Bible API

GET

Deliver any Bible passage or verse across multiple translations.

Bible retrieves scripture passages and verses across translations including KJV, ASV, BBE, and Darby. Supply a book, chapter, and optional verse number to get the text with testament classification, word count, and chapter totals.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

GETapi.apiverve.com/v1/bible?book=Genesis&version=KJV&chapter=5

Query parameters

bookstring

versionstring

chapterinteger

Verification

Format

No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.

Example

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "text": "But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.",
    "book": "Genesis",
    "abbr": "gn",
    "chapter": 6,
    "verses": [
      18
    ],
    "version": "KJV",
    "testament": "Old Testament",
    "bookNumber": 1,
    "totalChapters": 50,
    "totalVersesInChapter": 22,
    "wordCount": 29
  }
}

About the Bible API

Bible works by querying a large database of bible verses to retrieve the verse based on the book, chapter, and verse provided. It returns the bible verse in a structured format.

What people use it for

Daily Devotional Notifications: Devotional mobile apps schedule daily morning push notifications that display a random verse along with its book and chapter reference.
Worship Slide Generation: To prepare church projection slides, presentation software queries chapter text and verse numbers to format reading prompts automatically.
Multitranslation Scripture Study: Academic study platforms pull the same verse across Darby, ASV, and KJV versions so researchers can compare wording line by line.
Custom Journal Publishing: When laying out printable prayer planners, publishing tools inject verse text and testament classifications into daily reading header blocks.

Ways to call it

One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.

JSON: Default REST response
XML: Markup format
YAML: Human-readable
CSV: Tabular export
GraphQL: Query language
MCP: For AI agents

View all integrations →

Other ways to use Bible

Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.on VerveKit Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.on VerveSheets Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.on VerveContext

Questions.

Common questions about the Bible API.

Read the docs →

Is it cheap enough to fetch scripture for every daily devotional reader?

Yes. At 2 credits per lookup, scripture costs about $0.30 per 1,000 calls on Starter, whose monthly credits cover 100,000 verse lookups. The Free plan includes 100 calls a month for testing.

Which Bible translations can I query?

You can request scripture in standard translations by passing the version code, such as KJV, NIV, or ESV. The version parameter is required on both specific verse lookups and random verse requests.

Can I retrieve an entire chapter instead of a single verse?

Yes. The verse parameter is optional on the passage lookup endpoint. When omitted, Bible returns the text for the requested chapter along with an array containing all verse numbers included in that passage.

What contextual metadata does each request return with the text?

Each response delivers structured biblical context alongside the passage text. You receive the book abbreviation, testament classification, book number from 1 to 66, total chapters in the book, total verses in the current chapter, and word count.

Can I display these verses inside a commercial app?

Yes, as long as you are subscribed to a paid plan. Commercial use requires an active paid tier starting with the Starter plan. You can freely display the scripture and metadata within your user interface, though you cannot resell the raw data directly.

Request parameters — GET /v1/bible

Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.

Required

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`book`Required	string	`Genesis`	The name of the book in the bible (e.g., Genesis)
`version`Required	string	`KJV`	The Bible translation version `KJVASVBBEDarby`
`chapter`Required	integer	`5`	The chapter number in the book range 1-inf

Optional

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`verse`Optional	integer	`17`	The verse number in the chapter range 1-inf

Example request

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curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/bible?book=Genesis&version=KJV&chapter=5&verse=17" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.

Header	When	Value
`x-api-key`Required	Every request	Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so `X-API-Key` is the same header.
`Authorization`Alternate	Instead of the above	`Bearer <key>` — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Response — GET /v1/bible

Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "text": "But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.",
    "book": "Genesis",
    "abbr": "gn",
    "chapter": 6,
    "verses": [
      18
    ],
    "version": "KJV",
    "testament": "Old Testament",
    "bookNumber": 1,
    "totalChapters": 50,
    "totalVersesInChapter": 22,
    "wordCount": 29
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`text`	string	`"But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with th…`	The complete text of the requested verse or passage
`book`	string	`"Genesis"`	Full name of the biblical book (e.g., Genesis, Matthew)
`abbr`	string	`"gn"`	Two-letter abbreviation of the book name
`chapter`	number	`6`	Chapter number of the requested verse
`verses`	array	`[18]`	Array of verse numbers included in the response
`version`	string	`"KJV"`	Bible translation version (e.g., KJV, NIV, ESV)
`testament`	string	`"Old Testament"`	Old Testament or New Testament classification
`bookNumber`	number	`1`	Position of the book in the Bible (1-66)
`totalChapters`	number	`50`	Total number of chapters in this book
`totalVersesInChapter`	number	`22`	Total number of verses in the current chapter
`wordCount`	number	`29`	Number of words in the returned verse(s)

Response headers

Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.

Header	What it carries
`x-api-remaining-credits`	Credits left in the current cycle
`x-api-credits-used`	Credits spent in the current cycle
`x-api-max-credits`	The allowance for the cycle
`x-api-version`	Version of the endpoint that answered

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter that has to change.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted here	A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart, then back off or top up.

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.

Plan	Per month	Credits	Bible calls	Per 1,000 calls
Free	Free	200	100	Free
Starter	$29.99	200,000	100,000	$0.30
Pro	$99.99	1,000,000	500,000	$0.20
Mega	$299.99	4,000,000	2,000,000	$0.15

Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.

Compare all pricing tiers →

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/bible

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/bible with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

cURL

1
2

curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/bible" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

GitHubapiverve/bible-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceBible API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/biblenpm apiverve-biblePyPI APIVerve.API.BibleNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/bible

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the Bible API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — npm

npm install @apiverve/bible

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/bible", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

npm@apiverve/bibleThe published Node.js client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/bible-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceBible API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

apiverve-biblePyPI APIVerve.API.BibleNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Python — GET /v1/bible

Install the Python SDK, then call the Bible API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — PyPI

pip install apiverve-bible

Python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/bible",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

PyPIapiverve-bibleThe published Python client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/bible-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceBible API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/biblenpm APIVerve.API.BibleNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/bible

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the Bible API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — NuGet

dotnet add package APIVerve.API.Bible

C# / .NET

using var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");

var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/bible");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

NuGetAPIVerve.API.BibleThe published C# / .NET client, versioned and signed.GitHubapiverve/bible-apiSource, issues and the examples this page is built from.ReferenceBible API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/biblenpm apiverve-biblePyPI

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Go — GET /v1/bible

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/bible with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/bible", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")

res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/biblenpm apiverve-biblePyPI APIVerve.API.BibleNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/bible

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/bible with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/bible");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/biblenpm apiverve-biblePyPI APIVerve.API.BibleNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/bible

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/bible with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Ruby

require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/bible")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

Resources

Also published for

@apiverve/biblenpm apiverve-biblePyPI APIVerve.API.BibleNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

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Bible API

Try it — live request, no key required

About the Bible API

What people use it for

Ways to call it

Other ways to use Bible

Questions.

Request parameters — GET /v1/bible

Required

Optional

Authentication

Response — GET /v1/bible

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 2 credits per call

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/bible

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/bible

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — GET /v1/bible

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/bible

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — GET /v1/bible

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/bible

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/bible

Resources

Also published for

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Changelog — Bible API

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