How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible?

It is the best-selling book in human history, and one of the most common New Year resolutions is to read it cover to cover. But before you start, it is natural to ask: how long does it take to read the Bible, really? The answer is more encouraging than most people expect.

In short, an average reader can finish the entire Bible in about 50 to 70 hours of actual reading time. That is less time than most people spend watching television in a single month. For context on the book’s scale and history, see the overview of the Bible on Wikipedia. Let us break down the numbers properly.

The Short Answer

At an average adult reading pace of 200 to 250 words per minute, reading the whole Protestant Bible takes roughly 52 to 65 hours. Read more slowly and reflectively, at 150 words per minute, and you are looking at around 85 hours. Speed readers at 300 words per minute could do it in about 43 hours.

Most published estimates land between 70 and 75 hours because they assume a thoughtful, unhurried pace with occasional pauses — which is honestly how most people read scripture. Either way, the whole book is very finishable within a year at just 12 to 15 minutes a day.

How Long Is the Bible, Exactly?

The numbers vary slightly by translation, but the widely cited figures for the King James Version are a good benchmark. You can explore the structure in detail on Wikipedia’s page on Bible chapters and verses.

Total words: about 783,000 in the KJV (other translations range from roughly 700,000 to 800,000).
Books: 66 in the Protestant canon (39 Old Testament, 27 New Testament).
Chapters: 1,189 — famously, reading 3 to 4 chapters a day finishes the book in a year.
Verses: 31,102.
Longest book: Psalms, with 150 chapters.
Shortest book: 3 John, at around 220 words — readable in about a minute.
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Old Testament vs New Testament

The two halves of the Bible are very different reading experiences, and the time split reflects that:

Old Testament: about 39 books and roughly three-quarters of the total word count. At average pace, expect 40 to 50 hours. This is where most readers slow down — books like Leviticus and Numbers are dense, while Genesis, Exodus, and the Psalms move much faster.
New Testament: about 27 books and roughly one-quarter of the word count. Expect 12 to 16 hours. Many people are surprised that the entire New Testament takes less time than a long weekend of casual reading.

This is why so many reading plans suggest starting with the New Testament. You get an early win — the whole thing in under two weeks at 30 minutes a day — before tackling the longer Old Testament.

Reading Time by Translation

Your choice of translation affects both reading time and comprehension:

King James Version (KJV): beautiful but archaic language; most readers go slower, adding 10 to 15 percent to total time.
New International Version (NIV): the most popular modern translation; reads at a natural pace for most people.
English Standard Version (ESV): slightly more formal than the NIV; similar reading speed.
New Living Translation (NLT): very readable paraphrase-style translation; many readers finish fastest with this one.
The Message: a contemporary paraphrase that reads almost like a novel — quickest of all, though scholars recommend pairing it with a formal translation for study.

Tips to Actually Finish

Starting is easy; finishing is the hard part. These tips come from people who have done it:

Pick a fixed time and place. Morning readers finish far more often than ‘whenever I find time’ readers.
Use audio on busy days. A full Bible audiobook runs about 75 hours — listen during commutes and you will finish without changing your schedule.
Do not stop at Leviticus. Nearly every abandoned read-through dies in Leviticus. Push through, skim the genealogies if you must, and keep moving.
Read with a plan, not randomly. Checklists and apps that track your progress make a huge psychological difference.
Join a group. Reading alongside others — even just one friend — dramatically improves completion rates.

How the Bible Compares to Other Long Books

To put 783,000 words in perspective, here is how the Bible stacks up against other famously long reads:

War and Peace: about 587,000 words — the Bible is roughly a third longer.
The entire Harry Potter series: about 1.1 million words — noticeably longer than the Bible.
The Lord of the Rings (including The Hobbit): about 580,000 words.
Moby Dick: about 206,000 words — roughly the length of the New Testament plus a bit.

Millions of people finish the Harry Potter series without thinking twice, which tells you something: reading the Bible is not a superhuman feat. It is simply a matter of steady, daily progress.

The Audio Bible Option

If sitting down to read is not realistic for your schedule, the audio Bible is a game-changer. A complete narration runs about 70 to 80 hours depending on the translation and narrator — listen for 30 minutes during a daily commute and you will finish in under six months without adding a single minute to your day.

Popular options include dramatised versions with full voice casts and sound effects, which many listeners find easier to follow than a single narrator. Some people combine both approaches: read along in print while listening, which improves both comprehension and retention. Whichever method you choose, consistency matters far more than speed.

Frequently Asked Questions