Church History · 2016 and 2023

The Berean Standard Bible Goes Public Domain

The Berean Standard Bible is a modern translation from the Hebrew and Greek. Its New Testament came out in 2016 and the full Bible in 2020. On April 30, 2023, its makers gave it to the public domain, so anyone can print, share and build on it.

Read it in the Bible: Acts 17:10 to 12 Matthew 10:8 Psalm 119:105

The Berean Standard Bible, or BSB, is a modern English translation made straight from the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Its New Testament came out in 2016 and the full Bible in 2020. On April 30, 2023, its makers did something rare in the Bible business. They dedicated the entire text to the public domain, which means anyone can copy, print, share and build on it for free. That gift is what made The Owner's Manual possible. The BSB is on this site too.

Who Made the Berean Standard Bible?

The BSB was made by the Berean Bible Translation Committee, working together with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible and OpenBible.com. Many people know Bible Hub as the website where you can see a verse in dozens of translations, with Greek and Hebrew word tools.

The BSB is part of a larger family of tools. There is an interlinear Bible that shows each Greek or Hebrew word with its English meaning underneath, a more literal Berean Bible, and the BSB itself, which reads smoothly while staying close to the original words. That setup lets a reader go from the plain English all the way down to the original words.

Why Is It Called the Berean Bible?

The name comes from Acts 17. Paul and Silas preached in a town called Berea, and the people there did something Luke praised. They did not just take Paul's word for it. They checked.

they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true. Acts 17:11

The apostle Paul was standing right in front of them, and they basically said, “Great sermon. We are going to go look it up.” Luke called them noble for it. Every Sunday school has that one kid with color coded tabs who corrects the teacher. Berea was a whole town of that kid.

What Does Public Domain Mean for a Bible?

Most modern Bibles are copyrighted. That is not evil. Translations cost a lot of money and years of work, and copyrights help pay for them. But it does mean you usually need permission to print large parts of them, put them in an app or build a new study Bible on them.

A public domain text has no such limits. The King James Version is in the public domain in the United States, which is one reason it shows up everywhere. The BSB is now the same, but in modern English.

The Berean team made one kind request. If someone changes their text, they ask that the changed version not use the Berean name. That way the official BSB stays pure. The Owner's Manual respects that. It is built on the BSB, but it has its own name, so no one mixes them up.

Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:8

How Did the BSB Make The Owner's Manual Possible?

Building a study Bible usually means paying a publisher for the right to use its translation. For a small ministry, that can be the end of the dream before it starts. The BSB's public domain gift removed that wall.

The Owner's Manual starts from the BSB text and makes a few clearly listed changes. It prints Yahweh where the Hebrew has God's name, brings back some King James wording where it is faithful, keeps disputed verses in square brackets so nothing is hidden, and uses modern measurements. Every change is written down in a public change log. The How It Was Translated page on this site explains all of it, and it gives the Berean team a big and well deserved thank you.

Is the Berean Standard Bible Accurate?

The BSB aims to be accurate and readable at the same time. On the translation scale, it sits in the balanced middle, near the CSB and NIV, often leaning a little toward the literal side. It is based on modern critical editions of the Hebrew and Greek, the same kind of texts used by most major translations today.

Because it is so new, it does not yet have the long track record of the King James or NIV. But it is open for anyone to check, word by word, against the interlinear. That fits its name perfectly. The Bereans would approve.

Why Does the BSB Matter for You?

For the first time, there is a high quality modern English Bible that anyone in the world can use and share without asking permission. Churches can print it. Missionaries can put it on phones. Ministries like this one can build free tools on it. That is a big deal for spreading God's word.

It also invites you to do what the Bereans did. Read the Bible every day. Check what you hear, including from this site. Truth has nothing to fear from being looked up.

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Questions People Ask

When was the Berean Standard Bible published?

The BSB New Testament was published in 2016, and the full Bible was completed in 2020. On April 30, 2023, the entire text was dedicated to the public domain.

Is the Berean Standard Bible free to use?

Yes. Since April 30, 2023, the BSB has been in the public domain, so anyone may copy, print, share and build on it. The Berean team asks only that changed versions not use the Berean name.

Why is it called the Berean Bible?

It is named after the Bereans of Acts 17:11, who received Paul's message eagerly and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what he said was true. The name reflects a commitment to checking everything by God's word.

Is The Owner's Manual the same as the BSB?

No. The Owner's Manual starts from the BSB but makes a few listed changes, such as printing Yahweh for God's name and bringing back some King James wording. It uses its own name, as the Berean team requested.

Sources

← The NASB 2020 Update The Owner's Manual Study Bible →

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