How many chapters are in Ruth?
Ruth has 4 chapters and 85 verses. The King James Version text of Ruth runs 2,574 words, about 11 minutes of reading at 238 words a minute. It is book 8 of the 66 books of the Bible (8th of the 39 Old Testament books) and the 43rd longest by word count.
Verses in each chapter of Ruth
The longest chapter is Ruth 2 with 23 verses; the shortest is Ruth 3 with 18.
Longest and shortest verse in Ruth
Longest: Ruth 3:13, 62 words in the KJV.
Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning, that if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinsman, well; let him do the kinsman’s part: but if he will not do the part of a kinsman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinsman to thee, as the LORD liveth: lie down until the morning.
Shortest: Ruth 4:19, 8 words in the KJV.
And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,
How Ruth begins and ends
First verse, Ruth 1:1
Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
Last verse, Ruth 4:22
And Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David.
and Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David.
Ruth in our topic collections
1 verse from Ruth appears on our Bible verse topic pages:
- Bible Verses About Kindness (1 from Ruth)
Ruth: common questions
How many chapters are in the book of Ruth?
Ruth has 4 chapters. The longest chapter is Ruth 2 with 23 verses; the shortest is Ruth 3 with 18.
How many verses are in Ruth?
Ruth has 85 verses in the King James Version, and the same number in the World English Bible.
How long does it take to read Ruth?
About 11 minutes at an average silent reading speed of 238 words a minute. The KJV text is 2,574 words and the World English Bible text is 2,461 words.
What is the longest verse in Ruth?
Ruth 3:13 is the longest verse in Ruth, at 62 words in the King James Version. The shortest is Ruth 4:19 (8 words): "And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram begat Amminadab,"
Compare all 66 books on how many books are in the Bible, see the Bible by the numbers, or work out how long it takes to read the Bible at your own pace.
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 2026-10-02.