Guide
How many verses are in the Bible
Short answer
The King James Version has 31,102 verses: 23,145 in the Old Testament and 7,957 in the New Testament, across 1,189 chapters (929 and 260). Other translations number the same verses but leave a few empty, so the count of verses with text varies slightly.
Counts by translation
| Translation | Verse numbers | Verses with text | Words | Reading time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KJV | 31,102 | 31,102 | 790,676 | 55 hr |
| WEB | 31,103 | 31,098 | 751,742 | 53 hr |
| ASV | 31,102 | 31,086 | 784,673 | 55 hr |
Counted from the eBible.org texts used on this site. Words are counted as runs of letters and digits; reading time assumes 238 words a minute.
Records
| Longest chapter | Psalm 119, 176 verses |
| Shortest chapter | Psalm 117, 2 verses |
| Middle chapter | Psalm 117, with 594 chapters before it and 594 after |
| Longest verse (KJV) | Esther 8:9, 90 words |
| Shortest verse (KJV) | John 11:35: Jesus wept. |
| Shortest verse (WEB) | John 11:35: Jesus wept. |
| Longest book by words (KJV) | Psalms, 43,716 words; then Jeremiah (42,654) |
| Shortest book by words (KJV) | 3 John, 294 words |
| Most chapters | Psalms, 150 |
Why counts differ between Bibles
Chapter and verse numbers were added long after the books were written: Stephen Langton's chapter divisions date to the 1200s and Robert Estienne's New Testament verse numbers to 1551. English Bibles share that numbering, but translations based on older Greek manuscripts leave some verse numbers empty, as the comparison guide lists. Bibles that include the deuterocanonical books have more books, chapters and verses.
See every book's counts in the books of the Bible table.
Questions
How many chapters are in the Bible?
1,189: 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New Testament.
What is the shortest verse in the Bible?
In the KJV it is John 11:35, "Jesus wept."
How long does it take to read the whole Bible?
About 55 hours at an average silent reading pace of 238 words a minute, or about 9 minutes a day for a year.