What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?
The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117, with 2 verses and 33 words in the King James Version (24 in the World English Bible). The next shortest by verses is Psalm 134 (3 verses, 44 words).
Updated October 22, 2026
Every ranking below is counted from the full text of the King James Version and the World English Bible. Where they differ, each table says which.
The 10 shortest chapters, King James Version
Ranked by verse count, ties broken by words.
| # | Chapter | Verses | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 117 | 2 | 33 |
| 2 | Psalm 134 | 3 | 44 |
| 3 | Psalm 131 | 3 | 60 |
| 4 | Psalm 133 | 3 | 69 |
| 5 | Esther 10 | 3 | 93 |
| 6 | Psalm 123 | 4 | 94 |
| 7 | Psalm 100 | 5 | 86 |
| 8 | Psalm 93 | 5 | 92 |
| 9 | Psalm 15 | 5 | 99 |
| 10 | Psalm 70 | 5 | 102 |
The 10 shortest chapters, World English Bible
Same ranking on the WEB text.
| # | Chapter | Verses | Words |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 117 | 2 | 24 |
| 2 | Psalm 134 | 3 | 37 |
| 3 | Psalm 131 | 3 | 58 |
| 4 | Psalm 133 | 3 | 65 |
| 5 | Esther 10 | 3 | 91 |
| 6 | Psalm 123 | 4 | 88 |
| 7 | Psalm 100 | 5 | 78 |
| 8 | Psalm 93 | 5 | 79 |
| 9 | Psalm 70 | 5 | 89 |
| 10 | Psalm 125 | 5 | 98 |
Questions people ask
What is the shortest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 117: 2 verses, 33 words in the KJV.
What is the shortest chapter in the New Testament?
Revelation 15, 8 verses and 252 words in the KJV (same in the WEB).
Do the KJV and WEB agree?
Yes on the top spot: Psalm 117 in both.
What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
Psalm 119 (176 verses).
More counts: the longest chapter in the Bible, the shortest verse in the Bible, the shortest book in the Bible. See also the Bible by the numbers, the books of the Bible in order 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.