Easy Reading Passages
Easy Reading Passages
New Testament | Myths and Fables
In general, these passages assume that you have completed the grammar listed for each group, but occasionally they use a form you may not be familiar with. Don't panic. Keep your wits and make an educated guess. Then go on.
If you want to review some endings before tackling the passages, visit Smythe's Greek Grammar. Feel free to skip over the explanations to find what you are looking for. If you are looking for help with Greek syntax (e.g., the meaning of the cases), click on Rydberg-Cox, Overview of Greek Syntax
To read these texts, you will need a Greek font. Click here for Perseus' Greek Font Display Help to decide which font works best for your computer.
New Testament:
Group 1. Easiest
Grammar Required:
Nouns: all cases, first declension, second declension, third declension, masc & fem, neuter
Verbs: present tense, active and middle; present imperatives
Pronouns: personal pronouns, interrogatives
Paul's Greeting to the Church at Ephesus: "Paul, the apostle of Christ Jesus," Ephesians 1:1-2
Paul's Greetings to the Church at Philippi: "Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ," Philippians 1:1-2
Paul's Greeting to Timothy: "Paul, the apostle of Christ Jesus, according to the command," I Timothy 1:1-2
Treasure in Heaven: "Don't store up for yourselves treasure on earth," Matthew 6:19-21
The Way, the Truth, the Life: "And Thomas says to him," John 14:4-6
Neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female: "You are all sons of God," Galatians 3:26-29
Group 2. Pretty Easy
Grammar required:
Verbs: present, imperfect, and aorist tenses; present and aorist participles
Pronouns: relative pronoun
The genealogy of Jesus Christ: "The book of the genesis of Jesus Christ," Matthew 1:1-17
The opening of John's Gospel: "In the beginning was the word," John 1:1-9. Click here if you want help with the first five verses.
The Birth of Jesus: "In those days, a decree went out," Luke 2:1-14
The Calling of Four Fisherman: "Walking along the Sea of Galilee," Matthew 4:18-22
Ministering to a Great Multitude: "And he went around the whole of Galilee," Matthew 4:23-25
The Feeding of the Five Thousand: "After this Jesus went away across the Sea of Galilee," John 6:1-15
The Resurrection of Jesus: "On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early," John 20:1-10
Group 3: Not Difficult
Grammar Required:
Verbs: future tense, mi-verbs, verbs with irregular 2nd aorists (e.g. baino, gignosko, histemi)
Adjectives: comparison of adjectives
Participles: genitive absolute
The Preaching of John the Baptist: "In the fifteenth year of rule of Tiberius Caesar," Luke 3:1-4
The Good Samaritan: "And look, a teacher of the law stood up," Luke 10:25-37
The Greatest Commandments: "And one of the scribes having come forward, having heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well," Mark 12:28-34
The Widow's Offering: "And sitting down opposite the treasury, Jesus was seeing," Mark 12:41-44
Paying Taxes to Caesar: "At that time, the Pharisees went and took counsel so that they might lay a trap for him in his speaking," Matthew 22:15-22
Jesus and Zacchaeus, the tax-collector: "Upon entering Jericho, he went through [the city]," Luke 19:1-10
A Sinful Woman Forgiven: "One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and entering the Pharisee's house, he reclined at table," Luke 7:36-49
Group 4: Very Do-able
Grammar Required:
Verbs: subjunctive mood; future and aorist passive
The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven: At that time, the disciples came to Jesus," Matthew 18:1-4
Ask, Seek, Knock: "Ask and it will be given to you," Matthew 7:7-12
Jesus the Good Shepherd: "Amen, amen, I say to you, the one not entering through the door," John 10:1-17 or 7-17
Imitate Christ's humility: "If there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love," Philippians 2:1-11
Healing of the Man Born Blind: "And coming along, he saw a man blind from birth," John 9:1-12
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing, Part 1: "They lead him, the one once blind, to the Pharisees," John 9:13-21
The Pharisees Investigate the Healing, Part 2: "So they spoke to the man who was blind a second time," John 9:24-39
Paul's Encomium to Love: "I show you an even superior way. If I speak in the languages of men and of angels," I Corinthians 13:1-13
Group 5: Yes, You Can!
Grammar Required:
Verbs: perfect and pluperfect tenses; oida
The Wedding at Cana: "And on the third day, there was a wedding," John 2:1-12
Jairus' Daughter and the Woman Who Touched Jesus' Garment: "When Jesus had crossed back over to the other side," Mark 5:21-43
Born Again: "Now there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus by name, a ruler of the Jews," John 3:1-21
Jesus and the Woman of Samaria, Part 1: "Therefore, when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples," John 4:1-15
Jesus and the Woman of Samaria, Part 2: "He said to her, Go, call your husband and come here," John 4:16-30
Jesus and the Woman of Samaria, Part 3: "Meanwhile, his disciples were asking him, saying Rabbi, eat," John 4:31-42
Fables and Myths:
Group 1. Easiest
Grammar Required:
Nouns: all cases, first declension, second declension, third declension, masc & fem, neuter
Verbs: present tense, active and middle; present imperatives
Pronouns: personal pronouns, interrogatives
Fables from Aesop
Zeus' unions and offspring: Apollodorus 1.3.1
Group 2. Pretty Easy
Grammar required:
Verbs: present, imperfect, and aorist tenses; present and aorist participles
Pronouns: relative pronoun
Prometheus and the gift of fire: Apollodorus 1.7.1
Group 3: Not Difficult
Grammar Required:
Verbs: future tense, mi-verbs, verbs with irregular 2nd aorists (e.g. baino, gignosko, histemi)
Adjectives: comparison of adjectives
Participles: genitive absolute
Deucalion and Pyrrha and the Flood: "A child Deucalion was born from Prometheus," Apollodorus 1.7.2
The Castration of Ouranos: "Earth, disturbed at the loss of her children thrown into Tartarus [i.e., the Hundred-Handers]," Apollodorus 1.1.4
The Contest of Athena and Poseidon: "Cecrops, sprung from the land itself, having the body of a man and a dragon," Apollodorus 3.14.1
Group 4: Very Do-able
Grammar Required:
Verbs: subjunctive mood; future and aorist passive
Indirect Statement
Orpheus and Eurydice: "From [the union of] Calliope and Oeagrus or, nominally, from Apollo, was a son Linus," Apollodorus 1.3.2
Demeter searches for her daughter Persephone: "Hades, being in love with Persephone, abducted her," Apollodorus 1.5.1
Demeter gives Triptolemos the gift of wheat: "For Triptolemos, the elder of Metaneira's children," Apollodorus 1.5.2
Persephone eats the pomegranate: "When Zeus ordered Pluto to send Persephone back," Apollodorus 1.5.3
Alcestis dies for her husband Admetus: "While Admetus ruled Pherae, Apollo was a slave to him," Apollodorus 1.9.15
Oedipus unknowingly kills his father Laius: "After Amphion's death, Laius took over the kingdom," Apollodorus 3.5.7
Oedipus solves the Riddle of the Sphinx: "Damasistratus, King of the Plataeans, buries Laius," Apollodorus 3.5.8
Oedipus is banished from Thebes: "Once the secrets later came to light, Jocasta hanged herself from a noose," Apollodorus 3.5.9
Atalanta's Birth and Upbringing: "From Lycurgus and either Cleophyle or Eurynome [were four sons]," Apollodorus 3.9.2 (up to page 400)
Atalanta, the Suitors, and the Race: "Later, having discovered her parents, when her father was persuading her to marry," Apollodorus 3.9.2 (from page 400 - end of screen)