Bible translations and versions
Every Bible text on Biblup comes from a real edition with an open license. Here you can see which ones we use, why we chose them and who gets the credit.
Where the texts come from
Three different texts, each with its own job.
The verse, in English
The verse that ends each story comes from the World English Bible (WEB), a modern English Bible in the public domain. We show it as it is, with no simplifying.
A Bible beside it, in Portuguese and Spanish
On the Portuguese and Spanish versions of the site, the text of an open Bible in that language appears beside the English, verse by verse, so you can check the meaning. On the English version you see only the English verse. The editions in use today are listed further down.
The story, in simple English
The story you read and hear is told again in easy English, with words picked for your level. It is a version made for learning, not a Bible translation.
Why the English in the stories is simplified
Bible English is hard for a beginner. Even a modern translation uses words and sentence shapes that take years to learn. So each story is told again in simple English, with a small set of words you learn step by step, and the audio plays one sentence at a time.
That version is a study tool. It is not an official translation and it does not replace the Bible. At the end of every story you read the real verse, unchanged, and you recognize the words you learned along the way.
For the same reason we never call it “World English Bible”: that name is a registered trademark and refers only to the unchanged text.
The stories are written with the help of artificial intelligence and checked automatically before they are published. If you spot a mistake, report it in the app.
Why the World English Bible
Not the King James, not the NIV.
English people use today
The WEB is written in the English people speak and write now. The King James Version (1611) and the American Standard Version (1901) are also in the public domain, but they use forms like “thou”, “hath” and “shalt”, which would teach you English nobody uses.
Free to use for learning
Modern Bibles that are still under copyright, such as the NIV or the NLT, come with limited licenses. The free licenses do not cover making exercises and audio from the text and keeping a copy of it in an app. The WEB is in the public domain, so we can use it fully, and that cannot be taken back.
The same text every time
We use a single fixed edition, the 2020 text, so a verse reads the same today and a year from now.
Verses you recognize
It writes “the LORD” for God's name, so well-known lines such as “The LORD is my shepherd” look the way you expect.
How to see the original beside the story
Where to find the real text, and what you see when there is no translation.
At the end of each story
The verse appears in English. On the Portuguese and Spanish versions of the site, the text of an open Bible in that language shows right below, with the name of the edition.
In the Bible reader
After you log in, you can read any book and chapter in English, verse by verse. On the Portuguese and Spanish versions of the site, the text in that language sits beside it. Tap a word to see what it means.
On the English version of the site
You see only the English verse. We do not fill the gap with a translation of unknown origin.
Editions in use today and their credits
Each edition is listed with its license and the credit its authors ask for.
- EnglishVerse text (English)
World English BibleWEB
- License:
- Public domain
- Source:
- ebible.org
- Brazilian PortugueseText beside the English
Bíblia Livre (2018)BLIVRE
- License:
- CC BY 4.0
- Source:
- ebible.org
Credit
Todas as Escrituras em português citadas são da Bíblia Livre (BLIVRE), Copyright © Diego Santos, Mario Sérgio, e Marco Teles, http:/
/ sites.google.com/ site/ biblialivre/ - fevereiro de 2018. Licença Creative Commons Atribuição 4.0 Brasil (http:/ / creativecommons.org/ licenses/ by/ 4.0/ br/ ). Reprodução permitida desde que devidamente mencionados fonte e autores. - SpanishText beside the English
Reina-Valera 1909RV1909
- License:
- Public domain
- Source:
- ebible.org
Credit
Santa Biblia — Reina Valera 1909, dominio público (eBible.org)
This edition is from 1909: the language may sound old.
If a language is not listed, no open Bible is active for it yet.
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