Biblical Tools

How to Use the Bible Reader

Reading, listening to, and studying the Scripture — a friendly, step-by-step guide.

The basics take about 5 minutes

Welcome! This page shows you how to read and listen to the Bible on our website. If you can use email or Facebook, you can do this — just follow the pictures. The red circles point to exactly where to look.

The first five steps are all you need to begin. After that, more features are here for whenever you’re ready — nothing is required.

These pictures show a computer screen. On a phone or tablet the page looks a little different, but the buttons have the very same names.

A helpful trick: make the words bigger

If the text is small, hold down the Ctrl key (or the ⌘ Command key on an Apple computer) and press the + key. Press it again to make everything larger.

Ctrl + +

— Or try it right here —

105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Normal
  1. 1

    See where you are

    When you open the Bible Reader, this is what you will see. Three things are worth noticing — the rest you can leave alone for now.

    The Bible Reader. A red circle marked 1 surrounds the heading reading Genesis 1. A red circle marked 2 surrounds a small red verse number. A red rounded box marked 3 surrounds the Study Tools menu on the left.
    1 The heading at the top tells you which book and chapter you are reading — here, Genesis 1. 2 The small red numbers in the text are the verse numbers. 3 On the left are some study tools — we’ll come back to these.
  2. 2

    Open any book

    Click the book name at the top of the page. A window opens listing all 66 books — the Old Testament first, then the New Testament. Click the one you want. Here, we clicked Proverbs.

    The Select Book window listing the books of the Bible. A red circle surrounds the Proverbs button.
    The book you are currently in is shown in dark red.
  3. 3

    Choose the chapter

    Next, click the chapter number at the top. A window opens with all the chapter numbers. Click the one you would like to read. Here, we chose chapter 3.

    The Select Chapter window of numbered buttons. A red circle surrounds the number 3.
  4. 4

    Read it

    That is all there is to it — your chapter appears, ready to read. The small red numbers are the verse numbers, so you can always find your place. Here we are reading Proverbs 3.

    Proverbs 3 open and ready to read. A red circle surrounds the small red verse number 1.
  5. 5

    Listen to it read aloud

    Would you rather listen? On the left, find the Audio Narration box.

    The Audio Narration box. A red circle marked 1 surrounds the voice drop-down. A red circle marked 2 surrounds the Load Chapter Audio button.
    1 Pick a reader’s voice from the drop-down (either one is fine). 2 Click Load Chapter Audio.
    A dark audio bar across the bottom of the screen. A red circle surrounds the round Play button on the far left.
    A bar appears along the bottom of your screen. Click the round Play button to begin. As each verse is read, a soft golden highlighter moves along to mark your place. (You can change its color in Settings — see step 12.) The small 1.0× button on the right lets you slow the reading down or speed it up.
Going deeperSTUDY A SINGLE VERSE — WHENEVER YOU’RE READY
  1. 6

    Tap a verse to study it

    Click (or tap) on any verse. A row of small buttons appears beside it. To dig into that verse, click the 📖 Study button.

    Proverbs 3 verse 5 with a row of small buttons beside it. A red circle surrounds the Study button.
    The other little buttons let you see the original-language word, view an interlinear, play just that verse, or save it.
  2. 7

    Old Testament & New Testament verses

    The little buttons differ slightly depending on whether you are in the Old or the New Testament — because the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the New in Greek.

    Old Testament verse

    Old Testament verse buttons: Hebrew aleph, interlinear arrows, play, Study, bookmark star.
    א Hebrew word · ⇅ Hebrew interlinear · 🔊 play this verse · 📖 Study · ★ bookmark.

    New Testament verse

    New Testament verse buttons: Greek omega, two Hebrew NT options, two interlinears, play, Study, bookmark star.
    Ω Greek word · א Hebrew NT (Salkinson–Ginsburg) · מ Hebrew NT (Margoliouth) · ⇅ Greek interlinear · ⇅א Hebrew–NT interlinear · then 🔊, 📖 Study, ★.

    Hover over any little button on the site to see its name. Nothing here is required — click the ones that interest you, and ignore the rest.

  3. 8

    Choose what to explore

    A small menu opens with ways to study that verse — cross-references, Hebrew or Greek insights, context, and more. To ask in plain words, click 💬 Ask Question.

    The study menu for Proverbs 3:5, listing options. A red box surrounds the Ask Question row.
  4. 9

    Ask your question

    A study panel opens on the side. You have two easy choices:

    The bottom of the study panel. A red box marked 1 surrounds four ready-made question buttons. A red box marked 2 surrounds the box where you type your own question.
    1 Tap a ready-made question — such as “What does this verse mean?” 2 Or type your own question in the box and press Send.
  5. 10

    Timeline, Characters & Key Terms

    The Study Tools menu on the left opens up three book-wide guides for whatever book you’re reading.

    Timeline — the major events in the book, in order, with the verses they appear in.

    The Genesis Timeline panel: Creation of Light, Creation of the Heavens, Creation of Dry Land and Vegetation, each tied to its Scripture reference.

    Cast of Characters — the people in the book, with a short description of each.

    The Genesis Cast of Characters panel: cards for God, Adam, Eve, Serpent, Cain, Abel and others.

    Key Terms — the important words in each chapter, gathered together.

    The Genesis Key Terms panel: tags such as God, Creation, heavens, earth, light, Day, Night and many others, grouped by chapter.
  6. 11

    Immersive (dark) mode

    At the bottom of the left menu, click Immersive Mode. The page becomes a quiet dark background with the Scripture set wide and large — lovely for evening reading, or for following along while the audio plays.

    Immersive mode: a dark background with Genesis 1 set in a soft cream color across the page, free of menus.
    Click Immersive Mode again to return to the normal view.
  7. 12

    Settings: font & highlighter

    On a phone or tablet (or while in Immersive Mode), look at the top of the chapter for a small gear button. Tap it to open the settings.

    The Settings popup. A red box marked 1 surrounds the Font choice (Default and Dyslexia). A red box marked 2 surrounds a row of colored circles for the highlighter color.
    1 Font. Tap Dyslexia to switch to a special typeface that is easier to read for many people with dyslexia. Tap Default to go back. 2 Highlighter color. This is the color of the soft band that moves along with the audio as each verse is read. Tap any circle to pick the color that is gentlest on your eyes — silver, gold (the default), sage, sky, plum, sand, rose, or white.

    On a regular computer screen, the gear appears once you turn on Immersive Mode.

    — Try it right here —

    5Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding;

A few extra things

Other helpful features

A short list of things you may discover later. None of them are needed to read your chapter.

Search. Type a word into the Search box on the left to find every place it appears in the Bible.

Bookmarks. Tap the ★ beside any verse to save it; later, find them under My Bookmarks.

TWOT Search. Look up an Old-Testament Hebrew word and see every place it occurs.

Original language. The green Hebrew (or Ω Greek) button under the search box opens the whole chapter in its original language.

The green Hebrew button on the left side of the page, with a red circle around it.

You’re ready

Take your time, and enjoy reading the Scripture. There is no wrong way to explore. If anything seems stuck, make the page bigger with Ctrl and +, or come back to the On this page menu to find what you need.

Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:5–6