02 · Reading

Book page: choose a passage and explore the whole book

Every book of the Bible has its own character. Before you begin, take a moment to see how it is organised, read its introduction and choose where to start.

The book page offers several routes into the text. Chapters are useful when you already have a reference. Titled passages help you find a whole story or speech. The introduction gives you a starting point for attentive reading.

Chapters: follow a familiar reference

The grid of numbers is the book’s chapter list. Select a number to open the corresponding text.

If someone gives you the reference “Gen 1:3”, read it as Genesis, chapter 1, verse 3. On the book page, select 1, then find the verse number within the chapter.

Assistant tip

Know the chapter number? Select it and start reading.

Titled passages: follow a complete thought

The Pericopes section, labelled Péricopes in French, lists passages that form units of meaning. The word may be unfamiliar, but this list is simple to use: choose a title that interests you.

A pericope is a passage you can read as a whole: a story, a conversation, a parable or part of a speech. For example, the account of the seven days of creation spans Gen 1:1–2:3. Its natural ending falls within the second chapter.

The chapters and verses appear beside each title, so you can see where the passage begins and how far it continues before opening it.

1. Find the title you want in the list.
2. Select it: the reader opens at the beginning of the passage, with the relevant verses highlighted.
3. If the passage continues into the next chapter, move on, checking the reference range as you go.

This is especially useful when preparing for a discussion or reading a whole story in one sitting. A list of passages appears where one has been prepared for the book.

Assistant tip

A pericope is a passage with its own title and boundaries defined by its meaning. Select one to start reading at the right place.

Introduction: ask your first questions about the book

The About panel, labelled À propos in French, helps you see the whole book beyond its individual verses. What is this book about? How does its story or argument develop? Which historical and literary questions should you keep in mind?

The topics depend on the introduction prepared for the book. Select a heading to expand a section; select it again to collapse it. You can read the introduction in order, or explore one question and return to the rest later.

On a wide screen, the introduction sits beside the contents. You can keep it close at hand while choosing a passage.

Assistant tip

The introduction helps you get to know the book as a whole. Open a topic that interests you, then choose a chapter or passage.

Try it

Open Genesis. Look at the first few chapters and the available passage titles, then read one section of the introduction. Open the first chapter. Even this brief exploration gives your reading a starting point: you already have a question to bring to the text.