YouVersion

My favorite Bible app simply is called “Bible” on my home screen. You can search for it by the name YouVersion. I’ve been using the app for years and appreciate how it usually is getting better each year. It does sometimes take some steps backwards, but mostly I’ve appreciated the active development.



One thing I appreciate about the YouVersion Bible app is how easy it makes it to read and listen to the Bible in many different translations not only in English but in many other languages. Sadly, although it has thousands of languages on it, it doesn’t have my favorite Hausa language version yet. Still, I believe it has over 100 Nigerian languages (praise God!), some with the Audio. The only thing holding YouVersion back are copyright issues—they would gladly host more languages if they just had the permission. I don’t know what has kept them from getting permission for every language in the world. Thankfully there are other apps out there, so most (though not all) translations of Nigerian languages are now available in one app or another. 


The YouVersion app makes comparing translations of a verse or set of verses really easy. I just long press a verse, select additional verses, and then choose the “compare” option to see many translations side by side. If I want to see the context in another translation, I just touch it and there I am. The verses I selected are highlighted, and I can see all that comes before and goes after. I usually have two or three English translations, Nigerian Pidgin, and Hausa available just a touch away. When I read in different languages (and in different translations of English) the same verse may strike me differently, catching my attention—and sometimes grabbing my heart.

YouVersion also lets me highlight verses and make comments. I have had some issues with connectivity losing some comments, so now I mostly use the “copy verse(s)” feature and paste into my prayer journal for further prayer and reflection. Please join me in thanking God for a versatile multilingual easy-to-use Bible app!

Although I enjoy reading the Bible on my phone, I enjoy it even more when the phone reads to me. That’s something I’ll explore more next time in another feature of YouVersion.

By the way, starting on Sunday (Sep 27 - Oct 3) you can join believers around the world in a week of prayer for BIble translation using a YouVersion Devotional plan: Bible Translation: A 7-day Journey of Prayer for the Nations. If you are reading this later, you can probably also do this plan any week that works well for you.