Guides
Reading the whole Bible, one question at a time.
Plain answers to what people ask on the way through: how long it takes, how many chapters a day, where to start and what to do after a bad week. Every book, chapter and canon in them is counted from the same record the app keeps.
Tools and printables
Bible reading plan generator: a plan that fits your daysMake a Bible reading plan from a finish date, chapters a day or minutes a day, for five Bibles of 66 to 80 books, in three orders. Print it or save a CSV.Open How much of the Bible have I read? A checker by book, every canonHow much of the Bible have you read? Tick the books you have finished to see your percentage in any of five canons, with the chapters and hours still to go.Open Free printable Bible reading tracker: every chapter, every canonFree Bible reading tracker PDFs with a box for every chapter: Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox and Ethiopian Bibles, in Letter and A4. No email, no sign-up.Open Bible bookshelf tracker: a coloring-page chart of all the booksA free printable Bible bookshelf tracker: every book drawn as a spine to color in when you finish it. One page, Letter and A4, for Bibles of 66 to 80 books.Open Bible reading plan 2027: the whole year, day by dayA dated 2027 Bible reading plan, January 1 to December 31, at 3 or 4 chapters a day. Five free printable plans, Protestant and Catholic, plus late-start help.Open
Reading the whole Bible
In a year, in ninety days, in two years or at your own pace — what each one asks of a day.
How to read the Bible in a year: plans, pace and the hard partsReading the Bible in a year takes 3 to 4 chapters, about 10 minutes, a day. Four kinds of plan, the dates the hard books arrive, and what to do on a missed day.13 min read Can you read the Bible in a month? What 30 days takesReading the whole Bible in 30 days takes about 40 chapters and 1¾ to 2 hours a day. A 30-day schedule split by length, and the load for 40 days in every canon.10 min read How long does it take to read the New Testament?How long it takes to read the New Testament: 260 chapters, about 12 hours. The daily pace for 30 or 90 days, six months or a year, and a 30-day plan by length.10 min read How many chapters a day to read the Bible, for any timeline3.26 chapters a day reads the Protestant Bible in a year, 3.65 the Catholic. Every timeline from 90 days to 3 years, five canons, and what 1 to 10 a day takes.10 min read How to read the Bible in 6 months: about 20 minutes a dayReading the Bible in 6 months is 6.5 chapters, about 20 minutes, a day. A free 26-week schedule, the figures for every canon and the long days to expect.11 min read How to read the Bible in 90 days: the real daily loadReading the Bible in 90 days takes about 13 chapters, or 35 to 45 minutes, a day. The honest numbers, a full schedule, Catholic figures and how to catch up.13 min read Read the Bible in two years (or one chapter a day)To read the Bible in two years, read about 1.6 chapters, or five minutes, a day. The pace for 18 months, three years and a chapter a day, in every canon.10 min read
The Bible by the numbers
Books, chapters, words and hours, counted for every canon rather than copied from a list.
How long does it take to read the Bible?About 52 hours for the 66-book Bible at an average reading pace. Every canon and every book timed from our own word count, and what it means per day.5 min read How many books are in the Bible? 66, 73, and the rest66 books in Protestant Bibles, 73 in Catholic, about 76 to 78 in Orthodox and 81 by the Ethiopian church's count. Every canon side by side, and why they differ.9 min read How many books of the Bible did Paul write?Paul wrote 13 New Testament letters, Romans to Philemon: 87 chapters and about three hours of reading. Plus who wrote Hebrews, and which letters are debated.9 min read How many chapters are in the Bible? Every book, every canonThe 66-book Bible has 1,189 chapters, 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New. Catholic Bibles have 1,334. Every book's count, in all five canons.10 min read How many words are in the Bible? (And verses, letters, pages)The King James Bible has 790,676 words by our count, a modern translation about 750,000, a Catholic Bible about 854,000. Plus verses, letters and pages.10 min read The books of the Bible by category: the eight divisionsThe Bible's 66 books in eight categories, from the Law to Revelation: every book with its chapters, plus the Hebrew Bible's three parts and the Catholic books.11 min read The books of the Bible in order, with chapter countsAll 66 books of the Bible in order with their chapters, the 73-book Catholic order, how Orthodox, Ethiopian and Hebrew Bibles differ, and a free printable list.11 min read The books of the Bible in the order they were written, with datesEvery book of the Bible in the order it was written, with traditional and critical dates side by side, from Job and Genesis to Revelation and 2 Peter.14 min read The longest and shortest books of the Bible, rankedThe shortest book of the Bible is 3 John by words, 2 John by verses. Psalms is longest in English, Jeremiah in Hebrew. Every book ranked, every canon.11 min read
Canons and traditions
Why one Bible has 66 books and another 80, and what the extra ones are.
Catholic vs Protestant Bible: the seven extra books, explainedCatholic Bibles have 73 books, Protestant ones 66. The seven extra books, the longer Esther and Daniel, why they differ, and how much more there is to read.13 min read A Catholic Bible reading plan for all 73 books, at any paceA Catholic Bible reading plan for all 73 books: 3.7 chapters, about 12 minutes, a day for a year, any pace from 90 days to two years, and where to start.11 min read Is the Book of Enoch in the Bible? Which Bibles include itOnly one Christian canon includes the Book of Enoch: the Tewahedo Bible of Ethiopia and Eritrea, in 108 chapters. Why others don't, and why Jude quotes it.10 min read The deuterocanonical books and the Apocrypha, book by bookWhat the deuterocanonical books and the Apocrypha are, how many books each Bible counts (7, 14 or more), and the chapters and reading time of each.14 min read The Ethiopian Bible: how many books, and which onesThe Ethiopian Bible is counted as 81 books. Every book in the church's order, the two ways it reaches 81, where Enoch and Jubilees fit, and the 88 claim.15 min read The Orthodox Bible: which books it has, and why they varyOrthodox Bibles follow the Septuagint: the Catholic books plus 1 Esdras, 3 Maccabees, the Prayer of Manasseh and Psalm 151. The full list, and why it varies.12 min read Were books removed from the Bible? What happened to the ApocryphaThe 1611 King James Bible had 80 books. Which 14 were later removed from Protestant Bibles, when and why, who kept them, and what Nicaea had to do with it.12 min read
Getting started
Where to begin, which order to read in, and what to expect along the way.
Where to start reading the Bible (and what to read next)Not sure where to start reading the Bible? Four good first books with their length and reading time, what to read next, and a simple route for your first month.11 min read A Bible reading plan for beginners: one chapter a dayA free Bible reading plan for beginners, one chapter a day for 90 days, about three minutes each, starting with Mark. Plus what comes next, and missed days.11 min read How to read the Bible chronologically (two different ways)Reading the Bible chronologically means the order events happened or the order books were written. How each plan works, where plans disagree, and which to pick.13 min read Reading the Bible cover to cover: what to expect, book by bookReading the Bible cover to cover is 1,189 chapters, about 52 hours. What each part is like, how long Leviticus really takes, and when you reach Matthew.14 min read The best order to read the Bible: four routes comparedThe best order to read the Bible depends on why you're reading. Four routes compared by the day each reaches a Gospel, where it gets hard, and who it suits.14 min read Which Gospel to read first (and what to read after the Gospels)Which Gospel should you read first? Mark, Matthew, Luke and John compared by length and reading time, four reading orders, a 30-day plan and what to read next.13 min read
Keeping at it
Falling behind, starting again, and a daily habit that survives a bad week.
How to catch up on your Bible reading plan without starting overBehind on your Bible reading plan? A week behind is about 23 chapters. Four ways to catch up without starting over, and what each one costs a day.12 min read Bible reading plans for couples (and families): reading togetherA Bible reading plan for couples that fits real evenings: three ways to read together, short books timed read aloud, a 30-night starter, and families too.11 min read Bible reading streaks: helpful or harmful?Lost your Bible reading streak? What the research says a streak does for a habit, what a broken one does, and a kinder rule that lets one quiet day pass.11 min read How long should you read the Bible a day? 5, 10 or 15 minutesWhat 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes of Bible reading a day covers: the whole Bible, the New Testament or the Gospels at two reading speeds, and a year in every canon.11 min read How often do Christians read the Bible? What the surveys sayHow often Christians read the Bible, from the latest US surveys: daily and weekly reading, who has read it all, each tradition, and why the figures differ.13 min read How to read the Bible every day (and survive a bad week)How to read the Bible every day: how much to read, when to read it, what to do after a missed day, and what habit research says about making it stick.11 min read How to read the Bible with ADHD: what actually helpsHow to read the Bible with ADHD: a few minutes a day, short books timed to the minute, audio alongside the text, and a plan where missed days never pile up.11 min read How to start reading the Bible again after a long breakComing back to the Bible after months or years away? Where to start again, short books to begin with, how much to read a day, and why past reading counts.11 min read No motivation to read the Bible? Why it's hard, and what helpsNo motivation to read the Bible? Why it feels hard, the Old Testament stretch that slows January plans, and small changes that help, from 3 minutes a day.11 min read
Keeping track
Printable charts, a plan calculator, and what a tracker is actually for.
Free printable Bible reading tracker: every chapter, every canonFree Bible reading tracker PDFs with a box for every chapter: Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox and Ethiopian Bibles, in Letter and A4. No email, no sign-up.9 min read Bible bookshelf tracker: a coloring-page chart of all the booksA free printable Bible bookshelf tracker: every book drawn as a spine to color in when you finish it. One page, Letter and A4, for Bibles of 66 to 80 books.8 min read Bible reading plan generator: a plan that fits your daysMake a Bible reading plan from a finish date, chapters a day or minutes a day, for five Bibles of 66 to 80 books, in three orders. Print it or save a CSV.11 min read Choosing a Bible reading tracker app: eight things to checkWhat a Bible reading tracker app should do, and eight tests to run before you pick one: your canon, missed days, past readings, reminders, privacy and price.12 min read How much of the Bible have I read? A checker by book, every canonHow much of the Bible have you read? Tick the books you have finished to see your percentage in any of five canons, with the chapters and hours still to go.10 min read How to keep a Bible reading journal (one line a chapter)How to journal while reading the Bible without it turning into homework: one line a chapter, prompts for each kind of book, the SOAP method and a template.11 min read How to track your Bible reading: paper, spreadsheet or appThree ways to track your Bible reading by chapter: a printed chart, an Excel or Google Sheets tracker with ready formulas, or an app, and what each does best.11 min read
Well-known reading plans
The classic plans people search for by name, explained and compared.
Which Bible reading plan is best? The classic plans side by sideEight classic Bible reading plans compared by chapters and minutes a day, free days and what each one rereads, from M'Cheyne and Horner to a 5-day plan.13 min read Professor Grant Horner's Bible reading system, explainedGrant Horner's Bible reading plan in full: the ten lists, how often each comes round in a year, how long ten chapters take, and what to do on a missed day.13 min read Read the Psalms in a month, with a Proverb a dayFive psalms and a Proverb a day reads both books every month in about 8 minutes. Two schedules timed day by day, and what to do on the 29th and 31st.13 min read The 5-day Bible reading plan: a year of weekdaysA 5-day Bible reading plan reads the whole Bible in a year on weekdays: 4.6 chapters a reading day (5.1 for a Catholic Bible), about 15 minutes, weekends free.10 min read The M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, explainedRobert Murray M'Cheyne's 1842 plan explained: four readings a day, the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice, in 11 to 13 minutes a day.11 min read The Navigators (Discipleship Journal) Bible reading plan, explainedThe Navigators Bible reading plan, also called the Discipleship Journal plan: four readings a day, 25 a month, and how long a reading day really takes.9 min read
Through the year
A new year, Advent and Lent: plans with a date on them.
Bible reading plan 2027: the whole year, day by dayA dated 2027 Bible reading plan, January 1 to December 31, at 3 or 4 chapters a day. Five free printable plans, Protestant and Catholic, plus late-start help.12 min read Advent Bible reading plan 2026: five ways through the seasonAdvent 2026 runs November 29 to December 24, 26 days. Five reading plans sized to it, from Luke a chapter a day to the New Testament, plus the Sunday readings.12 min read Bible reading challenge ideas for 2027, by minutes a dayFourteen Bible reading challenge ideas for 2027, sized in chapters and minutes a day, from the one-chapter books in an evening to the whole Bible in a year.11 min read Lent Bible reading plan 2027: the Gospels in 40 days, and moreA Bible reading plan for Lent 2027: the four Gospels in 40 days from Ash Wednesday, February 10, about 8 minutes a day, and an Orthodox plan from March 15.12 min read
