How to Read the Bible in 6 Months
To read the whole Bible in 6 months, read about 6½ chapters — roughly 171 verses, or 17 to 25 minutes — every day. That's twice the pace of a one-year plan, and about as long as a TV episode each day.
Reading the Bible in six months is a great challenge if you've read through the Bible before, want to see its big story more clearly, or have a season with more time to read, like a sabbatical, a summer, or Lent through autumn.
How much to read each day
| Daily target | To finish in 6 months (182 days) |
|---|---|
| Chapters | about 6½ a day (46 a week) |
| Verses | about 171 a day |
| Time | about 17–25 minutes a day |
The Bible has 1,189 chapters and 31,102 verses. At an average adult reading speed of 238 words per minute, the whole Bible takes about 51 hours. A more typical, reflective pace takes about 74 hours. See How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible? for a book-by-book breakdown.
Because chapters vary so much in length, a daily verse goal of about 171 gives you a steadier reading time than counting chapters.
A sample 6-month schedule
This schedule reads the Bible in order at about 200 chapters a month.
| Month | Read | Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis – Judges | 232 |
| 2 | Ruth – Nehemiah | 194 |
| 3 | Esther – Psalms | 202 |
| 4 | Proverbs – Ezekiel | 222 |
| 5 | Daniel – Acts | 196 |
| 6 | Romans – Revelation | 143 |
Month 6 is lighter, which leaves you room to catch up on missed days. If you'd rather mix the Old and New Testaments, read a few chapters from each every day, or see other options in Bible Reading Plans Compared.
Tips for reading the Bible in 6 months
- Split your reading. Two 10-minute sessions (morning and evening) are often easier than one 20-minute block.
- Listen on busy days. An audio Bible during a commute or workout keeps you on pace. Log what you listened to so it counts.
- Use a weekly target. Aim for about 46 chapters (or 1,200 verses) a week, so a busy day can be made up on the weekend.
- Keep moving through hard sections. Long genealogies and legal sections go faster than you expect. Note questions and come back to them later.
- Track your progress. Research on goal pursuit shows that monitoring your progress makes you more likely to finish. See our tips for a strong Bible reading habit.
Not sure 6 months is right for you?
- A gentler pace: Read the Bible in a year — about 3 to 4 chapters a day.
- Even gentler: Read the Bible in 2 years — about 1½ chapters a day.
- A shorter goal: Read the New Testament in 90 days.
Track your 6-month Bible reading
My Bible Log is a free Bible reading tracker. Log your reading on the Today page, check off chapters on the Chapter Checklist, and set a goal date on the Progress page to see exactly how much you need to read each day.
Go to My Bible Log overview