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Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions about the Bible Gateway siteAppropriate Use, Permissions, and Copyright QuestionsGeneral Questions about Bibles and TranslationsSpecific Bible Version Questions/ErrorsAudio Bible QuestionsStudying the BibleTechnical HelpReading PlansAll FAQS

• Are the Bible Gateway or its contents available for download?
• Does the Bible Gateway offer a search form I can put on my website?
• Can I modify the Bible Gateway's search form on my website?
• Are the Bibles at the Bible Gateway in the public domain?
• Are there any copyright or other restrictions on how I can use or quote from the online Bibles?
• Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?
• How can I get a print copy of the Bible in a particular version or translation?

Are the Bible Gateway or its contents available for download?

No; currently the Bible Gateway and most of its content are only available online. The exceptions to this are those Bibles available in Ebook format, which you can download for use on an appropriate viewer. The Bibles available for download in Ebook format are listed here.

Does the Bible Gateway offer a search form I can put on my website?

Yes, the Bible Gateway provides code you can use to put a Bible Gateway search box on your website. You can read more about it and get the code here.

Can I modify the Bible Gateway's search form on my website?

Yes, provided that the Bible Gateway logo remains visible and links back to the Bible Gateway.

Are the Bibles at the Bible Gateway in the public domain?

Some of the Bibles at the Bible Gateway, such as the King James Version, are in the public domain in the United States; you may copy and quote from such Bibles without restriction. Most of the Bibles, however, are not in the public domain. You can find copyright information for all of the Bibles by clicking on their names here.

Are there any copyright or other restrictions on how I can use or quote from the online Bibles?

Versions which are in the public domain, such as the King James Version, can be quoted and used without restriction. Most of the other Bibles at the Bible Gateway are copyrighted by their publishers, however; these generally allow for some limited personal use and quotation, but you should check each version's specific copyright information before using them outside the Bible Gateway. You can find copyright information for the various Bible versions here.

Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?

Many modern Bible translations are copyrighted, and thus place restrictions on the extent to which you can quote or reprint passages from them. Why would a Bible publisher put copyright restrictions on a translation of God's Word? Are they trying to keep the Bible to themselves or prevent you from using it?

Not at all. Publishers retain rights to their translations because producing a Bible translation is an enormously extensive (and expensive) project. A single translation can represent years of work by hundreds of scholars, theologians, and editors, all of whom need to be reimbursed for their work. By retaining their copyright to the translation and asking you to respect that copyright, publishers are able to pay their translators and ensure continued translation work.

This means that downloading or distributing the entire text of a copyrighted Bible translation is not permitted. Fortunately, most publishers do allow you to quote passages from their translations within a reasonable limit. We've listed the copyright information for each Bible version at the Bible Gateway on our list of available Bible versions. For an example of typical Bible version copyright information, read the copyright info for the New International Version, which allows you to quote up to several hundred verses, with a few reasonable restrictions.

If you are looking for a Bible without any copyright restrictions at all, you do have several options. Some older Bible translations are in the public domain and may be freely reprinted, quoted, and copied without any restrictions at all; the King James Version is the most well-known of these. And if you have the skills and dedication, there is nothing stopping you from creating your own Bible translation--there are online projects dedicated to doing just that!

To sum up, Bible versions are copyrighted to make sure that translators are fairly reimbursed for their hard work. Most copyrighted Bible versions have relatively lenient quoting rules that should cover most common situations. But if for whatever reason the copyright rules prevent you from using the Bible as you like, you're free to use a non-copyrighted Bible version.

How can I get a print copy of the Bible in a particular version or translation?

The Bible Gateway doesn't currently sell print Bibles. We recommend contacting Bible publishers directly to acquire a print Bible. A list of publishers can be found here.