What is API.Bible?

API.Bible is an API that streamlines the Bible licensing process, making it incredibly easy to pick your favorite translations and request them via REST endpoints from your project. We offer several plans and pricing models to fit any project.

How do I get access?

You can sign up any time by visiting https://api.bible/sign-up.

What type of applications can I build?

We strongly believe that tools such as API.Bible are needed to unlock the full creative and technical potential of the global Church. If you feel called to develop cutting-edge technologies to edify the global Church, share the gospel, and/or communicate the love of Christ to the world, this service is absolutely for you.

What is my subscription payment used for?

Revenue from paid subscription plans helps cover the operational costs of running API.Bible. This includes expenses for cloud computing, as well as the ongoing development, maintenance, and improvement of the platform. Your payment also supports the team of experts and technological resources that ensure the service remains reliable and beneficial to its users.

Is there a money-back guarentee?

While we do not have a formal satisfaction guarantee, we value customer feedback and are committed to addressing any concerns. Refunds or reimbursements may be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you experience any issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out at support@api.bible.

When will video content (such as sign-language) be available in API.Bible?

Currently, video content is not available through API.Bible, but we are working to integrate more diverse resources in the future.

Will additional study resources like commentaries be included in API.Bible?

As the platform evolves, we aim to include additional features like commentaries and study Bibles to enhance the service.

Can I donate to API.Bible and American Bible Society?

Yes, we appreciate your support. For more information on how to donate, please contact us at support@api.bible.

My monthly subscription ended and I now want to subscribe again. What do I do?

If you cancel or your subscription expires, you will need to create a new app within your existing account. Once the new app is set up, you can subscribe to the paid plan and can select any additional licenses as needed during the checkout process.

How do I get my translation added to API.Bible?

If you are a publisher or intellectual property owner and want your Bible version to be made available via API.Bible, we'd absolutely love to hear from you. Please contact us at support@api.bible.

Licensing

Why is a paid license required for commercial use?

Many Bible translations are protected by copyright, because they represent the dedicated work of scholars, translators, and experts. Licensing fees of copyrighted materials may help recover prior costs associated with producing high-quality translations, support ongoing translation efforts in languages that do not yet have a full or quality translation of the Bible, and/or may support various organizational initiatives such as Bible distribution.

What is considered commercial use?

Commercial use includes any use of API.Bible, its service, or content, in product or service that is monetized. Monetization examples include but are not limited to: website advertising, licensing fees, in-app promotions, sponsorships, freemium models, and/or paid access to your application, website or other digital property. In short, anything that generates revenue is considered commercial.

Am I allowed to sub-license content from API.Bible?

No, sub-licensing of content is not permitted. However, if sub-licensing is essential to your use case, we’d be interested in discussing your requirements. Please reach out to us at support@api.bible to explore potential solutions.

How I can I use response data?

If you have a Starter plan, or indicated non-commercial use while creating your Pro or Enterprise plan, you may only use API response data for non-commercial purposes (See our FAQ entry above for what is considered commercial use).

What translations are available?

Availability depends on your plan and what translations you chose during signup. You can view the full list of available Bibles on our public Bibles page. The Starter Plan provides access to Public Domain and Creative Commons versions, in addition to up to 3 licensed Bibles, while the Pro Plan includes all Public Domain and Creative Commons Bibles, as well as additional licensed translations (some are unavailable for commercial use or at certain user sizes). You can manage what Bibles are available for you by visiting your dashboard, clicking "Plan", and editing your plan details.

Why aren't there more Scripture translations?

Scripture translations are the intellectual property of various publishers and license owners. To provide access to a particular translation in the API, we have to get special permission from the various publishers first. We are always expanding the translations offered, and if there is a particular translation you would like help in pursuing access to, please don't hesitate to contact us at support@api.bible to discuss further.

Do I have to display the copyright for each version I display?

Yes. We believe it's important to give credit to the publishers who own the rights to the particular version of Scripture content. As such, please include the copyright information along side all of the Scripture you display.

FUMS

What is FUMS, and why is it required for web apps?

The Fair Use Management System helps us to profile how Scripture content is being used by the API. To use it, you include a small extra snippet of JavaScript code wherever you display the result of an API call on your website. Click here to learn more and find out how to integrate FUMS into your codebase.

Why do you require using FUMS?

The Fair Use Management System helps us to provide information to Scripture publishers that shows them how their content is being used. It also helps us to add more Scripture versions to the API as we demonstrate to IP holders the additional reach that API access gives their translations. And it helps us allocate our development and physical resources to ensure that the API expands to include features and data that are important to our users.

What implications does FUMS have for my app?

The Fair Use Management System (FUMS) will have minimal impact on your application. We've optimized the code and delivery of the JavaScript to ensure that your visitors won't be impacted by its use. No personally-identifiable information is used by the FUMS. Additionally, as we continue to build the capabilities of the FUMS, you'll be able to access advanced statistics that show how the API data that you're displaying on your site is being used by your users.

The API

How do I use the API?

To get started with the API, we suggest you read over the complete documentation to see the capabilities and limitations of the current API. If you are lost or stuck, email us at support@api.bible and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

What is overage protection, and how do I purchase additional API calls?

Overage protection - available on Pro and Enterprise plans - can be configured to extend your monthly API call limit should you exceed the included monthly allotment. Each 1,000 increment of additional calls costs \$1, and you will only be charged should you use the overage.{" "}

Do unused API calls roll over to the next month?

No, unused calls do not roll over. It operates on a “use it or lose it” basis, meaning any unused API calls will not be carried over to future months.

Can I cache content from API.Bible?

You can cache data, but we request that you limit it to fewer than 500 consecutive verses. We also recommend that you clear your cache every 14 days or less as we are constantly improving and updating the structure of our data to make it more accessible for you, and caching can prevent those improvements from reaching you and your users.

Why does the API sometimes return a group of verses when I request a single verse?

The way the Bible is divided into chapters and verses is a later development in the history of the Bible. Early biblical manuscripts did not include the numbered verses we see today. Over time, translators and editors introduced verse divisions to help readers locate passages easily. However, not all Bible translations follow this verse-by-verse approach. Some translations, based on their philosophical or textual priorities, group related verses together into spans or paragraphs. When you use our API to request a specific verse from such a translation, the API will return the entire grouped span that contains that verse. This behavior ensures that you receive the complete context as intended by the translation's methodology.

Why is my app still calling the old API.Bible endpoint after updating to the new one?

If your app is still hitting the old API.Bible endpoint, check for these common issues:

• Caching: Old endpoints may be cached in your browser, application, or CDN. Clear caches and restart relevant services.
• Deployment: Confirm that your updated code is fully deployed to the correct environment.
• Codebase: Make sure all references to the old endpoint are updated, including configuration files and environment variables.
• Build Process: Make sure all references to the old endpoint are updated, including configuration files and environment variables.
• DNS: If the domain changed, flush your system’s DNS cache.

How many requests can I make a day? Is there a rate limit?

Under the Starter plan, you may make up to 5,000 API calls per month. The Pro plan includes 150,000 calls per month. Enterprise plans have monthly limits negotiated based on needs. Overage protection applies to both Pro and Enterprise plans.

What if my question wasn't answered here?

Contact us via email at support@api.bible.