Find a version that you understand. If it is paraphrased, check it from time to time against the word for word kinds. Like ESV, NASB, KJV etc. I remember reading the Living Bible at one point, and I felt like I was getting a lot out of it. Then something didn't ring true at all. So I checked it and sure enough, it was really opinion, not translation. So that was the end of that experiment. Sometimes I try and read the Message, but that one bogs me down, too!
Not sure about the CEB, I have not personally read it. I think the big thing is to read and study. The more you know about the Word of God, the more God will bless you.