Open Word Bible

The Bible, translated from Hebrew and Greek, with its reasoning shown.

Open Word Bible is a free translation for every reader. Open any sentence to see the original words, a word-for-word gloss, and why each word was chosen. Everything is released under CC0, so anyone may use it for anything.

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See the work: John 1:1

Greek (SBL Greek New Testament)

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.

Word for word

In beginning was the word, and the word was toward the God, and God was the word.

Three levels, one meaning

Literal

In [the] beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Balanced

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Readable

In the beginning the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Decision

“the Word was God”

Also considered: the Word was a god; the Word was divine

ὁ λόγος has the article, so it is the subject. θεός comes first without the article and says what the Word is, without making the Word the same person as "the God" just mentioned. "A god" would contradict John's insistence on one God; "divine" is weaker than the noun.

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Free for everyone

The translation, its notes and its data are public domain (CC0). Quote it, print it, put it in an app, or build on it without asking.

From the original languages

Every language is translated from the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, never from English, using fixed, openly licensed source texts.

Three levels, your settings

Literal, Balanced or Readable; inclusive or traditional gender language; “Christ” or “Messiah”. Settings change wording, never meaning.

Every decision shown

Each sentence records what the original says, what we chose, what else we considered, and why. Uncertain calls are marked uncertain.

Where the work stands

26sentences translated
117decisions recorded
0reviewed by a scholar so far

Everything published so far is an AI draft, in English and Spanish. Nothing is marked reviewed until named reviewers who read Hebrew or Greek approve it, and the reader always shows each sentence's status.

Passages so far

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