There are 66 books in the Bible, divided into 1,189 chapters: 929 in the Old Testament across 39 books, and 260 in the New Testament across 27 books. Individual books range from just one chapter (Obadiah) to 150 chapters (Psalms). You can browse the full table below or download a printable chart for reference.
If you come up with some creative ways to use this data, let me know.
Why lists like this feel helpfulPermalink
Most people turn to lists like this because they’re trying to make Bible reading feel more manageable—choosing a place to start, breaking a plan into pieces, or just getting a sense of the Bible’s overall shape. When Scripture feels overwhelming, structure feels like relief.
That instinct is healthy.
A quick clarification about chaptersPermalink
Chapters and verses were added long after the biblical texts were written. They’re incredibly useful tools, but they aren’t inspired in the same way the text itself is—and they don’t tell you how a book is meant to be read.
Chapter count shows how a book is shaped, not how it’s experienced.
Here’s the catchPermalink
Lists like this are excellent for reference—but they’re a rough guide for deciding what to read next.
Some very short books are dense and demanding. Some long books are narrative and surprisingly approachable. And some books that look similar on a chart play completely different roles in the larger story of Scripture.
If Bible reading has ever felt harder than it “should,” this mismatch is often why.
Looking for summaries of each book? Start here: Chapter by Chapter
Interactive Book TablePermalink
| Book | Order | Testament | Chapters | Verses | Words |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis | 1 | Old | 50 | 1533 | 36397 |
| Exodus | 2 | Old | 40 | 1213 | 31005 |
| Leviticus | 3 | Old | 27 | 859 | 23493 |
| Numbers | 4 | Old | 36 | 1288 | 31043 |
| Deuteronomy | 5 | Old | 34 | 959 | 27618 |
| Joshua | 6 | Old | 24 | 658 | 17993 |
| Judges | 7 | Old | 21 | 618 | 18312 |
| Ruth | 8 | Old | 4 | 85 | 2437 |
| 1 Samuel | 9 | Old | 31 | 810 | 24168 |
| 2 Samuel | 10 | Old | 24 | 695 | 19795 |
| 1 Kings | 11 | Old | 22 | 816 | 23520 |
| 2 Kings | 12 | Old | 25 | 719 | 22912 |
| 1 Chronicles | 13 | Old | 29 | 942 | 18580 |
| 2 Chronicles | 14 | Old | 36 | 822 | 24856 |
| Ezra | 15 | Old | 10 | 280 | 6921 |
| Nehemiah | 16 | Old | 13 | 406 | 9874 |
| Esther | 17 | Old | 10 | 167 | 5484 |
| Job | 18 | Old | 42 | 1070 | 17627 |
| Psalms | 19 | Old | 150 | 2461 | 41273 |
| Proverbs | 20 | Old | 31 | 915 | 14552 |
| Ecclesiastes | 21 | Old | 12 | 222 | 5376 |
| Song of Solomon | 22 | Old | 8 | 117 | 2576 |
| Isaiah | 23 | Old | 66 | 1292 | 35385 |
| Jeremiah | 24 | Old | 52 | 1364 | 40544 |
| Lamentations | 25 | Old | 5 | 154 | 3253 |
| Ezekiel | 26 | Old | 48 | 1273 | 37309 |
| Daniel | 27 | Old | 12 | 357 | 11272 |
| Hosea | 28 | Old | 14 | 197 | 4976 |
| Joel | 29 | Old | 3 | 73 | 1917 |
| Amos | 30 | Old | 9 | 146 | 4067 |
| Obadiah | 31 | Old | 1 | 21 | 614 |
| Jonah | 32 | Old | 4 | 48 | 1312 |
| Micah | 33 | Old | 7 | 105 | 3022 |
| Nahum | 34 | Old | 3 | 47 | 1111 |
| Habakkuk | 35 | Old | 3 | 56 | 1373 |
| Zephaniah | 36 | Old | 3 | 53 | 1573 |
| Haggai | 37 | Old | 2 | 38 | 1095 |
| Zechariah | 38 | Old | 14 | 211 | 6083 |
| Malachi | 39 | Old | 4 | 55 | 1752 |
| Matthew | 40 | New | 28 | 1067 | 23019 |
| Mark | 41 | New | 16 | 673 | 14596 |
| Luke | 42 | New | 24 | 1149 | 25010 |
| John | 43 | New | 21 | 866 | 18841 |
| Acts | 44 | New | 28 | 1003 | 23633 |
| Romans | 45 | New | 16 | 432 | 9530 |
| 1 Corinthians | 46 | New | 16 | 437 | 9314 |
| 2 Corinthians | 47 | New | 13 | 257 | 6077 |
| Galatians | 48 | New | 6 | 149 | 3133 |
| Ephesians | 49 | New | 6 | 155 | 3014 |
| Philippians | 50 | New | 4 | 104 | 2160 |
| Colossians | 51 | New | 4 | 95 | 1950 |
| 1 Thessalonians | 52 | New | 5 | 89 | 1854 |
| 2 Thessalonians | 53 | New | 3 | 47 | 1065 |
| 1 Timothy | 54 | New | 6 | 113 | 2314 |
| 2 Timothy | 55 | New | 4 | 83 | 1647 |
| Titus | 56 | New | 3 | 46 | 928 |
| Philemon | 57 | New | 1 | 25 | 461 |
| Hebrews | 58 | New | 13 | 303 | 6935 |
| James | 59 | New | 5 | 108 | 2331 |
| 1 Peter | 60 | New | 5 | 105 | 2405 |
| 2 Peter | 61 | New | 3 | 61 | 1549 |
| 1 John | 62 | New | 5 | 105 | 2507 |
| 2 John | 63 | New | 1 | 13 | 302 |
| 3 John | 64 | New | 1 | 15 | 303 |
| Jude | 65 | New | 1 | 25 | 610 |
| Revelation | 66 | New | 22 | 404 | 11526 |
Selected SuperlativesPermalink
- Which book has the most chapters?
Psalms with 150 (and it’s not close; second place is Isaiah with merely 66) - Which book has the fewest chapters?
Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, Jude tie with 1 each - Which book has the most verses?
Psalms again with 2,461 (second place is Genesis with 1,533) - Which book has the fewest verses?
2 John with 13 - Which book has the most words (English Standard Version)?
Psalms again with 41,273 (but second-place Isaiah is much closer this time with 40,544) - Which book has the fewest words (English Standard Version)?
2 John with 302 (narrowly beating 3 John with 303)
Books Grouped by Chapter CountPermalink
- 1 chapter — Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
- 2 chapters — Haggai
- 3 chapters — Joel, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 2 Thessalonians, Titus, 2 Peter
- 4 chapters — Ruth, Jonah, Malachi, Philippians, Colossians, 2 Timothy
- 6 chapters — Galatians, Ephesians, 1 Timothy
- 21 chapters — Judges, John
- 28 chapters — Matthew, Acts
- 30 chapters — No books have exactly 30 chapters
- 31 chapters — 1 Samuel, Proverbs
- 40 chapters — Exodus
