How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible?
Reading the entire Bible takes most people about 51 to 75 hours. At an average adult reading speed, that's about 51 hours; Crossway's estimate for a typical Bible reader is 74 hours and 28 minutes. Either way, about 8 to 12 minutes a day is enough to read the whole Bible in a year.
| Chapters | Verses | Words (BSB) | Reading time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Testament (39 books) | 929 | 23,145 | 556,257 | about 39–57 hours |
| New Testament (27 books) | 260 | 7,957 | 172,439 | about 12–18 hours |
| Whole Bible (66 books) | 1,189 | 31,102 | 728,696 | about 51–75 hours |
Why estimates vary
Reading time depends on three things:
- Your reading speed. A meta-analysis of 190 studies by psychologist Marc Brysbaert found that adults silently read non-fiction at an average of about 238 words per minute. The lower figures on this page use that rate.
- How you read. Most people read Scripture more slowly than a novel — pausing to reflect, re-reading, or taking notes. Crossway's estimate of about 74½ hours for the whole Bible reflects a slower, more typical pace.
- Your translation. Word counts differ between translations. The counts here come from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), a modern public-domain translation. Older translations such as the King James Version have more words (about 783,000) and archaic language that many people read more slowly.
How many minutes a day to read the Bible?
| To finish in… | Chapters a day | Verses a day | Minutes a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 months | about 13 | about 342 | about 35–50 |
| 6 months | about 6½ | about 171 | about 17–25 |
| 1 year | about 3¼ | about 86 | about 8–12 |
| 2 years | about 1½ | about 43 | about 4–6 |
Chapters vary a lot in length — Psalm 117 has 2 verses, while Psalm 119 has 176 — so a daily verse goal gives you a much steadier reading time than a daily chapter goal. That's why My Bible Log lets you set a daily verse goal instead of assigning chapters.
How long does it take to read each book of the Bible?
The tables below show every book with its chapters, verses, word count, and estimated reading time at 238 words per minute. Select a book for a short overview and a chapter-by-chapter verse count. If you read more slowly, add about 45%.
Old Testament
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 50 | 1,533 | 35,121 | 2 hr 30 min |
| Exodus | 40 | 1,213 | 29,113 | 2 hr |
| Leviticus | 27 | 859 | 22,106 | 1 hr 35 min |
| Numbers | 36 | 1,288 | 28,767 | 2 hr |
| Deuteronomy | 34 | 959 | 25,820 | 1 hr 50 min |
| Joshua | 24 | 658 | 16,448 | 1 hr 10 min |
| Judges | 21 | 618 | 16,837 | 1 hr 10 min |
| Ruth | 4 | 85 | 2,421 | 10 min |
| 1 Samuel | 31 | 810 | 22,652 | 1 hr 35 min |
| 2 Samuel | 24 | 695 | 18,771 | 1 hr 20 min |
| 1 Kings | 22 | 816 | 22,446 | 1 hr 35 min |
| 2 Kings | 25 | 719 | 21,883 | 1 hr 30 min |
| 1 Chronicles | 29 | 942 | 18,657 | 1 hr 20 min |
| 2 Chronicles | 36 | 822 | 24,060 | 1 hr 40 min |
| Ezra | 10 | 280 | 6,524 | 27 min |
| Nehemiah | 13 | 406 | 9,552 | 40 min |
| Esther | 10 | 167 | 5,115 | 21 min |
| Job | 42 | 1,070 | 16,671 | 1 hr 10 min |
| Psalms | 150 | 2,461 | 39,491 | 2 hr 45 min |
| Proverbs | 31 | 915 | 14,144 | 59 min |
| Ecclesiastes | 12 | 222 | 5,175 | 22 min |
| Song of Songs | 8 | 117 | 2,539 | 11 min |
| Isaiah | 66 | 1,292 | 34,084 | 2 hr 25 min |
| Jeremiah | 52 | 1,364 | 39,827 | 2 hr 45 min |
| Lamentations | 5 | 154 | 3,216 | 14 min |
| Ezekiel | 48 | 1,273 | 36,203 | 2 hr 30 min |
| Daniel | 12 | 357 | 10,641 | 45 min |
| Hosea | 14 | 197 | 4,917 | 21 min |
| Joel | 3 | 73 | 1,855 | 8 min |
| Amos | 9 | 146 | 3,882 | 16 min |
| Obadiah | 1 | 21 | 615 | 3 min |
| Jonah | 4 | 48 | 1,231 | 5 min |
| Micah | 7 | 105 | 2,898 | 12 min |
| Nahum | 3 | 47 | 1,144 | 5 min |
| Habakkuk | 3 | 56 | 1,351 | 6 min |
| Zephaniah | 3 | 53 | 1,500 | 6 min |
| Haggai | 2 | 38 | 1,056 | 4 min |
| Zechariah | 14 | 211 | 5,800 | 24 min |
| Malachi | 4 | 55 | 1,724 | 7 min |
New Testament
| Book | Chapters | Verses | Words | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew | 28 | 1,071 | 22,348 | 1 hr 35 min |
| Mark | 16 | 678 | 13,877 | 58 min |
| Luke | 24 | 1,151 | 24,044 | 1 hr 40 min |
| John | 21 | 879 | 18,462 | 1 hr 20 min |
| Acts | 28 | 1,007 | 22,548 | 1 hr 35 min |
| Romans | 16 | 433 | 9,410 | 40 min |
| 1 Corinthians | 16 | 437 | 9,259 | 39 min |
| 2 Corinthians | 13 | 257 | 6,013 | 25 min |
| Galatians | 6 | 149 | 3,090 | 13 min |
| Ephesians | 6 | 155 | 3,005 | 13 min |
| Philippians | 4 | 104 | 2,162 | 9 min |
| Colossians | 4 | 95 | 1,973 | 8 min |
| 1 Thessalonians | 5 | 89 | 1,856 | 8 min |
| 2 Thessalonians | 3 | 47 | 1,047 | 4 min |
| 1 Timothy | 6 | 113 | 2,334 | 10 min |
| 2 Timothy | 4 | 83 | 1,647 | 7 min |
| Titus | 3 | 46 | 926 | 4 min |
| Philemon | 1 | 25 | 452 | 2 min |
| Hebrews | 13 | 303 | 6,779 | 28 min |
| James | 5 | 108 | 2,248 | 9 min |
| 1 Peter | 5 | 105 | 2,376 | 10 min |
| 2 Peter | 3 | 61 | 1,535 | 6 min |
| 1 John | 5 | 105 | 2,505 | 11 min |
| 2 John | 1 | 13 | 296 | 1 min |
| 3 John | 1 | 14 | 309 | 1 min |
| Jude | 1 | 25 | 606 | 3 min |
| Revelation | 22 | 404 | 11,332 | 48 min |
Quick facts
- Longest book: Psalms — 150 chapters and about 2 hr 45 min of reading. By word count, Jeremiah is longer.
- Shortest books: 2 John and 3 John take about a minute each; Philemon, Jude, and Obadiah each take under 5 minutes.
- The four Gospels take about 5½ hours together at an average reading speed.
- Longest chapter: Psalm 119 (176 verses). Shortest chapter: Psalm 117 (2 verses).
Make it manageable
Fifty-plus hours sounds like a lot, but it's about the same as watching a TV series — and spread over a year, it's just a few minutes a day. To get started:
- Pick a timeframe from the table above, then follow our guide for reading the Bible in a year, in 6 months, or in 2 years.
- Choose a Bible reading plan — or read in any order you like.
- Build a routine with our tips for a strong Bible reading habit.
- Browse all 66 books of the Bible to choose where to begin.
My Bible Log is a free Bible reading tracker that turns your reading into a daily goal and a finish date you can see.
Go to My Bible Log overview