By The Water
Psalms has 150 chapters and 2,461 verses. In the King James text that is 42,685 words, which takes about 3 hr 33 min to read at an ordinary pace of 200 words a minute — 150 songs and prayers — the longest book in the Bible and the one people return to most. That makes it the longest book in the Bible by word count.
Psalms in numbers
| Chapters | 150 |
|---|---|
| Verses | 2,461 |
| Words (KJV) | 42,685 |
| Reading time at 200 wpm | 3 hr 33 min |
| Testament | Old Testament |
| Type of writing | Hebrew poetry — songs and prayers |
| Author | David and others; 73 psalms carry David’s name |
| Place in the Bible | Written across centuries and collected into five books |
Counted from the King James text in the By The Water app, not estimated. See the same figures for all 66 books.
Psalms is the Bible’s prayer book and its longest book by a wide margin: 150 chapters, 2,461 verses, more than 42,000 words. It is not a book to read through in one sitting, and it was never meant to be. These are songs, collected over centuries into five smaller books, each ending with a burst of praise.
What keeps people coming back is the range. Roughly a third of the psalms are laments — complaints, arguments with God, prayers from illness, betrayal and fear. They sit in the same book as the harvest songs and the coronation psalms without apology, which is why Psalms is the first place most people turn in a bad week.
Two chapters bracket the extremes: Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible at 176 verses, an alphabet poem in 22 stanzas about loving God’s word; Psalm 117 is the shortest at two verses. Reading five psalms a day takes you through the whole book in a month, which is the oldest reading plan there is.
Key chapters in Psalms
- Psalm 1 — The tree planted by the water — the image this app is named for.
- Psalm 22 — The psalm Jesus quotes from the cross.
- Psalm 23 — The shepherd psalm, the best-known chapter in the Old Testament.
- Psalm 51 — David’s prayer after Bathsheba.
- Psalm 119 — 176 verses, 22 stanzas, one per Hebrew letter.
- Psalm 139 — “Search me, O God, and know my heart.”
Read Psalms in a month
Split by verse count rather than by chapter, so the days come out even — no more than about 15 minutes on the heaviest day. Print it, or tick it off on screen.
| Done | Day | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Psalms 1–8 | |
| Day 2 | Psalms 9–16 | |
| Day 3 | Psalms 17–19 | |
| Day 4 | Psalms 20–25 | |
| Day 5 | Psalms 26–31 | |
| Day 6 | Psalms 32–35 | |
| Day 7 | Psalms 36–38 | |
| Day 8 | Psalms 39–44 | |
| Day 9 | Psalms 45–49 | |
| Day 10 | Psalms 50–55 | |
| Day 11 | Psalms 56–62 | |
| Day 12 | Psalms 63–68 | |
| Day 13 | Psalms 69–71 | |
| Day 14 | Psalms 72–76 | |
| Day 15 | Psalms 77–78 | |
| Day 16 | Psalms 79–83 | |
| Day 17 | Psalms 84–88 | |
| Day 18 | Psalms 89–91 | |
| Day 19 | Psalms 92–98 | |
| Day 20 | Psalms 99–103 | |
| Day 21 | Psalms 104–105 | |
| Day 22 | Psalms 106–107 | |
| Day 23 | Psalms 108–113 | |
| Day 24 | Psalms 114–118 | |
| Day 25 | Psalms 119 | |
| Day 26 | Psalms 120 | |
| Day 27 | Psalms 121–131 | |
| Day 28 | Psalms 132–138 | |
| Day 29 | Psalms 139–144 | |
| Day 30 | Psalms 145–150 |
Where Psalms falls in a one-year plan
If you are reading the whole Bible in 2027, here is when you reach Psalms in each of the four plans on this site — computed from the plans themselves, with 2027 dates.
| Plan | When you read Psalms | Reading days |
|---|---|---|
| Bible in a Year | Days 188–247 (Wed, Jul 7 to Sat, Sep 4) | 60 days |
| Chronological | Days 82–270 (Tue, Mar 23 to Mon, Sep 27) | 48 days |
| Cover to Cover | Days 165–192 (Mon, Jun 14 to Sun, Jul 11) | 28 days |
| New to the Bible | Days 198–225 (Sat, Jul 17 to Fri, Aug 13) | 28 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 Job — 42 chapters, 1 hr 30 min
- The Book of Proverbs — 31 chapters, 1 hr 15 min
- The Book of Isaiah — 66 chapters, 3 hr 5 min
- All 66 books — chapters, verses and reading time
- How long does it take to read the whole Bible?