Our Bible Translations
Why We Use Public Domain Translations
At Strength in the Word, the Bible is available in four carefully chosen translations — the King James Version, the American Standard Version, the World English Bible, and Young’s Literal Translation.
Each of these is in the public domain, meaning they can be freely read, shared, and studied without restriction. This is not an accident — it is a conviction.
We believe the Word of God should be freely accessible to everyone. Licensing modern Bible translations can cost thousands of dollars annually, a cost that would ultimately be passed on to users or donors. We have chosen instead to build on translations that belong to the whole Church.
The Translations We Use
King James Version (1769)
The most widely read English Bible in history. Translated under King James I of England by a team of 47 scholars, it has shaped the English language and the Christian faith for over 400 years. Its majestic prose and textual faithfulness make it a cornerstone of serious Bible study.
American Standard Version (1901)
A meticulous revision of the King James Version by over 50 American and British scholars, incorporating the best manuscript evidence available at the time. Widely regarded as one of the most literally accurate English translations ever produced. Beloved by students of the original languages.
World English Bible (2000)
A modern, public domain translation based on the American Standard Version, updated into contemporary English. Deliberately placed in the public domain by its translators so that it may be freely used around the world without restriction. Accurate, readable, and freely given.
Young’s Literal Translation (1898)
Robert Young’s extraordinary word-for-word rendering of the original Hebrew and Greek texts. No other English translation captures the tense, structure, and word order of the original languages as faithfully as Young’s. Invaluable for those who want to understand exactly what the original text says.
What About Other Translations?
Many popular modern translations — including the NIV, ESV, NASB, NLT, and others — are protected by copyright and require licensing fees to use in software applications. These fees can be significant and come with usage restrictions that conflict with our commitment to keeping this platform free.
We have the deepest respect for the teams who produced these translations and the important work they have done. We simply believe that the public domain translations available to us are faithful, scholarly, and more than sufficient for deep Bible study.
If you would like to compare a passage across our four translations, use the Compare feature in the Bible reader.
A Note on Strong’s Concordance
Strength in the Word includes James Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), also in the public domain. Strong’s allows you to trace every word in the English Bible back to its original Hebrew or Greek root, opening the door to a richer understanding of Scripture than any single translation can provide alone.
Strength in the Word is operated by Reborn Group as a ministry initiative.