If you started at Genesis 1:1 and kept reading—without stopping until you finished Revelation 22:21—it would take about 90 hours to read the entirety of the Bible.
We know that because, for the past 26 years, Christians from around the country have gathered at the steps of the U.S. Capitol and done exactly that. And now, organizers of the annual U.S. Capitol Bible Reading Marathon are ready to give it a 27th go.
According to the Rev. Michael Hall, co-director of the event, volunteers will begin reading, without commentary, at 6 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 1, at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. They will continue reading until noon Thursday, May 5, which coincides with the National Day of Prayer.
“During these five days, hundreds of Bible believers will travel to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol to read a portion of the Bible, to listen and to pray,” he said. “The U.S. Capitol Bible Reading Marathon began in 1990. The event serves to honor the Bible, celebrate religious freedom and unite the diverse branches of Christianity around the Bible.”
The first U.S. Capitol Bible Reading Marathon was held in 1990 and organized by Dr. John Hash and Dr. Corinthia Boone. The goal is simple: to honor God’s Holy Word; to celebrate Christians’ First Amendment freedoms of speech, assembly, religion; and to set aside denominational differences and unify the diverse body of Christ around the Holy Bible.
“The public reading of God’s Holy Word will call the nation to return to God’s precepts and will lay a solid foundation for the National Day of Prayer,” Hall said. “There will be 100 English and foreign language versions of the Bible available to be read.”
Those who would like to travel to our nation’s capital to take part in the reading are encouraged to volunteer with an email to [email protected] or by calling (202) 441-6455.
