Books of the Bible in order
The 66 books of the Bible in order run from Genesis to Revelation: 39 Old Testament books (Genesis to Malachi) followed by 27 New Testament books (Matthew to Revelation). This is the Protestant order; together they hold 1,189 chapters and 31,102 verses. The table gives each book's number, chapters, verses, King James word count and reading time.
Updated October 22, 2026
Law (the Pentateuch): 5 books
Genesis to Deuteronomy. 187 chapters, 5,852 verses and 156,837 words in the KJV. Reading times assume 238 words a minute.
| # | Book | Chapters | Verses | Words (KJV) | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis | 50 | 1,533 | 38,307 | 2 hours 41 minutes |
| 2 | Exodus | 40 | 1,213 | 32,692 | 2 hours 17 minutes |
| 3 | Leviticus | 27 | 859 | 24,543 | 1 hour 43 minutes |
| 4 | Numbers | 36 | 1,288 | 32,930 | 2 hours 18 minutes |
| 5 | Deuteronomy | 34 | 959 | 28,365 | 1 hour 59 minutes |
History: 12 books
Joshua to Esther. 249 chapters, 7,018 verses and 204,525 words in the KJV. Reading times assume 238 words a minute.
| # | Book | Chapters | Verses | Words (KJV) | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Joshua | 24 | 658 | 18,965 | 1 hour 20 minutes |
| 7 | Judges | 21 | 618 | 19,010 | 1 hour 20 minutes |
| 8 | Ruth | 4 | 85 | 2,574 | 11 minutes |
| 9 | 1 Samuel | 31 | 810 | 25,086 | 1 hour 45 minutes |
| 10 | 2 Samuel | 24 | 695 | 20,646 | 1 hour 27 minutes |
| 11 | 1 Kings | 22 | 816 | 24,561 | 1 hour 43 minutes |
| 12 | 2 Kings | 25 | 719 | 23,565 | 1 hour 39 minutes |
| 13 | 1 Chronicles | 29 | 942 | 20,440 | 1 hour 26 minutes |
| 14 | 2 Chronicles | 36 | 822 | 26,100 | 1 hour 50 minutes |
| 15 | Ezra | 10 | 280 | 7,451 | 31 minutes |
| 16 | Nehemiah | 13 | 406 | 10,494 | 44 minutes |
| 17 | Esther | 10 | 167 | 5,633 | 24 minutes |
Poetry and wisdom: 5 books
Job to Song of Solomon. 243 chapters, 4,785 verses and 84,059 words in the KJV. Reading times assume 238 words a minute.
| # | Book | Chapters | Verses | Words (KJV) | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Job | 42 | 1,070 | 18,099 | 1 hour 16 minutes |
| 19 | Psalms | 150 | 2,461 | 42,683 | 2 hours 59 minutes |
| 20 | Proverbs | 31 | 915 | 15,037 | 1 hour 3 minutes |
| 21 | Ecclesiastes | 12 | 222 | 5,579 | 23 minutes |
| 22 | Song of Solomon | 8 | 117 | 2,661 | 11 minutes |
Major prophets: 5 books
Isaiah to Daniel. 183 chapters, 4,440 verses and 134,209 words in the KJV. Reading times assume 238 words a minute.
| # | Book | Chapters | Verses | Words (KJV) | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Isaiah | 66 | 1,292 | 37,047 | 2 hours 36 minutes |
| 24 | Jeremiah | 52 | 1,364 | 42,693 | 2 hours 59 minutes |
| 25 | Lamentations | 5 | 154 | 3,411 | 14 minutes |
| 26 | Ezekiel | 48 | 1,273 | 39,441 | 2 hours 46 minutes |
| 27 | Daniel | 12 | 357 | 11,617 | 49 minutes |
Minor prophets: 12 books
Hosea to Malachi. 67 chapters, 1,050 verses and 30,307 words in the KJV. Reading times assume 238 words a minute.
| # | Book | Chapters | Verses | Words (KJV) | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Hosea | 14 | 197 | 5,183 | 22 minutes |
| 29 | Joel | 3 | 73 | 2,033 | 9 minutes |
| 30 | Amos | 9 | 146 | 4,219 | 18 minutes |
| 31 | Obadiah | 1 | 21 | 669 | 3 minutes |
| 32 | Jonah | 4 | 48 | 1,320 | 6 minutes |
| 33 | Micah | 7 | 105 | 3,154 | 13 minutes |
| 34 | Nahum | 3 | 47 | 1,285 | 5 minutes |
| 35 | Habakkuk | 3 | 56 | 1,475 | 6 minutes |
| 36 | Zephaniah | 3 | 53 | 1,615 | 7 minutes |
| 37 | Haggai | 2 | 38 | 1,130 | 5 minutes |
| 38 | Zechariah | 14 | 211 | 6,443 | 27 minutes |
| 39 | Malachi | 4 | 55 | 1,781 | 7 minutes |
Gospels: 4 books
Matthew to John. 89 chapters, 3,779 verses and 83,879 words in the KJV. Reading times assume 238 words a minute.
History: 1 book
Acts. 28 chapters, 1,007 verses and 24,246 words in the KJV. Reading times assume 238 words a minute.
| # | Book | Chapters | Verses | Words (KJV) | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | Acts | 28 | 1,007 | 24,246 | 1 hour 42 minutes |
Epistles: Paul's letters: 13 books
Romans to Philemon. 87 chapters, 2,033 verses and 43,321 words in the KJV. Reading times assume 238 words a minute.
| # | Book | Chapters | Verses | Words (KJV) | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | Romans | 16 | 433 | 9,423 | 40 minutes |
| 46 | 1 Corinthians | 16 | 437 | 9,462 | 40 minutes |
| 47 | 2 Corinthians | 13 | 257 | 6,068 | 25 minutes |
| 48 | Galatians | 6 | 149 | 3,085 | 13 minutes |
| 49 | Ephesians | 6 | 155 | 3,023 | 13 minutes |
| 50 | Philippians | 4 | 104 | 2,184 | 9 minutes |
| 51 | Colossians | 4 | 95 | 1,980 | 8 minutes |
| 52 | 1 Thessalonians | 5 | 89 | 1,838 | 8 minutes |
| 53 | 2 Thessalonians | 3 | 47 | 1,022 | 4 minutes |
| 54 | 1 Timothy | 6 | 113 | 2,244 | 9 minutes |
| 55 | 2 Timothy | 4 | 83 | 1,666 | 7 minutes |
| 56 | Titus | 3 | 46 | 896 | 4 minutes |
| 57 | Philemon | 1 | 25 | 430 | 2 minutes |
Epistles: general letters: 8 books
Hebrews to Jude. 34 chapters, 734 verses and 16,947 words in the KJV. Reading times assume 238 words a minute.
Prophecy: 1 book
Revelation. 22 chapters, 404 verses and 11,995 words in the KJV. Reading times assume 238 words a minute.
| # | Book | Chapters | Verses | Words (KJV) | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | Revelation | 22 | 404 | 11,995 | 50 minutes |
Questions about the order of the books
What are the books of the Bible in order?
39 Old Testament books from Genesis to Malachi, then 27 New Testament books from Matthew to Revelation. The full numbered table is above.
How many books are in the Bible?
66 in the Protestant canon. Catholic Bibles have 73, adding Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch and 1 and 2 Maccabees.
How long does it take to read the whole Bible?
55 hours 21 minutes at 238 words a minute (790,325 KJV words).
Which book comes first and which last?
Genesis is first and Revelation is last; the Bible runs 66 books in all.
Which books have only one chapter?
Obadiah, Philemon, 2 John, 3 John, Jude.
Also see old testament books in order, new testament books in order, how many books are in the Bible, the shortest book, the longest book and how long the Bible is.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-22.