By The Water
Matthew has 28 chapters and 1,071 verses. In the King James text that is 23,684 words, which takes about 1 hr 58 min to read at an ordinary pace of 200 words a minute — the gospel that opens the New Testament, and the one with the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew in numbers
| Chapters | 28 |
|---|---|
| Verses | 1,071 |
| Words (KJV) | 23,684 |
| Reading time at 200 wpm | 1 hr 58 min |
| Testament | New Testament |
| Type of writing | Gospel |
| Author | Traditionally attributed to Matthew the tax collector |
| Place in the Bible | Written for readers who knew the Hebrew Scriptures well |
Counted from the King James text in the By The Water app, not estimated. See the same figures for all 66 books.
Matthew is the gospel placed first, and it is placed first for a reason: it is the one that works hardest to connect Jesus to everything that came before. It opens with a genealogy running back to Abraham, and quotes the Old Testament roughly sixty times, often with the phrase “that it might be fulfilled.”
Its structure is five big blocks of teaching, each ending with a formula like “when Jesus had ended these sayings.” The first and most famous is the Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5–7, which contains the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer and the house built on rock. If someone has read one part of the Bible, it is often this.
Matthew is the longest gospel at 28 chapters and about 1,070 verses, and it is the standard starting point in plans that begin with the New Testament. It ends with the Great Commission, four verses that have shaped Christian mission ever since.
Key chapters in Matthew
- Matthew 1–2 — The genealogy, the birth and the flight to Egypt.
- Matthew 5–7 — The Sermon on the Mount.
- Matthew 13 — The parables of the kingdom.
- Matthew 16 — “Who do you say that I am?”
- Matthew 25 — The ten virgins, the talents, the sheep and the goats.
- Matthew 28 — The resurrection and the Great Commission.
Read Matthew in a week
Split by verse count rather than by chapter, so the days come out even — no more than about 20 minutes on the heaviest day. Print it, or tick it off on screen.
| Done | Day | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Matthew 1–5 | |
| Day 2 | Matthew 6–10 | |
| Day 3 | Matthew 11–13 | |
| Day 4 | Matthew 14–18 | |
| Day 5 | Matthew 19–22 | |
| Day 6 | Matthew 23–25 | |
| Day 7 | Matthew 26–28 |
Where Matthew falls in a one-year plan
If you are reading the whole Bible in 2027, here is when you reach Matthew in each of the four plans on this site — computed from the plans themselves, with 2027 dates.
| Plan | When you read Matthew | Reading days |
|---|---|---|
| Bible in a Year | Days 1–38 (Fri, Jan 1 to Sun, Feb 7) | 28 days |
| Chronological | Days 273–315 (Thu, Sep 30 to Thu, Nov 11) | 21 days |
| Cover to Cover | Days 272–283 (Wed, Sep 29 to Sun, Oct 10) | 12 days |
| New to the Bible | Days 129–140 (Sun, May 9 to Thu, May 20) | 12 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 John — 21 chapters, 1 hr 35 min
- The Book of Acts — 28 chapters, 2 hr 1 min
- All 66 books — chapters, verses and reading time
- How long does it take to read the whole Bible?