By The Water
Romans has 16 chapters and 433 verses. In the King James text that is 9,380 words, which takes about 47 min to read at an ordinary pace of 200 words a minute — Paul’s longest and most systematic letter — the one that keeps starting reformations.
Romans in numbers
| Chapters | 16 |
|---|---|
| Verses | 433 |
| Words (KJV) | 9,380 |
| Reading time at 200 wpm | 47 min |
| Testament | New Testament |
| Type of writing | Letter |
| Author | Paul, writing to a church he had never visited |
| Place in the Bible | Written from Corinth, probably in the late 50s AD |
Counted from the King James text in the By The Water app, not estimated. See the same figures for all 66 books.
Romans is the closest thing the New Testament has to a sustained argument from start to finish. Paul is writing to a church he did not found and had never visited, introducing himself by laying out the whole case: what is wrong with everyone, what God has done about it, and what follows.
Chapters 1–8 are the argument proper, moving from human failure to justification by faith to the freedom of chapter 8, which ends with one of the most quoted passages in the Bible. Chapters 9–11 wrestle with Israel’s place. Chapters 12–16 turn practical — how to live, how to treat the state, how to handle disagreement over food and holy days without splitting the church.
It rewards slow reading more than almost any book. Augustine, Luther, Wesley and Barth all point to Romans as the hinge, and the reason is the same each time: it is a tightly built argument, and following the argument is the point.
Key chapters in Romans
- Romans 1:16–17 — The thesis of the letter.
- Romans 3:21–26 — Justification by faith, stated most compactly.
- Romans 5 — Peace with God, and Adam and Christ.
- Romans 8 — No condemnation, and nothing that can separate us.
- Romans 12 — “Present your bodies a living sacrifice.”
Read Romans in a week
Split by verse count rather than by chapter, so the days come out even — no more than about 8 minutes on the heaviest day. Print it, or tick it off on screen.
| Done | Day | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Romans 1–2 | |
| Day 2 | Romans 3–4 | |
| Day 3 | Romans 5–7 | |
| Day 4 | Romans 8–9 | |
| Day 5 | Romans 10–11 | |
| Day 6 | Romans 12–14 | |
| Day 7 | Romans 15–16 |
Where Romans falls in a one-year plan
If you are reading the whole Bible in 2027, here is when you reach Romans in each of the four plans on this site — computed from the plans themselves, with 2027 dates.
| Plan | When you read Romans | Reading days |
|---|---|---|
| Bible in a Year | Days 165–186 (Mon, Jun 14 to Mon, Jul 5) | 16 days |
| Chronological | Days 338–342 (Sat, Dec 4 to Wed, Dec 8) | 5 days |
| Cover to Cover | Days 327–332 (Tue, Nov 23 to Sun, Nov 28) | 6 days |
| New to the Bible | Days 49–54 (Thu, Feb 18 to Tue, Feb 23) | 6 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 Acts — 28 chapters, 2 hr 1 min
- The Book of John — 21 chapters, 1 hr 35 min
- The Book of Luke — 24 chapters, 2 hr 10 min
- All 66 books — chapters, verses and reading time
- How long does it take to read the whole Bible?