This open-source software is aimed to be simple, yet a powerful reader and converter to support and convert from/to all available bible formats. The software is developed with the intention of being portable and faster loading, that does not have any dependencies on the user system. It is also developed to bridge the gap between multiple Bible software so that a user can choose his favourite Bible software and import/export his favourite Bible translation through this software. The software allows you to import and export from/to any supported Bible format.
Screenshots:
Prerequisites:
- Windows 7 SP1 or above 1
- Microsoft .Net Framework 4.8 or above 3
- Microsoft Edge WebView2 4 (Recommended)
- Linux, macOS, & BSD 2
- Requires Mono and Gecko
1 Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit computers.
2 Supports through WineHQ 9.x and above.
3 Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 is installed by default on Windows 10 May 2019 Update and above, and can be manually installed on Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.
4 Microsoft Edge WebView2 is preinstalled on Windows 11 and installed automatically on all Windows 10 by windows updates. While WebView2 is recommended, it is not a mandatory requirement.
Supported formats:
- Bibles – Zefania XML Bibles4, The Unbound Bible (Unmapped-BCV, Mapped-BCVS, Unmapped-BCVS), Open Scripture Information Standard (OSIS), General Bible Format (GBF), XML Scripture Encoding Model (XSEM), The Word Bible Modules (ONT, ONTX, OT, OTX, NT and NTX)2, e-Sword Bible Modules (BBL, BBLX, BBLI)4, Unified Scripture Format XML (USFX), The SWORD Project1,4 , Verse Per Line (VPL), Go Bible, Theological Markup Language (ThML), Open Song Bibles (XMM, OpenLP.org Bibles, Bible Companion (BIB), MySword for Android, Bible Analyzer (BIB), EasySlides (MDB), MP3 Bibles, LOGOS Import (DOCX), Online Bibles5, PalmBible+, HeavenWorld Bibles for Windows 8, VerseVIEW, MyBible4, SwordSearcher.
- Commentaries – XML Format, SWORD Commentary Modules (ZIP), The Word (cmt.twm), e-Sword 8.x (CMT), e-Sword 9.x and above (CMTX), MySword for Android, Bible Analyzer (CMT), OnlineBible Commentaries5, MyBible, SwordSearcher.
- Dictionaries – Zefania Dictionary Format (XML), SWORD Dictionary Modules (ZIP), The Word (dct.twm), e-Sword 8.x (DCT), e-Sword 9.x and above (DCTX), MySword for Android, Bible Analyzer (DCT), MyBible, SwordSearcher.
- Books/topics – XML Format (XML), The Word (gbk.twm), e-Sword 8.x (TOP), e-Sword 9.x and above (TOPX/REFX)3, SWORD Book Modules (ZIP), MySword for Android, Bible Analyzer (BK), STEP Modules, SwordSearcher
1 The SWORD Project from CrossWire Bible Society has many software applications that can open on various platforms. They mostly use the same bible format. You can export and use them in any of the SWORD Applications which runs on various platforms.
2 The Word format also supports Android’s Open Bible.
3 Export is only of TOPX (Topics) type which can be converted to REFX (Reference Library) by Ctrl+right click on e-Sword Topic interface itself.
4 Supports Bible modules with Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books.
5 Supports only .exp modules from onlinebible.net.
License: Public Domain
Version: 5.6.2
Latest Release: 24-Jan-2025
Download: Simple_Bible_Reader 5.6.2 (10.95 MB)
Release Notes: Version 5.6.2
Known Bugs: Issues & Workarounds
Source Code: SimpleBibleReader_src_v5.6.2.zip (1.8 MB)
Previous Versions
- Simple_Bible_Reader 5.6.1 (11.01 MB), src.zip (1.88 MB)
- Previous version. This is provided in case the latest version contains some bugs.
- Simple_Bible_Reader 5.2 (1.28 MB), src.zip (2.21 MB)
- Last version to not have SWORD Engine included which makes it the last version to have the size of the software less then 1.3 MB.
Legacy Versions
| Download Version | Release Date | Source Code | Prerequisites | Version Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Version 5.6.1 (11.1 MB) | 24-Sep-2024 | src.zip | Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6 | Last version to support Windows Vista |
| Version 3.0 (1.5 MB) | 7-Feb-2017 | N/A | Microsoft .NET Framework 4 | Last version to support Windows XP. |
| Version 2.9 (3.3 MB) | 18-Feb-2013 | N/A | Microsoft .NET Framework 2 | Does not support Windows 10 and above. |
Experimental Builds
| Sub Project | Downloads | Source Code | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| sbrcli | Refer project page | sbrcli-1.0.0.2_src.zip (1.53 MB) | Experimental build with an ambition to support Simple Bible Reader on multiplatform including Linux and Mac using .NET Core without much change to the code base which is written in C#. Refer project page for more details. |
| SBR-Wine | Simple_Bible_Reader_5_5-W.exe (10.67 MB) | src.zip (1.66 MB) | Experimental build of 5.4.9 with WebControl (instead of WebView2) compiled on .Net 4.0 to run on Linux and Mac using WineHQ. e-Sword 8.x, EasySlides and MP3 text-to-speech may not work as OLE DB isn’t supported on Linux. |
Documentation: User Guide
Plugins: Please visit plugins page to download available plugins for conversion. Also refer user guide on how to build and use plugins.