“Follow Me” — Matthew 4:19

The Word of God

Ancient preserved Bible scroll pages side-by-side

The Old Testament (The Law, History, & Prophets)

The Old Testament was written over a span of more than a thousand years by kings, prophets, and scholars. Written primarily in Hebrew (with sections in Aramaic), these 39 books record the creation of the world, God’s covenant with Israel, and the prophecies foretelling a coming Savior. Through preserved scrolls passed down meticulously through generations, the scriptures kept the hope of a Redeemer alive.

"Open Bible resting on a wooden table"

The New Testament: God’s Promise Fulfilled & His Love Letter to Us

The New Testament consists of 27 books written in Koine Greek during the first century AD. Above all, it serves as God’s ultimate love letter to humanity—revealing His grace, mercy, and deep desire to restore relationship with us. It begins with the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) recounting the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The remaining books detail the growth of the early Church through letters (epistles) written by apostles like Paul, offering practical wisdom, hope, and instruction for following Him daily.

How Did We Get the Bible?

The Bible did not fall from the sky all at once; it was inspired by God through human authors over 1,500 years. Through careful copyist traditions, historical verification, and the guidance of the early Church councils, these sacred writings were compiled into the single unified Book we hold today—God’s living Word written for us.

A Brief History of the Scriptures

  • 1500–400 BC (The Hebrew Scriptures): The 39 books of the Old Testament were written in Hebrew (and Aramaic) on parchment and papyrus scrolls, preserved carefully by Jewish scribes.
  • 250 BC (The Septuagint): The Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek (the LXX or Septuagint) in Alexandria, Egypt, making the Scriptures accessible across the Mediterranean world.
  • 45–95 AD (The New Testament): Apostles and early eyewitnesses wrote the 27 New Testament books in Greek to instruct and encourage early Christian churches.
  • 382–405 AD (The Latin Vulgate): Saint Jerome translated the entire Bible into Latin, which became the standard text of the Western Church for over a thousand years.
  • 1382 AD (Wycliffe’s Bible): John Wycliffe produced the very first complete translation of the Bible into English from the Latin Vulgate.
"Historical Gutenberg printing press replica"
  • 1526 AD (Tyndale’s New Testament): William Tyndale translated the New Testament directly from original Greek into English, paving the way for modern English translations.
  • 1611 AD (The King James Version): Commissioned by King James I of England, scholars translated the Bible into classic English, becoming one of the most influential books in human history.
  • 1881–1885 AD (The Revised Version / RV): The first official major revision of the King James Bible, updating archaic English words and incorporating newly discovered ancient manuscripts.
  • 1901 AD (American Standard Version / ASV): An American adaptation of the Revised Version known for its strict word-for-word accuracy to the original Hebrew and Greek texts.
  • 1952 AD (Revised Standard Version / RSV): A major update bridging ancient manuscript scholarship with modern English, becoming widely accepted in academic and liturgical settings.
  • 1971 AD (New American Standard Bible / NASB): Recognized as one of the most literal, word-for-word modern English translations, ideal for in-depth verse-by-verse study.
  • 1978 AD (New International Version / NIV): A balance of thought-for-thought and word-for-word translation, designed for maximum readability and global ministry reach.
  • 1982 AD (New King James Version / NKJV): Retained the poetic style and traditional structure of the 1611 KJV while updating verbs and vocabulary into modern English.
  • 1996 AD (New Living Translation / NLT): Focused on dynamic equivalence (thought-for-thought), expressing the exact meaning of ancient texts in clear, natural everyday language.
  • 2001 AD (English Standard Version / ESV): Created as an “essentially literal” word-for-word translation that combines historical accuracy with elegant, literary English.
  • 2011 AD (NIV Revision): Updated the popular 1978 translation to reflect modern English usage while refining accuracy to early manuscripts.
  • 2016 AD (Christian Standard Bible / CSB): Released as an “optimal equivalence” translation, balancing strict word-for-word accuracy with natural readability.
  • 2020s–Present (AI & Digital Bible Translation): Advanced digital technology, translation software, and AI tools are being used by global translation teams to accelerate bringing Scripture into remaining unwritten languages faster than ever in history.

Reading God’s Word Online

If you are looking to read, listen to, or study the Scriptures online, you can access free translations and daily reading plans directly on Bible.com: