ByMAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN

For the first time since its international launch in 2019, Israelis will join the Nationwide Bible Reading Marathon on July 14 at 7:14 a.m. local time, corresponding to a biblical verse.

Participants will each read a chapter from the Book of Isaiah,  who prophesied the destruction of Babylon and the return of the Jewish people to Israel.

“Reading the Bible is a no-brainer,” said Jonathan Feldstein, who arranged for Israel to take part in the reading marathon through his Genesis 123 Foundation, which works to build bridges between Christians and Jews. “It’s the shared scripture that serves as a foundation of so many other relations between Jews and Christians.”

He said that “the significance of Israel participating cannot be overstated. Reading the Bible is especially fitting in the land about which it was written.  Reading Isaiah in Israel, as Jews and Christians together, is even more significant as he prophesied about the Jewish people in their land, which is referenced in 2 Chronicles 7:14, the catalyst and time source for this initiative.  It is analogous to lighting the Olympic torch in the place where fire was created.”

In Israel, Isaiah will be read in Hebrew, English and Arabic, as well as Russian, Amharic, French, Spanish and Portuguese, among other languages.

The Nationwide Bible Marathon was founded in Iowa by Dianne Bentley in 2018. The state’s 99 counties would take part in the initiative by dividing up the more than 1,000 chapters of the Torah and Christian Bible on July 14 at 7:14 a.m. Central time - about 12 chapters per county.

“We began reading in Northwest Iowa with Genesis and ended in Southeast Iowa with Revelation,” Bentley said. “Within 1½ to 2 hours the word of God had been proclaimed over the entire state of Iowa from the 99 Iowa county courthouse lawns.”

As Feldstein explained, the foundation for the initiative is 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

The land referred to in the Bible verse is the Land of Israel.

In 2019, Bentley decided to go global and expanded from Iowa to 14 other nations. In 2020, some 57 nations participated. This year, 72 nations, including Israel, are taking part.

Bentley said that the initiative is mostly shared via word of mouth: “It is a grassroots effort.”

“While there’s an unprecedented and increasing historical trend for Jews and Christians to connect and partner in areas such as support for Israel, combating antisemitism and other social issues of common interest, it’s not every day that Jews and Christians unite in prayer, or something as basic as reading the Bible together,” Feldstein said.

He added that the participation is even more significant this year in light of recent surveys that show an increasing trend among young Jews and Christians to turn away from religion and the State of Israel.

“That Jews and Christians are coming together in this most fundamental biblical fellowship is precedent-setting, and sets a model for young people to connect and re-engage,” Feldstein said.

“Among the areas that Jews and Christians have come together for so many years is in support of Israel,” he said. “This is also waning as a result of the trend of millennials to turn away from traditional biblical values. The restoration of these values, even through something as mundane as reading the Bible, can be a redemptive answer to many prayers.”