How many books are in the Bible?

The standard Protestant canon has 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Catholic and Orthodox traditions include additional books, which are covered separately.

What is the easiest way to memorize the books of the Bible?

Learn them by division rather than as one long list. Five books of Law, twelve of history, five of poetry and wisdom, then prophets and the New Testament groups, are easier to hold in memory than 66 separate names.

How many chapters are in the Bible?

Using the standard 66-book list, there are 929 chapters in the Old Testament and 260 in the New Testament, for 1,189 in all.

What is on the 66 Books Checklist and Memory Chart?

It lists all 66 books in order, grouped by division, with the number of chapters, a short memory hook for each book and a box to check off as you read it.

Books of the Bible Chart: All 66 Books in Order, by Division

Updated 2026-10-25

The Bible's 66 books fall into ten divisions: five books of Law, twelve of history, five of poetry and wisdom, five major prophets, twelve minor prophets, four Gospels, Acts, thirteen letters of Paul, eight general letters and Revelation. The chart below lists every book in order with its number of chapters, so you can read it on screen or copy it onto a sheet of your own.

The 66 books at a glance

Testament	Division	Books
Old Testament	Law (Pentateuch)	5
Old Testament	History	12
Old Testament	Poetry & Wisdom	5
Old Testament	Major Prophets	5
Old Testament	Minor Prophets	12
New Testament	Gospels	4
New Testament	Acts	1
New Testament	Paul's Letters	13
New Testament	General Letters	8
New Testament	Prophecy	1

Together that is 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. This list follows the standard Protestant order. If you are looking for the extra books that appear in some Bibles, see the list of deuterocanonical books.

The full chart, by division

Law (Pentateuch) (OT, 5 books, 187 chapters)

#	Book	Chapters
1	Genesis	50
2	Exodus	40
3	Leviticus	27
4	Numbers	36
5	Deuteronomy	34

History (OT, 12 books, 249 chapters)

#	Book	Chapters
6	Joshua	24
7	Judges	21
8	Ruth	4
9	1 Samuel	31
10	2 Samuel	24
11	1 Kings	22
12	2 Kings	25
13	1 Chronicles	29
14	2 Chronicles	36
15	Ezra	10
16	Nehemiah	13
17	Esther	10

Poetry & Wisdom (OT, 5 books, 243 chapters)

#	Book	Chapters
18	Job	42
19	Psalms	150
20	Proverbs	31
21	Ecclesiastes	12
22	Song of Solomon	8

Major Prophets (OT, 5 books, 183 chapters)

#	Book	Chapters
23	Isaiah	66
24	Jeremiah	52
25	Lamentations	5
26	Ezekiel	48
27	Daniel	12

Minor Prophets (OT, 12 books, 67 chapters)

#	Book	Chapters
28	Hosea	14
29	Joel	3
30	Amos	9
31	Obadiah	1
32	Jonah	4
33	Micah	7
34	Nahum	3
35	Habakkuk	3
36	Zephaniah	3
37	Haggai	2
38	Zechariah	14
39	Malachi	4

Gospels (NT, 4 books, 89 chapters)

#	Book	Chapters
40	Matthew	28
41	Mark	16
42	Luke	24
43	John	21

Acts (NT, 1 book, 28 chapters)

#	Book	Chapters
44	Acts	28

Paul's Letters (NT, 13 books, 87 chapters)

#	Book	Chapters
45	Romans	16
46	1 Corinthians	16
47	2 Corinthians	13
48	Galatians	6
49	Ephesians	6
50	Philippians	4
51	Colossians	4
52	1 Thessalonians	5
53	2 Thessalonians	3
54	1 Timothy	6
55	2 Timothy	4
56	Titus	3
57	Philemon	1

General Letters (NT, 8 books, 34 chapters)

#	Book	Chapters
58	Hebrews	13
59	James	5
60	1 Peter	5
61	2 Peter	3
62	1 John	5
63	2 John	1
64	3 John	1
65	Jude	1

Prophecy (NT, 1 book, 22 chapters)

#	Book	Chapters
66	Revelation	22

The chapters add up to 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New, which makes 1,189 chapters in all. Divisions are a convenience for readers and are drawn slightly differently from one chart to another. For example, some charts place Hebrews with Paul's letters, while this one files it under General Letters.

How to memorize the books of the Bible

Learn one division at a time. Start with the five books of Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). Add a division only when the previous one comes without effort.
Use the shape of each group. The history books run from Joshua to Esther, the poetry books begin with Job and end with the Song of Solomon, and the Gospels are followed by Acts.
Attach a short phrase to each book. "Rescue from Egypt" for Exodus, "Moses' farewell sermons" for Deuteronomy, "one hundred fifty prayers and songs" for Psalms. A hook gives you something to hold on to besides the name.
Practice out of order. Once you can recite the list, pick a book at random and name the division and the book before and after it.
Use a checklist. A visible record of the books you have read is its own motivation.

What the printable checklist adds

The Bible Roadmap includes a 66 Books Checklist and Memory Chart as one of its bonuses. It lays all 66 books in order on one sheet, grouped by division, with the chapter count and a short memory hook for each, such as "Loyalty and redemption in a harvest field" for Ruth or "A shepherd calls for justice" for Amos. Each book has a box to tick when you have read it, so the sheet doubles as a record of progress.

It sits beside the other parts of the set: a one-page guide for each of the 66 books, the Bible at a Glance chart of eras, and the chronological reading plan with its own weekly tracker. For the wall-sized version, the Wall Charts and the big timeline poster are sold as an extra, not part of the main set.

If you want to read through the books in order, the reading tracker shows a 52-week route. For a lighter way to learn the names, the set also includes twenty Bible word searches built around people, places and stories.