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How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible?

· 8 min read

Reading the whole Bible takes most people roughly 70 to 90 hours at a steady, attentive pace. Spread over a year, that works out to about 12 to 15 minutes a day. Below you'll find what to expect at 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes a day, how long the New Testament and other sections take, and why a small daily habit usually gets further than an ambitious sprint.

How many hours does it take to read the whole Bible?

A standard Protestant Bible of 66 books has roughly 725,000 to 800,000 words, depending on the English translation, spread across 1,189 chapters. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include additional books, such as Tobit, Sirach and Wisdom, so they take somewhat longer.

How fast you get through those words depends on how you read. A typical adult reading silently covers about 200 to 250 words a minute, which comes to roughly 50 to 65 hours for the whole Bible. But Scripture is not a light novel: names, genealogies, poetry and prophecy slow most people down, and pausing to think is part of the point. That is why a realistic figure for careful reading sits nearer 70 to 90 hours.

Listening is another option. Complete audio recordings commonly run somewhere around 70 to 80 hours, depending on the translation and the narrator. Whichever you choose, the honest answer is the same: it is a big book, but not an impossible one.

How long does it take to read the Bible at 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes a day?

Using a middle estimate of about 75 hours (4,500 minutes) of reading, here is roughly how long the whole Bible takes at different daily paces. These are averages; you will move faster through stories and slower through law codes and prophets.

At 5 minutes a day, expect about two and a half years. At 10 minutes a day, about 15 months. At 15 minutes a day, about 10 months. At 20 minutes a day, about seven and a half months. At 30 minutes a day, about five months. At an hour a day, about two and a half months.

Notice what this means: even five minutes a day, kept up faithfully, carries you through the entire Bible. Many people assume they need an hour every morning, give up after a week, and never finish. A shorter time you actually keep beats a longer time you abandon.

How many chapters a day to read the Bible in a year?

To finish the 1,189 chapters of a 66-book Bible in 365 days, you need a little over three chapters a day, about 3.3 on average. Most one-year plans settle on three or four chapters a day, sometimes mixing an Old Testament reading with a New Testament reading or a psalm so the days feel varied.

Chapters are not all the same length, though. Psalm 117 is two verses long, while Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Counting minutes rather than chapters often feels fairer: 12 to 15 minutes a day is the usual pace for a one-year reading.

If a year feels like too much, two-year and three-year plans are common and completely respectable. The goal is to know the Bible, not to beat a deadline.

How long does it take to read the New Testament?

The New Testament is far shorter than the Old: 27 books, 260 chapters and roughly a quarter of the Bible's words. Most people can read it in about 17 to 20 hours. At 15 minutes a day that is around two and a half months; at one chapter a day, about eight and a half months.

Smaller pieces go quickly too. The Gospel of Mark, the shortest Gospel at 16 chapters, takes many readers an hour to an hour and a half, which means you could read the whole story of Jesus in a single evening. Philippians or James each take about 15 minutes. The Psalms, with 150 chapters, read nicely at one a day over five months.

If the whole Bible feels daunting, starting with a Gospel is a good first step. Finishing one book gives you a real sense of progress and a foundation for the rest.

Why does reading a little every day work?

The Bible itself pictures a relationship with God's word that is steady and ongoing, not a one-time achievement. Psalm 1 opens the whole book of Psalms with an image of a life shaped by returning to Scripture again and again.

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.

Psalm 1:1–3 · BSB

Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.

Acts 17:11 · BSB

The picture is of slow growth over seasons, not instant results. Daily reading works the same way: no single morning feels dramatic, but over months the words begin to shape how you think, pray and respond to people.

Acts 17:11 makes the same point with people instead of an image. The people it praises are ordinary listeners, and what set them apart was not one dramatic moment but a habit. Regular, careful reading is simply part of taking God's word seriously, and it is open to anyone.

There is also a practical reason. Short sessions are easier to protect, easier to restart after a busy week, and easier to pay attention through. Fifteen focused minutes often leave more behind than an hour of skimming while tired.

What if I fall behind on my Bible reading plan?

Almost everyone who tries to read the Bible through misses days, and many stall somewhere in Leviticus or Numbers. That is normal, and it is not failure. Lamentations, written in grief after Jerusalem's destruction, contains one of Scripture's clearest reminders that each day is a fresh start with God.

Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

Lamentations 3:22–23 · BSB

If you fall behind, you do not need to cram to catch up. Simply pick up at today's reading, or continue where you left off and let the finish date move. Some people keep a separate, shorter list of the readings they skipped and return to them later.

It can also help to change the format when you get stuck: listen to an audio Bible during a commute, read a narrative book before going back to the law codes, or invite a friend to read along. The point is to keep coming back.

How do I build a daily Bible reading habit?

Look back at the numbers above and choose the pace that fits your real life: 5, 10 or 15 minutes. Tie it to a fixed moment, such as your morning coffee or the minutes before bed, so the time is already set aside. Psalm 119 describes Scripture as guidance for each next step, which is a helpful way to think about a daily reading: enough light for today.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105 · BSB

Before you read, pause and ask God in your own words to help you understand. After you read, write down one sentence: something that surprised you, comforted you or challenged you. That small habit turns reading into listening.

Then come back tomorrow. At that pace, the whole Bible is not a lifetime away; it is a matter of months, one ordinary day at a time.

Questions people ask

How long does it take to read the Bible out loud?

Reading aloud is slower than silent reading, usually around 150 words a minute. At that pace the whole Bible takes roughly 80 to 90 hours. A family reading it aloud together for 15 minutes a day would finish in a little under a year.

Can you read the Bible in 90 days?

Yes. Reading the Bible in 90 days takes about 45 to 60 minutes a day, or around 13 chapters. Many people find it rewarding for seeing the big story, though it leaves less time to reflect on individual passages.

How long does it take to read the Old Testament?

The Old Testament of a 66-book Bible has 39 books and 929 chapters, about three quarters of the Bible's words. Most people need roughly 55 to 60 hours to read it. At 15 minutes a day, that is around seven to eight months.

How long does it take to read a Catholic Bible?

A little longer. A Catholic Bible has 73 books: the seven extra ones (Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach and Baruch) and the longer forms of Esther and Daniel add roughly 100,000 words. That is about 10 more hours at a careful pace, or roughly 80 to 100 hours in all. Orthodox Bibles include a few more books still.

Is it better to read the Bible quickly or slowly?

Both have value. A faster read helps you see the overall story and how the books connect, while slow reading helps a passage sink in. Many people do a full read-through at a steady pace and then return to favorite books more slowly.

Written with AI help and reviewed by Miguel Ridruejo Mendoza before publishing. Bible quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain. How we write.

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