The division of the Bible in chapters and verses did not appear in the original texts. The first complete Bible including this characteristic was produced in the 13th century. Since that time, with small differences, it is included in all editions of the Bibles. If chapters and verses did not appear in the original texts, then where did they come from? To answer this question this article summarizes the history of the division of the biblical text, notably with the oldest known biblical manuscripts found in the Qumran Caves, the most important witnesses to the Greek text of the LXX and the NT, the medieval Latin Bibles, and finally, the first printed Christian Bibles. It also intends to help us better understand why, in spite of its need, the division in chapters and verses includes the limits of what we must take account in reading, studying and translating of the Bible.