2 Year Bible Reading Plan: A Relaxed Pace Through the Whole Bible
A 2 year Bible reading plan spreads all 1,189 chapters of the 66-book Protestant Bible across 730 days. That works out to about 1.6 chapters a day, or roughly 12 chapters a week with a little room to spare. The slower pace suits readers who stalled on a one-year plan, read carefully, or like to journal.
A slower plan is a different pace, not a lesser one. Pastor Stephen Witmer, writing for The Gospel Coalition, gave his own view that it is better to read the whole Bible carefully once in two years than hastily in one.
This guide covers the math, who the pace suits, common structures, a sample week, chronological and 3-year options, and missed days.
What a 2 Year Bible Reading Plan Is (and the Math Behind It)
A two year Bible reading plan lets you read the Bible in 2 years: 730 days instead of 365. The Protestant Bible has 66 books and 1,189 chapters: 929 in the Old Testament and 260 in the New. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include additional books, so their totals are higher.
For the full count, see how many chapters are in the Bible, or browse the list of the books of the Bible. Here is the daily load at each pace.
| Pace | Days | Average chapters a day | Average chapters a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year | 365 | about 3.3 | about 23 |
| 2 years | 730 | about 1.6 | about 11.4 |
| 3 years | 1,095 | about 1.1 | about 7.6 |
Plans that repeat Psalms or Proverbs assign more than this bare average. For example, Risen Hope Baptist Church describes its two-year plan as an average of 2.5 chapters a day, with the Psalms and Proverbs read four times and two catch-up days at the end of the month.
Reading time varies with the chapter, the translation and the reader, so no single minutes-a-day figure fits every day. For the big picture, see how long it takes to read the whole Bible.
Who a Two-Year Pace Suits
Restarters Who Stalled on a One-Year Plan
Falling behind on a one-year plan is common, and it does not mean you failed. Halving the daily load leaves room for ordinary weeks with late shifts, sick days and travel. Your next reading matters more than the day you missed.
Slow or Careful Readers
A shorter daily portion leaves time to reread a hard chapter or stay with one verse. Psalm 1 describes that kind of attention:
"but his delight is in the Lord's Law. On his Law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:2 (NHEB)
Psalm 1 opens the book of Psalms as a wisdom psalm that contrasts two ways of life. "His" is the blessed person of verse 1, and "day and night" pictures ongoing attention to God's instruction, not a reading quota or a pace. If you want to linger, these ideas on scripture meditation can help.
Journalers and Note-Takers
Some readers like to write one line or one question after each reading. A lighter load makes room for that. Simple Bible study notes can be as short as a sentence.
When a One-Year Plan Still Fits Better
A one-year pace may fit better if you want the whole storyline in twelve months, read with a group on a one-year schedule, or already have a steady daily time for about 3.3 chapters. Neither pace is more spiritual than the other. Look at a one-year Bible plan, or compare more plan lengths.
Common Ways Two-Year Plans Are Structured
Straight through: The simplest shape reads Genesis to Revelation in order at 1 to 2 chapters a day.
Book by book, with Psalms and Proverbs repeated: Stephen Witmer's Two-Year Bible Reading Plan (The Gospel Coalition, December 29, 2010) reads the Old and New Testaments once and the Psalms and Proverbs four times. You read one book at a time plus a daily Psalm or Proverbs reading, split by units of thought rather than chapter breaks, with catch-up days. Ligonier Ministries lists the same plan.
M'Cheyne at half speed: Riverside Church's Two Year Bible Reading Plan adapts Robert Murray M'Cheyne's plan. You read the New Testament and Psalms every year and the Old Testament once over two years. The M'Cheyne Bible reading plan guide explains the half-speed option.
Five days a week: Weekends stay free for rest or catching up. A two year Bible reading plan 5 days a week means about 2.3 chapters on each reading day (1,189 chapters over about 520 weekdays). See how a 5 day Bible reading plan works.
| Structure | Daily shape | Example | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight through | 1 to 2 chapters in canonical order | Any plan in canonical order | Simplicity |
| Book by book with Psalms and Proverbs | One book at a time plus a daily Psalm or Proverbs reading | Two-Year Bible Reading Plan, Stephen Witmer (The Gospel Coalition; also listed by Ligonier) | Seeing each book whole |
| M'Cheyne at half speed | Old Testament plus New Testament and Psalms | Riverside Church Two Year Bible Reading Plan (two volumes on YouVersion) | Variety each day |
| Five days a week | About 2.3 chapters on weekdays | Any plan read on weekdays | Built-in catch-up days |
| Chronological | Readings in approximate event order | Whole Bible in Under 2 Years, Life.Church (683 days, Bible.com) | Following the timeline |
A Sample Week at a Two-Year Pace
This is an illustration of the pace, not the schedule of any specific plan.
- Day 1: Genesis 1-2
- Day 2: Genesis 3-4
- Day 3: Genesis 5
- Day 4: Genesis 6-7
- Day 5: Genesis 8-9
- Day 6: Genesis 10
- Day 7: Genesis 11-12
That is 12 chapters a week. At that rate, 1,189 chapters take a little over 99 weeks, so the last chapter falls on about day 694. That leaves roughly five weeks of margin inside the two years.
Tip: the one-chapter days can absorb a missed reading without doubling up.
BibleMate's 2-Year Relaxed Pace
On the BibleMate web reader, which is free with no account and no ads, the 2-Year Relaxed Pace is one of eight reading plans. The site describes it as 730 days with 2 to 4 chapters a day, including repeated Psalms and Proverbs. The text is the New Heart English Bible (NHEB), and each reader page shows that day's time estimate, which varies by day.
You mark each day complete. Progress is kept per plan and saved in this browser only, with no account and no sync between devices, and "Continue reading" opens the first unfinished day. The reading calendar puts the plan on dates from your first completed day, and a banner offers catch-up when you fall behind.
Reading Chronologically Over Two Years
Chronological plans arrange readings in the approximate order events happened. Plan makers place some books, such as Job, some Psalms and the prophets, in different spots because the dating of some books is uncertain. Each order is one plan maker's arrangement.
One example is Life.Church's Whole Bible in Under 2 Years, which runs 683 days. Its Bible.com page says it follows the Old Testament chronologically with the Psalms and prophets placed alongside the history, adds a New Testament passage every day, and makes every seventh day a pause to reflect.
You can also slow any one-year chronological plan by spreading each day's reading over two days. For more, see this chronological Bible reading schedule and this guide to reading the Bible chronologically.
Thinking About a 3 Year Bible Reading Plan?
Three years works out to about 1.1 chapters a day, or about 7.6 a week. Risen Hope Baptist Church's Three-Year Chronological Reading Plan reads one Old Testament chapter, one New Testament chapter and a Psalm each day, 5 days a week. It covers the New Testament and Psalms every year and the whole Old Testament over the three years.
Long books stretch across many weeks, and it is easier to lose the thread, but the daily load is very light. A three-year pace can suit very full seasons or readers who pair it with deeper study, and five-year plans exist for an even slower pace.
Missed Days on a Two-Year Plan
At 12 chapters a week, a two-year pace leaves about five spare weeks. When you miss days, choose one calm option:
- Pick up at the next unread day and keep going.
- Use a lighter day or a planned catch-up day to close the gap.
- Slide your end date and keep reading.
None of these is a failure. Begin again, and return when you can. For more ideas, see these tips for consistency, and this Bible reading challenge guide has a section on falling behind.
Start Your Two-Year Pace
BibleMate is on the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android, free to download with optional in-app purchases. Prefer your browser? The free web reader needs no account.
In the app, only Day 1 is open without BibleMate Pro. The free way through all 730 days is the web reader, starting with Day 1 of the 2-Year Relaxed Pace. Take today's reading, one day at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a 2-year Bible reading plan app?
Yes. Riverside Church's Two Year Bible Reading Plan is on the YouVersion Bible App in two 365-day volumes: Volume 1 covers Genesis to 2 Chronicles and Volume 2 covers Ezra to Malachi, each with the New Testament and Psalms. The Start Your Two-Year Pace section above explains what is free on each channel.
How many chapters a day do you read to finish the Bible in 2 years?
About 1.6 chapters a day, or about 12 a week with some margin. Plans that repeat Psalms or Proverbs assign more than that average.
What is a two-year chronological Bible reading plan?
It follows the approximate order of events over about two years. The order varies by plan maker, so compare a few before you choose.
What is the 5x5x5 Bible reading plan?
It is The Navigators' 5x5x5 New Testament Bible Reading Plan, which they describe as 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week and 5 ways to dig deeper. It takes one chapter a day through all 260 New Testament chapters, and the free days each week leave room to catch up.
What is the best 2 year Bible reading plan?
There is no single best plan. Choose by structure (straight through, book by book with Psalms and Proverbs, M'Cheyne at half speed, five days a week, or chronological) and by what you will keep reading. The comparison table above sets the options side by side.
