How long does it take to read the book of 1 Samuel?

About 1 hour 35 minutes if you read it silently. Out loud it's about 2 hours 5 minutes, and an audio Bible takes about 2 hours 20 minutes. 1 Samuel has 31 chapters, 810 verses and 22,553 words.

Silently: 1 hr 35 min
Out loud: 2 hr 5 min
Listening: 2 hr 20 min

About 1 Samuel

First Samuel covers Israel's change from judges to kings: the prophet Samuel, the failure of King Saul, and the rise of young David, whom God chose.

The 9th of the Bible's 66 books, in the Old Testament (History).

A tip for reading it

Pay attention to what God sees in people's hearts, since that's the big difference between Saul and David.

Plan your reading of 1 Samuel

Choose a finish date or the time you have, and get what to read each day.

What are you reading?

How will you read it?

Plan by

Finish in

Reading days

Reading 1 Samuel silently takes about 1 hour 35 minutes in all.

Each day

3 min

Reading days

You finish

…

That's about a chapter a day, 31 chapters in all.

Your first week

Whole chapters, balanced by length

Day 11 Samuel 13 min
Day 21 Samuel 24 min
Day 31 Samuel 32 min
Day 41 Samuel 43 min
Day 51 Samuel 52 min
Day 61 Samuel 63 min
Day 71 Samuel 72 min

Chapter by chapter

Reading silently. The longest is 1 Samuel 17 at about 6 minutes; the shortest, 1 Samuel 31, takes about 1 minute.

Chapter 128 verses3 min
Chapter 236 verses4 min
Chapter 321 verses2 min
Chapter 422 verses3 min
Chapter 512 verses2 min
Chapter 621 verses3 min
Chapter 717 verses2 min
Chapter 822 verses2 min
Chapter 927 verses4 min
Chapter 1027 verses3 min
Chapter 1115 verses2 min
Chapter 1225 verses3 min
Chapter 1323 verses3 min
Chapter 1452 verses6 min
Chapter 1535 verses4 min
Chapter 1623 verses3 min
Chapter 1758 verses6 min
Chapter 1830 verses3 min
Chapter 1924 verses3 min
Chapter 2042 verses5 min
Chapter 2115 verses2 min
Chapter 2223 verses3 min
Chapter 2329 verses3 min
Chapter 2422 verses3 min
Chapter 2544 verses5 min
Chapter 2625 verses3 min
Chapter 2712 verses1 min
Chapter 2825 verses3 min
Chapter 2911 verses2 min
Chapter 3031 verses3 min

Show all 31 chapters

Chapter 3113 verses1 min

Questions about 1 Samuel

How long does it take to read 1 Samuel out loud?

About 2 hours 5 minutes at a comfortable reading-aloud pace. Listening to an audio Bible, it takes about 2 hours 20 minutes.

How many chapters are in 1 Samuel?

1 Samuel has 31 chapters and 810 verses, 22,553 words in the Berean Standard Bible.

Can I read 1 Samuel 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 31 days, about 3 minutes a day.

What's the longest chapter in 1 Samuel?

1 Samuel 17, about 6 minutes to read. The shortest is 1 Samuel 31, about 1 minute.

What is 1 Samuel about?