by Chance Faulkner

If you’re like me, you may often make excuses for not reading Scripture, the most common of which is “there’s not enough time!” But the reality is that there is enough time. We fill our schedules with other priorities while we neglect God’s Word.

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It can be helpful for us to realize just how much time reading the Bible actually takes. I’ve compiled a list of each book of the Bible ranked according to word count (using the English Standard Version Bible translation) and how long they take to read (based on a slow reader’s speed of 100 words per minute).

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Almost half the books in the Bible take less than a half-hour to read. Twenty-three of them can each be read in under 20 minutes! That’s one episode of your favorite program on Netflix (and let’s be honest, you’re going to watch 3–7 episodes consecutively). That’s the amount of time you probably spend checking Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter on any given morning. That’s the amount of half a lunch break at work.

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I hope this list will help you to see that reading whole books of the Bible is an attainable goal if we make it a priority.

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, What Are the Longest and Shortest Books of the Bible?]

Books of the Bible — Shortest to Longest

• 3 John — 219 words, 2.2 minutes
• 2 John — 245 words, 2.5 minutes
• Philemon — 335 words, 3.5 minutes
• Obadiah — 440 words, 4.5 minutes
• Jude — 461 words, 4.6 minutes
• Titus — 659 words, 7 minutes
• 2 Thessalonians — 823 words, 8 minutes
• Nahum — 855 words, 8.5 minutes
• Haggai — 926 words, 9 minutes
• Habakkuk — 1,011 words, 10 minutes
• Jonah — 1,082 words, 10 minutes
• 2 Peter — 1,099 words, 10 minutes
• Zephaniah — 1,141 words, 10 minutes
• 2 Timothy — 1,238 words, 12 minutes
• Malachi — 1,320 words, 13 minutes
• Joel — 1,447 words, 15 minutes
• 1 Thessalonians — 1,481 words, 15 minutes
• Colossians — 1,582 words, 16 minutes
• 1 Timothy — 1,591 words, 16 minutes
• Philippians — 1,629 words, 16 minutes
• 1 Peter — 1,684 words, 17 minutes
• James — 1,742 words, 17.5 minutes
• Song of Songs — 2,020 words, 20 minutes
• Ruth — 2,039 words, 20 minutes
• Micah — 2,118 words, 21 minutes
• 1 John — 2,141 words, 21 minutes
• Galatians — 2,230 words, 22 minutes
• Lamentations — 2,324 words, 23 minutes
• Ephesians — 2,422 words, 24 minutes
• Amos — 3,027 words, 30 minutes
• Hosea — 3,615 words, 36 minutes
• 2 Corinthians — 4,477 words, 45 minutes
• Ecclesiastes — 4,537 words, 45 minutes
• Zechariah — 4,855 words, 48 minutes
• Esther — 4,932 words, 49 minutes
• Hebrews — 4,953 words, 50 minutes
• Ezra — 5,605 words, 56 minutes
• 1 Corinthians — 6,830 words, 68 minutes
• Romans — 7,111 words, 71 minutes
• Nehemiah — 8,507 words, 85 minutes
• Daniel — 9,001 words, 90 minutes
• Revelation — 9,851 words, 98 minutes
• Proverbs — 9,921 words, 99 minutes
• Mark — 11,304 words, 113 minutes
• Job — 12,674 words, 126 minutes
• Judges — 15,385 words, 153 minutes
• John — 15,635 words, 156 minutes
• Joshua — 15,671 words, 156 minutes
• 1 Chronicles — 16,664 words, 166 minutes
• 2 Samuel — 17,170 words, 171 minutes
• Matthew — 18,346 words, 183 minutes
• Acts (of the Apostles) — 18,450 words, 184 minutes
• 2 Kings — 18,784 words, 187 minutes
• Leviticus — 18,852 words, 188 minutes
• Luke — 19,482 words, 194 minutes
• 1 Kings — 20,361 words, 203 minutes
• 1 Samuel — 20,837 words, 208 minutes
• 2 Chronicles — 21,349 words, 213 minutes
• Deuteronomy — 23,008 words, 230 minutes
• Numbers — 25,048 words, 250 minutes
• Isaiah — 25,608 words, 256 minutes
• Exodus — 25,957 words, 259 minutes
• Ezekiel — 29,918 words, 299 minutes
• Psalms — 30,147 words, 301 minutes
• Genesis — 32,046 words, 320 minutes
• Jeremiah — 33,002 words, 330 minutes

[This article originally was published by The Gospel Coalition, Canadian Edition. Used by permission.]

Bio: Chance Faulkner is married to Mary Austin, whom he met while studying at Emmaus School of Biblical Studies. They have two sons and a daughter (Titus, Ezra, and Frances). Chance is a full-time wedding photographer, the managing editor of H+E Publishing, and is pursuing his bachelor of theology at Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College. He serves and worships at The Gathering church in Peterborough.

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, This Year Select a Bible Reading Plan That’s Right for You]

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