How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible – Complete Guide

Have you ever held a Bible, felt the weight of it in your hands, and just thought, “Wow, where would I even begin?” I remember that feeling distinctly. I was in my early twenties, and the sheer size of it felt like a mountain I wasn’t equipped to climb. The question that kept circling in my mind wasn’t just about faith; it was a practical one: How long does it take to read the Bible?

If you’re looking for the simple, straightforward answer, here it is: Reading the Bible cover to cover takes the average person about 70 to 100 hours.

But honestly, that number is just the beginning of the story. It’s a bit like asking how long it takes to become friends with someone. You can get their life story in a few hours, but knowing them—truly knowing them—is a lifetime journey. Reading the Bible is a lot like that. It’s less about the stopwatch and more about the transformation that happens along the way.

This guide is for anyone who has felt that same mix of curiosity and intimidation. We’re going to break down the numbers, explore different approaches, and, most importantly, talk about how to turn a reading goal into a life-changing relationship with God’s Word.

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Key Takeaways

Before we dive deep, here are the most important things you need to know:

• The Average Time: For most people reading at a normal pace (around 200 words per minute), it takes between 70 and 100 hours to read the entire Bible. Listening to an audio Bible often takes a bit longer, closer to 90 hours.
• It’s Not a Race: Your personal reading speed, the translation you choose, and whether you’re taking notes will all dramatically change the timeline. The goal is comprehension and connection, not just crossing a finish line.
• Break It Down: Don’t try to tackle it all at once. A one-year plan, which involves reading for about 15-20 minutes a day, is the most popular and sustainable method.
• Every Part is Different: Reading a historical narrative in Kings is a completely different experience than praying through the poetry of Psalms or unpacking the dense theology in Romans. Pacing is everything.
• Starting is What Matters: The journey of a thousand pages begins with a single chapter. Don’t let the total size scare you away from the blessing of starting today.

What’s the Straight Answer? A Look at the Numbers

Let’s get the math out of the way first, because it’s a helpful starting point. While it varies slightly by translation, a standard Protestant English Bible contains around 780,000 words.

So, how does that translate into hours?

• Reading Silently: The average adult reads at a pace of about 200 to 250 words per minute (wpm).
  • Calculation: 780,000 words / 200 wpm = 3,900 minutes.
  • Total Time: 3,900 minutes / 60 minutes = 65 hours.
• Listening to an Audio Bible: Audiobooks are typically recorded at a slightly slower pace to ensure clarity, usually around 150 wpm.
  • Calculation: 780,000 words / 150 wpm = 5,200 minutes.
  • Total Time: 5,200 minutes / 60 minutes = ~87 hours.

Based on these numbers, we can comfortably say that a dedicated, straight read-through will take the average person somewhere in the ballpark of 70 to 100 hours. But as we both know, life and faith are rarely about averages.

But Is It Really Just About the Clock? Factors That Affect Your Reading Pace

I once tried a “read the Bible in 90 days” challenge. I was disciplined, I hit my daily chapter counts, and I finished on time. The problem? I barely remember what I read. I was so focused on the schedule that I completely missed the meaning.

That experience taught me that the “how long” question is deeply personal. The time it takes you will depend entirely on your approach.

What Is Your Personal Reading Speed?

Are you a natural speed-reader who devours books, or do you prefer to read slowly, letting each word sink in? There’s no right or wrong answer here. Your natural pace is your natural pace. Don’t feel pressured to read faster or slower than what feels comfortable for you. God will meet you wherever you are.

Are You Reading for Speed or for Understanding?

This is the most critical question. Are you trying to check a box, or are you trying to connect with the heart of God? If your goal is deep, meditative study, it might take you an hour just to get through a single chapter in Isaiah. You might spend time:

• Journaling: Writing down your thoughts, questions, and prayers.
• Cross-referencing: Looking up other verses that relate to the passage you’re reading.
• Praying: Pausing to pray through the verses and ask God what He wants to teach you.

This kind of reading takes much longer, but the spiritual fruit it bears is immeasurable. It’s the difference between sprinting a marathon and going for a long, reflective walk with your best friend.

Which Translation of the Bible Are You Using?

Not all Bible translations read the same. The language used can significantly impact both your reading speed and your comprehension.

• King James Version (KJV): This classic is beautiful and poetic, but its archaic language (thees, thous, etc.) and complex sentence structures make it a much slower read for most modern readers. Its reading level is often placed around the 12th grade.
• New International Version (NIV) or English Standard Version (ESV): These are “thought-for-thought” translations that balance readability with faithfulness to the original text. They are much easier to read, typically falling around a 7th to 9th-grade reading level.
• The Message (MSG): This is a paraphrase, not a direct translation. It’s written in contemporary, informal language and reads very quickly, almost like a novel.

The difference in readability is significant. In fact, academic institutions often analyze these texts for their linguistic complexity. As noted by biblical studies departments at schools like Westmont College, the choice of translation is a primary factor in determining reading time. A more modern translation can easily cut your total reading time while increasing your understanding.

How Can You Break It Down? Practical Bible Reading Plans

Okay, so 70-100 hours still sounds like a lot. No one is expecting you to sit down and read for three straight days. The key is breaking the massive goal into small, daily, achievable steps. Consistency is far more important than intensity.

Here are a few popular ways to structure your reading:

The “Steady Pace” Approach: Reading the Bible in One Year

This is by far the most common and, for many, the most sustainable plan.

• What it looks like: You read about 3 to 4 chapters each day.
• Time commitment: This usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes per day.
• Why it works: It turns Bible reading into a manageable daily habit, like having your morning coffee. Over the course of a year, those small chunks add up to the entire scripture. Many plans even build in “catch-up days.”

The “Marathon” Approach: Reading the Bible in 90 Days

If you’re in a season of life where you have more time and want an intense, immersive experience, this might be for you.

• What it looks like: You’ll need to read about 12 to 13 chapters per day.
• Time commitment: This requires a solid 60 to 90 minutes each day.
• Why it works: This method gives you a powerful “big picture” view of the Bible’s overarching story in a short amount of time. You start to see connections between the Old and New Testaments that you might miss over a longer reading plan.

Just a Few Minutes a Day: How Much Can You Read in 15 Minutes?

Maybe a year-long plan feels too rigid. That’s perfectly fine! What if you just committed to 15 minutes a day, with no strict endpoint?

In 15 minutes, the average person can read about 3,000 words. That’s enough to get through several chapters of the Psalms or a good portion of one of the Gospels. A 15-minute daily habit could take you through the entire Bible in about a year, but it feels less like a plan and more like a simple, daily connection point with God.

How Long Does It Take to Read Different Parts of the Bible?

The Bible isn’t one book; it’s a library of 66 books written by dozens of authors over thousands of years. The style, genre, and length vary wildly from book to book, and so will your reading pace.

How Long Does It Take to Read the Old Testament?

The Old Testament makes up about 75% of the Bible. It’s long, and let’s be honest, some parts are more challenging to get through than others. I remember my first time reading through Leviticus; it felt like I was wading through mud. But pushing through it was so rewarding because it helped me understand the holiness of God and the depth of Christ’s sacrifice in a way I never had before.

• Estimated Time: Reading the Old Testament takes roughly 50 to 60 hours.
• The Experience: You’ll encounter epic history in Genesis and 1 & 2 Samuel, beautiful poetry in Psalms and Song of Solomon, and dense legal codes in Leviticus. You won’t read them all at the same speed.

How Long Does It Take to Read the New Testament?

The New Testament is much shorter, making up the remaining 25% of the Bible. It’s a great place to start if you’re new to scripture.

• Estimated Time: Reading the New Testament takes about 18 to 25 hours.
• The Experience: You can often read one of the Gospels (like Mark) in a single sitting. The letters from Paul, Peter, and John are short, direct, and packed with incredible wisdom for Christian living.

What Are the Longest and Shortest Books in the Bible?

Knowing this can help you set realistic mini-goals. You can tackle a short book in just a few minutes!

• A Few of the Longest Books (by chapter count):
  • Psalms (150 chapters)
  • Isaiah (66 chapters)
  • Genesis (50 chapters)
• A Few of the Shortest Books (you could read these on your lunch break!):
  • 3 John (1 chapter, ~299 words)
  • 2 John (1 chapter, ~303 words)
  • Philemon (1 chapter, ~445 words)
  • Obadiah (1 chapter, ~670 words)

Why Should You Even Try to Read the Whole Bible?

We’ve spent all this time on the “how,” but the “why” is what will keep you going when you hit a difficult passage or a busy week. Why embark on this journey at all?

Because reading the Bible cover to cover is one of the most powerful ways to understand the full character of God.

When you only read the “highlight reel”—your favorite Psalms, the Christmas story, a few verses from Romans—you get a wonderful but incomplete picture. But when you walk through the entire story, from the garden in Genesis to the city in Revelation, you see His faithfulness in every season. You see His justice, His mercy, His incredible, patient, and persistent love for His people, even when they fail again and again.

It’s in the whole story that you realize the Bible isn’t a rulebook; it’s a rescue story. And you’re in it.

Is It a Race to the Finish Line?

Absolutely not. I want to say this one more time, because it’s the most important point in this entire guide. God is not standing at the end of Revelation with a stopwatch, waiting to see if you beat the average reading time.

He is a Father who wants to speak to His children. The words on the page are an invitation to a conversation. Some days, that conversation will be quick and encouraging. Other days, it will be a long, slow, wrestling match with a difficult concept. Both are beautiful. Both are part of the journey.

The goal isn’t to say, “I’ve read the Bible.” The goal is to let the Bible read you—to let it shape your heart, renew your mind, and draw you closer to the author of life itself.

So, how long does it take to read the Bible? It takes the rest of your life. And that is a wonderful, glorious truth. Don’t be intimidated by the size of the book. Just open it to page one. Start today. The time it takes doesn’t matter nearly as much as the time you spend with Him along the way.

Frequently Asked Questions – How Long Does It Take to Read the Bible