Putting scripture on the screen starts with having the right translation. ChristChant's Bible store now has free translations you can download, and the King James Version already ships inside the app.
Every translation here comes from a source that states it is public domain in the United States, and every one is a complete Bible: all 66 books.
What is new
These have just joined the store:
- Berean Standard Bible (BSB) and Majority Standard Bible (MSB): modern, readable translations from the Berean team, the second following the Majority Greek text.
- New Heart English Bible (NHEB): a modern-English translation in the American Standard line. Square brackets mark passages that are disputed.
- World Messianic Bible (WMB): modern English that keeps Hebrew names, such as Yeshua.
- Updated King James Version (UKJV): the King James text with its archaic words and grammar brought up to date.
- King James Version, Pure Cambridge Edition (PCE): the standard Cambridge printing of the Authorised Version.
- Geneva Bible (1599): the Bible of the Pilgrims, in its original spelling.
- Webster Bible (1833) and Webster's Revision (1833): Noah Webster's modernising of the King James language.
- Rotherham's Emphasized Bible (1902): J. B. Rotherham's translation, built to show the emphasis of the original.
- Revised Version (1885): the British revision of the King James Bible.
They sit beside the translations that were already there: the American Standard Version, the World English Bible, Darby, Young's Literal Translation and the 1905 Tagalog Ang Dating Biblia.
Which one should you reach for?
These are our suggestions, not rules:
- Reading aloud to a mixed room: BSB or NHEB. Modern wording, nothing to stumble over.
- A traditional feel: the King James Pure Cambridge Edition, or the UKJV if you want the same rhythm with fewer archaic words.
- Studying the wording closely: Rotherham's Emphasized Bible, or the literal Young's and Darby.
- Hebrew names: the World Messianic Bible.
- A Tagalog congregation: the 1905 Tagalog Bible.
Two things worth knowing
Verse numbers always line up, but not every verse has text. A few translations leave out verses that are missing from the oldest manuscripts. Those verses show as blank, so the numbering stays the same across every translation you compare. The Geneva Bible also groups some verses differently from modern Bibles, for example in Job 41, so a verse can appear under a slightly different number there.
Older texts keep their old spelling. The Geneva Bible is shown as it was printed, because that is what it is.
How to get them
Open the Bible store in the ChristChant app, pick a translation and download it. They are free, though you do need to be signed in to an account with a verified email. Once downloaded, a translation works offline, which is how scripture should work when church Wi-Fi does not.
New to ChristChant? Download the app and try it, or read about the Bible feature.
