trying various reading plans, and being a lover of history, I still get confused about the timeline of the Bible. I love the weekly/6 day set up and appreciate the additional reading by Dr. Guthrie to further clarify what's happening. From the feel of the outside cover to the contents inside, I can hardly wait to start using this Bible to study. I have used mostly HCSB in recent years but recently bought a small CSB to take to church (since our new pastor uses CSB). Of course, I also go online to look at other translations too, especially when I am wanting to make sure I have a clear understanding of a passage of Scripture. Keep in mind, though, that this is NOT a regular Bible with the books lined up in their standard order. This Bible is meant for a study of God's story through His scripture... laid out via a timeline. It's a tool meant to increase your knowledge.

Many people read the Bible daily, and a goal is often to have a "Read the Bible in a Year" plan. But do you get lost trying to remember the timeline of the Bible? God reveals Himself to us through the pages of His Word and it helps to have a clear understanding of the history and stories as you learn how they fit together. The CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible, published by Lifeway Christian Resources, features a clear narrative approach to the Bible, arranging the complete text into a fresh chronological reading plan with daily readings guided by Dr. George Guthrie. The CSB Day-by-Day Chronological Bible features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible® (CSB). The CSB stays as literal as possible to the Bible’s original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture’s life-transforming message and to share it with others.

Not to be confused with a regular Bible or a Daily Reading Bible, the Day-by-Day Chronological Bible, is set up with weekly readings with the Bible history told from beginning to end; This is a much different layout than a regular Bible. Rather like a play, movie, or book, this Bible is divided into 3 main acts (God’s Plan for All People; God’s Covenant People; God’s New Covenant People) and 17 scenes, with an intro for each act and scene to orient the reader to its importance in the grand story. This brown Leathertouch has single-column text with plenty of space for taking notes, concordance, smyth-sewn binding, presentation page, and 8 full-color maps.

I deeply appreciate LEV3L Digital and Lifeway for providing me with a copy of this product for an honest review. #csbBibleL3

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

I started this one on March 24, 2020. I finished it April 15, 2020. It was my goal to read through this one at a fast big-picture pace. I thought it would be a great use of time in this disordered new world--aka COVID 19 pandemic "quarantine."

This chronological Bible orders events into three acts. Act one covers: Creation, the Fall, the Flood. Act two covers everything--yes, EVERYTHING--from Abraham through Malachi. (But this scene--as all acts are broken into scenes as well.) Act three covers the New Testament.

The readings are divided into weeks and days. But they are not assigned a calendar date (January 1, March 15, December 30, etc.) Instead they are simply numbered. (Week One, Day Five, for example). For those readers who aren't always always on task and great at keeping up with devotional reading plans, this one would add the benefit of no guilt.

Day Seven of each week is a reflection and prayer.

I read this one in e-book format. I loved it in that format. I have the HCSB version of this--it is called Reading God's Story or something similar. The print in that is super-teeny-tiny and absolutely impossible. The e-book is super-easy on the eyes. And I could have made the font even larger if necessary.

I would definitely recommend this one. It is, I believe, still on sale.

[Ian Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have never before read through the Bible chronologically; what an amazing exercise! George Guthrie is winsome and most helpful guide. This change in perspective from the traditional pattern (beginning in Genesis and ending in Revelation) was surprisingly refreshing and helpful. I would, without a doubt, encourage others in following this pattern, at least once. Neither does Guthrie, with his daily introductions etc., intrude into the text. Rather he is succinct and 'on point' with his wise assistance in the process (neither too little, nor too much). At times a certain 'quirkiness' seemed to appear in the (CSB) translation decisions (although, possibly more one of personal perception than with the translation itself). In often (correctly in most cases, I would add) translating (for instance) the Greek word, 'adelphoi' (most literally, 'brothers') as 'brothers and sisters', there are perhaps half-a-dozen cases (plus or minus) where either the very precise 'brothers' or the broader 'brothers and sisters' were utilized by 'the committee' only to leave the rendering awkward, and, in one or two cases, inconsistent and confusing.

[Samantha Metheny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I hadn’t waited 15+ years in my Christian walk to read the Bible chronologically. Reading the Bible this way illuminates so much depth and context to the Bible. This Chronological Bible helps you to see how the Bible is one cohesive story about how God is redeeming his people to relationship with himself through the work of Jesus.

Here are some of my favorite features:
David’s Psalms are mixed in with his life account. The reader gets to read David praising God during his good days and David lamenting during his hard days. This makes the psalms come alive!

This plan places all of the prophetic writings next to the historical narratives in which they took place. Example: You don’t need a Bible handbook to figure out who Obadiah was written to (and when), because the context for this writing is literally built in.

The gospel accounts are side-by-side, so you can compare the four different accounts of the same event. It’s genuinely interesting to see how the authors chose to record Jesus’s ministry from their own point of view.

You should read it!

[Mike Beranek · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this CSB translation - somewhere between the hyper-literal and hyper-modern - it was easy to read and to use as a base to compare selected passages with other more quirky, and some dare say less pedestrian translations. The commentaries by Dr Guthrie are excellent - illuminating and encouraging and without a certain kind of preachiness that one often finds, but at the same time quite intimate and pastoral. The way it's divided up enabled the considerable journey from beginning to end to pass without feeling left all alone and uninformed. The way it handled the concurrent narratives like Kings and Chronicles was clever and interesting, and made the great story of the Hebrews come together, as opposed to jumping back and forth in time as one would going from A to Z traditionally. There are helpful charts at the back to help mark progress.

[Libby King · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me over a year, but I finished reading the whole Bible! I loved this version with its daily outline/discussion before diving into the scriptures for the day. It took me longer to read because I listened to the BEMA Discipleship podcast alongside reading the whole New Testament in order to better understand historical context from an Eastern Jewish perspective (especially for Revelation which they dive into verse by verse). Reading and studying the Bible this way has transformed my view of God’s story, where His people have come from, and where we are called to be now. I see how greatly the OT connects to the NT, as much of the NT is re-quoted OT scriptures.
God’s mercy and love is shown throughout the entire Biblical story, and there is no greater hope than in Him!!