The Gospel of Luke is a great introduction to the life of Jesus. It was written by the apostle Paul's great friend and companion, Luke. Luke, although a doctor by trade, enjoyed travelling and working with Paul. Luke put his scientific training to good use as he investigated all the things that were taught about Jesus. Although Luke probably never met Jesus personally, he interviewed, like a seasoned reporter, those who had lived and worked with Jesus. After he had gathered all the facts, he wrote the Gospel of Luke which is the third gospel in the Bible.
One of the reasons people want to learn to read is to be able to read the Bible for themselves. It is important to be able to know and understand the Bible for yourself. [For adults or older students, Free Bible Study Lessons offers a free e-mail course on How To Study The Bible For Yourself.] Learning to read can be challenging for beginners and reading the Bible specifically can be difficult, although there are many modern translations which make it easier.
What I have tried to do with the Biblical book of Luke presented below is to give an easy reading
version. It is important to know that this is not a translation. In
other words, it does not pretend to represent exactly what Luke wrote.
Neither is it a paraphrase. A paraphrase rewords the text in modern language.
I have not simply reworded the text. In some cases I have worked
explanations into the story that the reader would otherwise have to
search out for themselves. For example, in relation to Zechariah I
mention that the priests were divided into groups and took turns serving
in the Temple. In a few cases I have eliminated information that
beginning readers might not find interesting. For example, genealogies.
On the other hand, this is not simply selected stories from the Luke.
It follows chapter by chapter everything in the Gospel of Luke.
Naturally, once beginning readers have mastered their reading skills, they will want to read the "real" thing in a reliable translation. But I hope this presentation below will help those beginning to read to practice their reading skills while at the same time beginning to get a basic knowledge of the Bible.
Note to instructors: Although I have given some phonetic guides for proper nouns or unusual words, have the students sound out words they do not know [using their rule cards if they are Academic Associate students]. Never guess at words. If the student cannot figure out a word have them look it up. I like www.thefreedictionary.com, but you may have another preference. For those of you who may be interested, I have based this material on the New International Version 1984 edition on www.biblegateway.com.