By The Water
John has 21 chapters and 879 verses. In the King James text that is 19,094 words, which takes about 1 hr 35 min to read at an ordinary pace of 200 words a minute — the gospel most people are told to read first — and they are told that for good reason.
John in numbers
| Chapters | 21 |
|---|---|
| Verses | 879 |
| Words (KJV) | 19,094 |
| Reading time at 200 wpm | 1 hr 35 min |
| Testament | New Testament |
| Type of writing | Gospel |
| Author | Traditionally attributed to John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved” |
| Place in the Bible | The latest of the four gospels, written to persuade |
Counted from the King James text in the By The Water app, not estimated. See the same figures for all 66 books.
John is the gospel that does not start with a birth. It starts before anything: “In the beginning was the Word.” It is shorter than Matthew and Luke, the most quoted of the four, and the one almost every church hands to someone reading the Bible for the first time.
It is built around seven signs — water into wine, healings, the feeding of the five thousand, walking on water, Lazarus — and seven “I am” sayings: the bread of life, the light of the world, the door, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way, the true vine. The book says outright why it was written: “that ye might believe.”
Chapters 13–17 are unlike anything else in the gospels: a long, quiet conversation on the last night, including the foot washing and a prayer for everyone who would ever believe. It also contains the shortest verse in the Bible — John 11:35, “Jesus wept” — two words that arrive in the middle of the most emotional chapter in the book.
Key chapters in John
- John 1 — “In the beginning was the Word.”
- John 3 — Nicodemus at night, and John 3:16.
- John 11 — Lazarus, and the shortest verse in the Bible.
- John 13–17 — The last supper, the foot washing and the farewell discourse.
- John 20 — The empty tomb, Mary in the garden and Thomas.
Read John in a week
Split by verse count rather than by chapter, so the days come out even — no more than about 19 minutes on the heaviest day. Print it, or tick it off on screen.
| Done | Day | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | John 1–3 | |
| Day 2 | John 4–6 | |
| Day 3 | John 7–8 | |
| Day 4 | John 9–10 | |
| Day 5 | John 11–13 | |
| Day 6 | John 14–17 | |
| Day 7 | John 18–21 |
Where John falls in a one-year plan
If you are reading the whole Bible in 2027, here is when you reach John in each of the four plans on this site — computed from the plans themselves, with 2027 dates.
| Plan | When you read John | Reading days |
|---|---|---|
| Bible in a Year | Days 96–124 (Tue, Apr 6 to Tue, May 4) | 21 days |
| Chronological | Days 276–317 (Sun, Oct 3 to Sat, Nov 13) | 15 days |
| Cover to Cover | Days 305–314 (Mon, Nov 1 to Wed, Nov 10) | 10 days |
| New to the Bible | Days 1–9 (Fri, Jan 1 to Sat, Jan 9) | 9 days |
Each plan is printable in full: compare all four reading plans.
Paper plans work — until you miss a day
A printed plan is a good start. The trouble usually comes in February: a busy week, three unticked boxes, then six, and the plan quietly ends. By The Water has this exact plan built in, and it is designed for the days life gets in the way.
- Today's reading, readyOpen the app and today's chapters are waiting on the Today tab. No hunting for where you left off.
- Every chapter tracked and savedEach chapter you read is checked off and saved to your account, so a new phone doesn't mean starting over.
- See how far you've comeA progress ring shows how much of the Bible you've read, and how far through the current book you are.
- A finish date that moves with you“Started Jan 2027 · Estimated finish: Dec 2027” updates as you read, so you always know where you stand.
- Miss a day without falling apartThe plan picks up at your next unread chapter, not a calendar date — so a missed week never becomes a wall of overdue readings.
- Reminders and streaksA daily reminder at the time you choose, and a reading streak to keep you coming back.
Free to start: the reading plans, progress tracking, streaks and reminders are all free in the app.
Nearby books
- The Book of Luke — 24 chapters, 2 hr 10 min
- The Book of Acts — 28 chapters, 2 hr 1 min
- The Book of Romans — 16 chapters, 47 min
- All 66 books — chapters, verses and reading time
- How long does it take to read the whole Bible?