How Long Does It Take to Read Each Book of the Bible?
By Dom · · 12 min read
You have a free Saturday morning and a vague plan to read a whole book of the Bible in one sitting. Then the question stops you: which one fits? Lamentations sounds short. Hebrews sounds long. Nobody has told you what any of them actually costs.
So we counted. Here is every book of the Bible, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox, with its chapters, words and reading time at a normal pace, grouped by what fits in five minutes, fifteen, thirty and an hour, with the method shown.
Key takeaways
- 36 of the 66 books take under half an hour at a normal pace of 220 words a minute; 19 take under ten minutes.
- The whole Protestant Bible is 724,811 words, about 55 hours: about 42 for the Old Testament and 13 for the New.
- The longest books are Jeremiah and Psalms, about three hours each; the shortest is 2 John, under a minute and a half.
- Catholic and Orthodox Bibles add books most lists leave out: 828,590 and 879,155 words in all.
- Other lists show longer times because many use 100 words a minute, less than half a normal pace.
The short answer: most books take less time than an episode of television
At a normal adult reading pace of 220 words a minute, 36 of the 66 books take under half an hour, and 19 take under ten minutes. The median book takes about 25 minutes. Only seven books run past two hours, and the longest, Jeremiah, takes about three.
The whole Protestant Bible is 724,811 words in the Berean Standard Bible, about 55 hours. The Old Testament is about 42 hours; the New Testament is about 13. We counted every book from the reading plans inside our own app, using the same method as how many words are in the Bible, and the tables below show the method so you can check it.
Why does a book-sized number matter? Because most readers have not finished every book. Lifeway Research reported in February 2026 that 9 in 10 Americans have read at least some of the Bible, but just 22% have finished it at least once. A per-book cost makes the next book feel reachable.
Every book of the Bible, timed
Days at a chapter a day equal the chapter count, so Ruth is four days and Psalms is 150. “Average chapter” tells you what one sitting costs in that book.
| Book | Chapters | Words | Time | Average chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 50 | 34,891 | 2 h 39 | 3.2 min |
| Exodus | 40 | 28,940 | 2 h 12 | 3.3 min |
| Leviticus | 27 | 21,930 | 1 h 40 | 3.7 min |
| Numbers | 36 | 28,510 | 2 h 10 | 3.6 min |
| Deuteronomy | 34 | 25,690 | 1 h 57 | 3.4 min |
| Joshua | 24 | 16,230 | 1 h 14 | 3.1 min |
| Judges | 21 | 16,710 | 1 h 16 | 3.6 min |
| Ruth | 4 | 2,381 | 10.8 min | 2.7 min |
| 1 Samuel | 31 | 22,554 | 1 h 43 | 3.3 min |
| 2 Samuel | 24 | 18,686 | 1 h 25 | 3.5 min |
| 1 Kings | 22 | 22,275 | 1 h 41 | 4.6 min |
| 2 Kings | 25 | 21,722 | 1 h 39 | 3.9 min |
| 1 Chronicles | 29 | 18,434 | 1 h 24 | 2.9 min |
| 2 Chronicles | 36 | 23,882 | 1 h 49 | 3.0 min |
| Ezra | 10 | 6,481 | 29.5 min | 2.9 min |
| Nehemiah | 13 | 9,483 | 43.1 min | 3.3 min |
| Esther | 10 | 5,100 | 23.2 min | 2.3 min |
| Job | 42 | 16,613 | 1 h 16 | 1.8 min |
| Psalms | 150 | 39,479 | 2 h 59 | 1.2 min |
| Proverbs | 31 | 14,118 | 1 h 04 | 2.1 min |
| Ecclesiastes | 12 | 5,163 | 23.5 min | 2.0 min |
| Song of Songs | 8 | 2,550 | 11.6 min | 1.4 min |
| Isaiah | 66 | 33,984 | 2 h 34 | 2.3 min |
| Jeremiah | 52 | 39,567 | 3 h 00 | 3.5 min |
| Lamentations | 5 | 3,218 | 14.6 min | 2.9 min |
| Ezekiel | 48 | 35,914 | 2 h 43 | 3.4 min |
| Daniel | 12 | 10,606 | 48.2 min | 4.0 min |
| Hosea | 14 | 4,895 | 22.2 min | 1.6 min |
| Joel | 3 | 1,853 | 8.4 min | 2.8 min |
| Amos | 9 | 3,868 | 17.6 min | 2.0 min |
| Obadiah | 1 | 614 | 2.8 min | 2.8 min |
| Jonah | 4 | 1,224 | 5.6 min | 1.4 min |
| Micah | 7 | 2,887 | 13.1 min | 1.9 min |
| Nahum | 3 | 1,142 | 5.2 min | 1.7 min |
| Habakkuk | 3 | 1,350 | 6.1 min | 2.0 min |
| Zephaniah | 3 | 1,498 | 6.8 min | 2.3 min |
| Haggai | 2 | 1,044 | 4.7 min | 2.4 min |
| Zechariah | 14 | 5,802 | 26.4 min | 1.9 min |
| Malachi | 4 | 1,711 | 7.8 min | 1.9 min |
| Book | Chapters | Words | Time | Average chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew | 28 | 22,215 | 1 h 41 | 3.6 min |
| Mark | 16 | 13,832 | 1 h 03 | 3.9 min |
| Luke | 24 | 23,905 | 1 h 49 | 4.5 min |
| John | 21 | 18,427 | 1 h 24 | 4.0 min |
| Acts | 28 | 22,468 | 1 h 42 | 3.6 min |
| Romans | 16 | 9,403 | 42.7 min | 2.7 min |
| 1 Corinthians | 16 | 9,246 | 42.0 min | 2.6 min |
| 2 Corinthians | 13 | 5,983 | 27.2 min | 2.1 min |
| Galatians | 6 | 3,082 | 14.0 min | 2.3 min |
| Ephesians | 6 | 3,004 | 13.7 min | 2.3 min |
| Philippians | 4 | 2,161 | 9.8 min | 2.5 min |
| Colossians | 4 | 1,972 | 9.0 min | 2.2 min |
| 1 Thessalonians | 5 | 1,854 | 8.4 min | 1.7 min |
| 2 Thessalonians | 3 | 1,040 | 4.7 min | 1.6 min |
| 1 Timothy | 6 | 2,326 | 10.6 min | 1.8 min |
| 2 Timothy | 4 | 1,643 | 7.5 min | 1.9 min |
| Titus | 3 | 916 | 4.2 min | 1.4 min |
| Philemon | 1 | 451 | 2.0 min | 2.0 min |
| Hebrews | 13 | 6,764 | 30.7 min | 2.4 min |
| James | 5 | 2,239 | 10.2 min | 2.0 min |
| 1 Peter | 5 | 2,367 | 10.8 min | 2.2 min |
| 2 Peter | 3 | 1,530 | 7.0 min | 2.3 min |
| 1 John | 5 | 2,498 | 11.4 min | 2.3 min |
| 2 John | 1 | 293 | 1.3 min | 1.3 min |
| 3 John | 1 | 309 | 1.4 min | 1.4 min |
| Jude | 1 | 604 | 2.7 min | 2.7 min |
| Revelation | 22 | 11,280 | 51.3 min | 2.3 min |
Totals: 66 books, 1,189 chapters, which matches the number of chapters in the Bible. The New Testament takes about 13 hours, less than a long weekend of reading.
What fits in five, fifteen, thirty minutes and an hour
- Under 5 minutes (8 books): Obadiah, Haggai, 2 Thessalonians, Titus, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, Jude. The shortest of all is 2 John, 293 words, under a minute and a half.
- 5 to 15 minutes (21 books): Ruth, Song of Songs, Lamentations, Joel, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Malachi, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John.
- 15 to 30 minutes (7 books): Ezra, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Hosea, Amos, Zechariah, 2 Corinthians.
- 30 minutes to an hour (6 books): Nehemiah, Daniel, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Hebrews, Revelation.
- 1 to 2 hours (17 books): Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Job, Proverbs, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts.
- Over 2 hours (7 books): Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel.
Crossway’s reading infographic makes the same point with different examples: with a spare five minutes, read Jude or Obadiah; with fifteen, Ruth or Philippians. Our counts agree. For more one-sitting ideas, see what to read when you only have ten minutes.
The long books, and how to break them up
The five longest books are Jeremiah (39,567 words, about 3 hours), Psalms (39,479, about 3 hours), Ezekiel (about 2 hours 43), Genesis (34,891, about 2 hours 39) and Isaiah (about 2 hours 34). Word counts vary by translation: The Gospel Coalition Canada’s list, for example, puts Genesis at 32,046.
A long book is still a set of short sittings. Jeremiah averages under four minutes a chapter; Psalms averages about a minute and a quarter a psalm. A few ways to break them:
- A chapter a day. Genesis takes 50 days at about three minutes each. This is the simplest plan and the one most year plans use.
- By story or section. Read Genesis 1–11, then Abraham, then Jacob, then Joseph, a week each.
- Psalms in fives. Five psalms a day finishes the book in a month, about six minutes a day.
- Watch for Psalm 119. At 2,291 words, about 10.4 minutes, it is the longest chapter in the Bible and the only psalm past ten minutes. It is also where “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” lives (Psalm 119:105, NIV). Give it a day of its own. How to read the Psalms has more.
Fifty-five hours sounds like a lot until you divide it. Spread across a year, the Protestant Bible is 1,986 words a day, which is about nine minutes at the same pace used in these tables. BlessUp’s year plan is paced on exactly these counts, and reading the day’s chapter is what opens the apps you choose to shield, so the nine minutes come before the feed. Start the nine-minute plan
The books other lists leave out: Catholic and Orthodox
Every popular list stops at 66 books. Catholic Bibles carry seven more books plus longer forms of Esther and Daniel, and Orthodox Bibles carry more again. The canon differences explain why; here is what they cost to read.
| Book | Chapters | Words | Time | Average chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tobit | 14 | 6,749 | 30.7 min | 2.2 min |
| Judith | 16 | 10,933 | 49.7 min | 3.1 min |
| Greek Esther | 10 | 7,170 | 32.6 min | 3.3 min |
| 1 Maccabees | 16 | 22,140 | 1 h 41 | 6.3 min |
| 2 Maccabees | 15 | 16,597 | 1 h 15 | 5.0 min |
| Wisdom | 19 | 10,271 | 46.7 min | 2.5 min |
| Sirach | 51 | 26,295 | 2 h 00 | 2.3 min |
| Baruch | 6 | 4,994 | 22.7 min | 3.8 min |
| Daniel with Susanna and Bel | 14 | 13,040 | 59.3 min | 4.2 min |
| Book | Chapters | Words | Time | Average chapter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prayer of Manasseh | 1 | 417 | 1.9 min | 1.9 min |
| 1 Esdras | 9 | 11,303 | 51.4 min | 5.7 min |
| 2 Esdras | 16 | 22,030 | 1 h 40 | 6.3 min |
| 3 Maccabees | 7 | 6,597 | 30.0 min | 4.3 min |
| 4 Maccabees | 18 | 10,113 | 46.0 min | 2.6 min |
In total, the Catholic Bible in our plan is 828,590 words, about 103,779 more than the Protestant, and the Orthodox is 879,155 words, about 154,344 more. At a year’s pace that is 10.3 and 10.9 minutes a day.
Why other lists give longer times
If you have seen “Genesis takes over five hours,” the difference is the pace. The most copied list online, from The Gospel Coalition Canada (2018), uses “a slow reader’s speed of 100 words per minute,” less than half of ours, and does not name a translation. That doubles every time. Its main point still stands and matches ours: almost half the books take less than half an hour.
Crossway’s infographic puts the four Gospels and Acts at about 10 hours; at 220 words a minute in the BSB, they come to about 7.6. Neither list is wrong. A reader should simply know what was assumed. If you read slowly, aloud, or with notes, add time, and that is a good way to read.
One more number worth knowing: in the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2026, 74% of people who use a reading guide, schedule or plan said they had read most or all of the Bible. That is an association among plan users, not proof that a plan causes it, but it fits what these tables show: the Bible is finished one bounded piece at a time. If you are wondering where to begin, where to start reading the Bible helps.
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, NIV). Counting minutes is a small way of doing that. We are app builders, not pastors, so we will not rank the books for you; every one of them is worth its time. Our FAQ explains how the app’s plans are paced.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to read the whole Bible?
About 55 hours for the Protestant Bible (724,811 words in the Berean Standard Bible) at 220 words a minute. Spread over a year, that is about nine minutes a day. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles are longer, at about 10.3 and 10.9 minutes a day.
What is the shortest book of the Bible?
2 John, at 293 words in the Berean Standard Bible, takes under a minute and a half. 3 John (309 words) and Philemon (451 words) are close behind.
What is the longest book of the Bible?
By words, Jeremiah (39,567) and Psalms (39,479) are nearly tied, about three hours each. Psalms has the most chapters, 150, and Psalm 119 is the longest single chapter at about 10 minutes.
How long does it take to read the New Testament?
About 13 hours. The New Testament is 171,812 words in the Berean Standard Bible, which is 13 hours at 220 words a minute, or about 26 minutes a day for a month.
Can you read a book of the Bible in one sitting?
Most of them, yes. 42 of the 66 books take under an hour, and 36 take under half an hour. Even Genesis, at about 2 hours 39 minutes, fits in a long afternoon.
Thirty-six books take under half an hour. Pick one you have never read and finish it this week.
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