American Bible Society

What if every person in every country could

Read, Understand and Engage

with God’s Word?

Around the world, opportunities abound

In the United States, Bibles lay abandoned on bookshelves. “Bible skeptics”—those who view the Bible as nothing more than an outdated book of stories, teachings and advice—now outnumber those people engaging with the Bible by more than 10 million people.

Around the world, more than one billion people lack access to a complete Bible in their heart language. Countless others cope with war, famine, poverty and injustice.

Around the world,
transformation is happening

Thanks to your support and the work of Bible Societies around the world, people from Peru to India are encountering Christ in the pages of Scripture.
This work includes:

  • Translating the Bible where no translation exists
  • Distributing the Bible to people who long for their first copy
  • Restoring broken lives through God's Word
  • Advocating for the Bible to play a role in culture

Spurring Bible Engagement.
Together, we will help see 100 million people in the U.S. actively engaging
with God’s Word by 2026.

Changing Lives With God’s Word.
Together, we will help translate 100 percent of languages for Scripture engagement by 2026.

Celebrating God's
Faithfulness

Two centuries ago, a team of renowned patriots—including Elias Boudinot, John Jay and Francis Scott Key—united to establish American Bible Society, a ministry committed to sharing God’s Word with the world. Since that time, God has blessed American Bible Society. In the last 200 years, his Word has transformed millions of lives across the globe.

In 1835, the production of the first Braille Bible gave the visually impaired access to Scripture. In 1976, publication of the full Good News Bible enabled the public to engage with a modern, easy-to-read Bible translation. And in 2012, launch of the Digital Bible Library created a central location for digital Bible translations.

Today, we’re thankful for the ministry and financial partners who have made this work possible. And we’re grateful for the strong financial base these partners have established, enabling us to continue to invest in Bible ministry for centuries to come.

1816

American Bible Society Founding

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1817

First Bibles for U.S. Military

1843

First Bibles for the Blind

1860

Bibles Given to Pony Express Riders

1948

First Bible-Based TV and Radio Programming

1976

Completion of the Good News Translation (GNT) Bible

1987

First Bible Printing in China

2010

Bible-Based Trauma Healing Launches in Africa

2012

The Digital Bible Library

2015

Launch of the .Bible Top-Level Domain

2016

American Bible Society Celebrates 200 Years

2017

Announcement of the Faith and Liberty Discovery Center

Expressing a Passion

Over the past 200 years, we have seen the Bible change lives in powerful ways around the world. Mothers and fathers have cried tears of joy after receiving a Bible they can read and understand. Children have embraced the healing power of Scripture in the wake of brutal violence. And entire families have picked up a Bible and begun reading its pages for the first time.

Together with you, we are committed to boldly seeking out new ways to make the Bible available and alive for people everywhere. This passion has extended to the thousands of faithful financial partners who carry on the legacy of our founders in sharing God’s Word with those who need it most.

Uniting as One Body

As God’s Word transforms lives across the globe, we understand the need to form partnerships with a global network of Bible champions. This vision stems from the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 12:4-5: “We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions. In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body” (GNTD).

Without the generosity of our partners and God’s amazing grace, our work could not continue.

Work that spans the globe

We work in the U.S.
You can help transform the way Americans think about and engage with Scripture. Bibles that lay abandoned on bookshelves can move into the hands and hearts of people across the country; a new generation can come to know God’s Word at a young age.

We work in faraway places.
You can provide God’s Word for those waiting to read a Bible in their heart languages. And you can help suffering people who have experienced war, poverty and natural disasters find hope and healing in Scripture.

We yearn for a world where every person in every country has access to God’s Word.