How long does it take to read the book of 1 Kings?
About 1 hour 35 minutes if you read it silently. Out loud it's about 2 hours, and an audio Bible takes about 2 hours 20 minutes. 1 Kings has 22 chapters, 816 verses and 22,268 words.
- Silently
- 1 hr 35 min
- Out loud
- 2 hr
- Listening
- 2 hr 20 min
About 1 Kings
First Kings follows Israel from Solomon's wisdom and the building of the temple to a divided kingdom, where most kings turn from God and the prophet Elijah stands against them.
The 11th of the Bible's 66 books, in the Old Testament (History).
A tip for reading it
Keep track of which kings rule the northern kingdom and which rule the southern one, because the kingdom splits after Solomon.
Plan your reading of 1 Kings
Choose a finish date or the time you have, and get what to read each day.
How will you read it?
Plan by
Finish in
Reading days
Reading 1 Kings silently takes about 1 hour 35 minutes in all.
Each day
4 min
Reading days
22
You finish
…
That's about a chapter a day, 22 chapters in all.
Your first week
Whole chapters, balanced by length
- Day 11 Kings 16 min
- Day 21 Kings 26 min
- Day 31 Kings 33 min
- Day 41 Kings 43 min
- Day 51 Kings 52 min
- Day 61 Kings 64 min
- Day 71 Kings 75 min
Chapter by chapter
Reading silently. The longest is 1 Kings 8 at about 8 minutes; the shortest, 1 Kings 5, takes about 2 minutes.
- Chapter 153 verses6 min
- Chapter 246 verses6 min
- Chapter 328 verses3 min
- Chapter 434 verses3 min
- Chapter 518 verses2 min
- Chapter 638 verses4 min
- Chapter 751 verses5 min
- Chapter 866 verses8 min
- Chapter 928 verses3 min
- Chapter 1029 verses3 min
- Chapter 1143 verses5 min
- Chapter 1233 verses4 min
- Chapter 1334 verses5 min
- Chapter 1431 verses4 min
- Chapter 1534 verses4 min
- Chapter 1634 verses4 min
- Chapter 1724 verses3 min
- Chapter 1846 verses5 min
- Chapter 1921 verses3 min
- Chapter 2043 verses6 min
- Chapter 2129 verses3 min
- Chapter 2253 verses6 min
Questions about 1 Kings
How long does it take to read 1 Kings out loud?
About 2 hours at a comfortable reading-aloud pace. Listening to an audio Bible, it takes about 2 hours 20 minutes.
How many chapters are in 1 Kings?
1 Kings has 22 chapters and 816 verses, 22,268 words in the Berean Standard Bible.
Can I read 1 Kings in one sitting?
You can, but at about 1 hour 35 minutes most people split it up. At one chapter a day you'd finish in 22 days, about 4 minutes a day.
What's the longest chapter in 1 Kings?
1 Kings 8, about 8 minutes to read. The shortest is 1 Kings 5, about 2 minutes.
What is 1 Kings about?
First Kings follows Israel from Solomon's wisdom and the building of the temple to a divided kingdom, where most kings turn from God and the prophet Elijah stands against them.