Lent Bible reading plan 2027: 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter

This Lent Bible reading plan for 2027 gives you 40 readings for the 40 days of Lent, from Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027 to Holy Saturday, March 27, 2027, with Sundays left free. You read the whole Gospel of Mark, all seven penitential psalms, and the Old Testament passages that point to the cross. Each Sunday has a three-question quiz on the week, and Easter is Sunday, March 28.

Most Lent plans either give you a random verse a day or ask you to read far more than fits in a busy season. This one sits in the middle: one chapter or passage a day, usually 10 minutes, built so the story moves forward. You start with repentance, follow Jesus through Mark's Gospel, and arrive in Holy Week reading Mark 11 to 15 on the days those events happened.

The plan is fully dated, works in any translation, and the quotations here come from the King James Version.

Lent 2027 dates at a glance

Why 40 days? Forty is a number of testing and preparation in Scripture. Moses was with the Lord "forty days and forty nights" on the mountain (Exodus 34:28), Elijah walked "forty days and forty nights unto Horeb" (1 Kings 19:8), and Jesus "fasted forty days and forty nights" in the wilderness before his ministry began (Matthew 4:2). The Bible doesn't command Lent itself; it's a church tradition. But the habit it builds, turning back to God with your whole heart, is very biblical.

A note on traditions: in the Roman Catholic calendar, Lent formally ends on Holy Thursday evening, when the Easter Triduum begins. Many Protestant churches simply count from Ash Wednesday to Easter. And Orthodox churches follow a different calendar: in 2027, Orthodox Easter is May 2 and Great Lent begins on Clean Monday, March 15. The readings below work for any of these; just shift the dates.

If you'd like each day's reading with a reminder, a streak and a short quiz afterward, the app's reading plan handles all of it.

How this Lent plan is built

Three threads run through the 40 days.

1. The Gospel of Mark, start to finish. Mark is the shortest Gospel (16 chapters) and the most urgent: the word "straightway" appears 19 times in the KJV of Mark. You read Mark 1 to 10 over five weeks, two chapters a week, then Mark 11 to 15 in Holy Week, one chapter a day, matching the events of that week. Mark 16 is your Easter morning reading. The Gospel of Mark summary is a good five-minute primer.

2. The seven penitential psalms. Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143 have been read together as prayers of repentance for centuries. You'll pray through all seven, one most weeks, starting with Psalm 51 on the day after Ash Wednesday.

3. The Old Testament road to the cross. Each week adds passages that make the cross make sense: the first promise in Genesis 3, Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22, the Passover lamb in Exodus 12, the bronze serpent in Numbers 21, the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, and Isaiah's servant songs.

The daily rhythm is simple: read, ask one question ("What does this show me about sin, about God, or about Jesus?"), and pray one honest sentence.

Days 1 to 4: Ash Wednesday to Saturday (February 10 to 13)

The first four days set the tone: return, confess, fast rightly, and watch Jesus face temptation.

Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

The ashes of Ash Wednesday echo an old biblical sign of repentance. Job repented "in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6), Daniel sought God "with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes" (Daniel 9:3), and the king of Nineveh "sat in ashes" (Jonah 3:6).

Week 1: Return (February 15 to 20)

Sunday quiz, February 21:

1. What did Jesus preach in Mark 1:15? Answer: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."
2. How did four men get the paralyzed man to Jesus in Mark 2? Answer: They uncovered the roof and let down his bed (Mark 2:4).
3. In Luke 15, what did the father do when he saw his son "a great way off"? Answer: He "had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him" (Luke 15:20). Read the parable of the prodigal son.

Week 2: The lamb God provides (February 22 to 27)

Sunday quiz, February 28:

1. How many did Jesus ordain "that they should be with him" in Mark 3? Answer: Twelve (Mark 3:14).
2. What did Abraham tell Isaac that God would provide? Answer: "Himself a lamb for a burnt offering" (Genesis 22:8). See the sacrifice of Isaac.
3. What did Jesus say to the sea in Mark 4? Answer: "Peace, be still" (Mark 4:39).

Week 3: Lifted up (March 1 to 6)

Psalm 103 isn't one of the seven penitential psalms, but it's the answer to them: forgiveness received.

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Sunday quiz, March 7:

1. What name did the unclean spirit give in Mark 5? Answer: "My name is Legion: for we are many" (Mark 5:9). Read the demon-possessed man of Gadara.
2. What did Moses set on a pole in Numbers 21? Answer: "A serpent of brass" (Numbers 21:9). Jesus compares it to his own lifting up in John 3:14.
3. How many baskets of leftovers were gathered after the feeding in Mark 6? Answer: Twelve (Mark 6:43).

Week 4: The servant (March 8 to 13)

Sunday quiz, March 14:

1. What did Peter answer when Jesus asked "whom say ye that I am?" Answer: "Thou art the Christ" (Mark 8:29). See Peter's confession.
2. What three things must a follower do according to Mark 8:34? Answer: "Deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
3. Finish Isaiah 42:3: "A bruised reed shall he not..." Answer: "...break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench."

Week 5: Toward Jerusalem (March 15 to 20)

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Sunday quiz, March 21 (Palm Sunday):

1. Who appeared with Jesus on the mountain in Mark 9? Answer: "Elias with Moses" (Mark 9:4). Read the transfiguration.
2. Finish Mark 10:45: the Son of man came "to give his life..." Answer: "...a ransom for many."
3. Which psalm does Jesus quote from the cross in Mark 15:34? Answer: Psalm 22, which begins "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1).

On Palm Sunday itself, read Mark 11:1-11 before church: it's the event the whole day remembers, and it fulfills the Zechariah reading from the day before.

Holy Week: Mark 11 to 15, day by day (March 22 to 27)

This is where the plan pays off. You've been reading Mark since February; now you read his account of the last week on the days it happened. Bible scholars date some events in the week a little differently (especially which day the fig tree was cursed and what happened on Wednesday), but Mark's own sequence lines up well with these days.

For a fuller week that reads all four Gospels side by side, see our Holy Week Bible reading plan.

Easter Sunday, March 28: read Mark 16 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. Then take the last quiz:

1. What did the crowd cry as Jesus entered Jerusalem? Answer: "Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Mark 11:9).
2. How many times did Jesus say Peter would deny him "before the cock crow twice"? Answer: Three times (Mark 14:30). See Peter's denial.
3. What did the centurion say at the cross? Answer: "Truly this man was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39).

And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

For a longer quiz to celebrate, try our Easter Bible trivia, or test yourself on the whole Gospel with the Mark quiz.

Quick quiz: Mark

Where do the four men lower the paralytic down to Jesus?

Through a windowThrough the roofThrough the doorThrough the courtyard

What name does the unclean spirit in the country of the Gadarenes give?

LegionBeelzebulAbaddonMammon

How much does the poor widow put into the temple treasury?

One gold coinFive denariiTwo small coinsThirty pieces of silver

Continue the quiz

There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.

Tips for keeping Lent without burning out

Pick a time and protect it. Ten minutes before work, at lunch or before bed. The same time each day matters more than the length.

If you're fasting from something, give that time to the reading. Giving up social media for Lent? Read the day's passage at the moment you'd normally open the app.

Use Sundays well. Sundays aren't counted in the 40 days, so they're natural catch-up days. If you're on track, read the day's quiz questions with your family or small group instead.

Journal once a week. On one reading each week, write the verse that stood out, what it says, how it applies, and a one-line prayer. That's the SOAP Bible study method, and it turns reading into reflection.

Don't quit after a missed day. Read the missed passage on Sunday, or just keep going with today's. Lent is about returning, and that includes returning to the plan.

Plan your next step now. After Easter, many readers keep going. The Easter season runs 50 days to Pentecost (May 16, 2027), a good stretch to read Acts, or to join our 2027 Bible reading plan wherever it is that week.

If the weekly quizzes help you remember what you read, the app does that after every reading, with the verse behind each answer.

Frequently asked questions

When does Lent start in 2027?

Lent 2027 starts on Ash Wednesday, February 10, 2027, and ends on Holy Saturday, March 27, the day before Easter Sunday on March 28. In the Western count, that's 46 days, and when you leave out the six Sundays you get the 40 days of Lent. Orthodox Great Lent in 2027 begins on March 15, before Orthodox Easter on May 2.

What should I read during Lent?

Good Lent reading includes one of the Gospels (Mark is the shortest at 16 chapters), the penitential psalms (Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 and 143), and Old Testament passages that point to the cross, like Genesis 22, Exodus 12 and Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12. In Holy Week, read the Gospel accounts of Jesus' last days.

Why are there 40 days in Lent?

The 40 days echo Jesus' forty days of fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2), as well as Moses' forty days on Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:28) and Elijah's forty-day journey to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8). In the traditional Western reckoning, Sundays aren't counted because every Sunday celebrates the resurrection, so Lent spans 46 calendar days.

Are Sundays part of Lent?

Sundays fall within the season of Lent, but in the traditional Western count they aren't among the 40 days, because each Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection. That's why this plan has no assigned reading on Sundays. Use them for rest, catch-up, or the weekly quiz with your family or small group.

Is Lent in the Bible?

The word "Lent" and a 40-day season before Easter aren't in the Bible; Lent developed as a church tradition. But its practices are biblical: fasting (Matthew 6:16-18), repentance (Joel 2:12-13), prayer, and generosity to the poor (Isaiah 58:6-7). Many Protestant churches observe Lent, and others don't, and both can do so in good faith.

How long does each Lent reading take?

Most readings take 5 to 12 minutes. Psalms and short prophecies are quick; chapters like Mark 14 (72 verses) take longer. If you add the weekly journaling or quiz, plan on 15 minutes. You can read a little extra on Sundays if a weekday reading runs long.