Bible Browser

Using the oremus Bible Browser: a web API

It is possible to invoke the oremus Bible Browser (the oBB) directly by making appropriate http GET or POST requests. This page briefly lists the parameters that are supported.

Using the API

The simplest way to use the API is to construct a GET request, for example
http://bible.oremus.org/?version=NRSVAE&passage=Mark%201.1-11
It is important to note that the parameter values should be URL-encoded. In particular spaces should be encoded as %20 (although + also works). Alternatively the parameters can be set in a form and sent with a POST request.

passage

Specify the passage to be shown. The format is:

• book ccvv
  where book is the name of the book. It may be abbreviated to the shortest unique text, and other standard abbreviations are also supported, such as Mt, Mk, Lk, Jn, Ecclus, as well as common alternative names, such as Apocalypse.
  ccvv is:
• c1.v1 - [c2.]v2 [, ...]
  where
  • c1 is the chapter number for the start of the passage
  • v1 is the verse number for the start of the passage
  • c2 is the chapter number for the end of the passage; it may be omitted if it is the same as c1
  • v2 is the verse number at the end of the passage; the word end may be used to indicate the end of the chapter; c2 and v2 may both be omitted if only a single verse (or full chapter, see below) is being requested
  • further chapter and verse ranges from the same book may be appended, separated from the first, and from each other, by commas or semi-colons; where the verse range continues to be in the same chapter as an earlier range then the chapter number (and separator) may be omitted
  • the chapter and verse numbers are separated by a dot (i.e., a full stop or period) “.” or by a colon “:”
  • verse numbers may be omitted where whole chapters are requested, but once verse numbers have been specified they cannot be omitted from subsequent ranges. So 1,3,4, means chapters 1, 3 and 4; but 1.2,3,4 means verses 2, 3 and 4 of chapter 1, because the specification of verse 2 changes the context in which 3, 4 is interpreted. But 1,3,4.1 means all of chapters 1 and 3, plus verse 1 of chapter 4.
  • If a book consists of a single chapter (e.g., the letter to Philemon) then chapter numbers may be omitted. In this case 1,3,4 means verses 1, 3 and 4 of the book.

version

Specify which bible version to use. The following bible versions are supported

• NRSVAE
  The New Revised Standard Version (Anglicized Edition)
  (This version complies with British spelling and idiom.)
• NRSV
  The New Revised Standard Version
  (This version complies with US spelling and idiom.)
• AV
  The Authorized Version (or King James Version) of 1611

Additionally, some extra versions of the Psalms are included:

• BCP
  The psalter of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England.
  (This is the Book of Psalms from the Great Bible, the translation of Miles Coverdale.)
• CW
  The psalter from the Church of England’s Common Worship volumes
• LP
  The Liturgical Psalter, which is from the Church of England’s Alternative Service Book 1980

The version strings are treated case-insensitively.

passages

It is possible to specify passages from more than one book using this parameter. Each passage is separated by encoded line-feeds, i.e., by the encoding %0D%0A

vnum

Indicate whether to show verse and chapter numbers in the displayed text. Values are YES and NO. The default is YES.

fnote

Indicate whether to show footnote markers in the displayed text. Values are YES and NO. The default is YES.

show_ref

Indicate whether to show the passage reference or citation. Values are YES and NO. The default is YES.

headings

Indicate whether to show the section headings provided by the bible version. Values are YES and NO. The default is NO.

omithidden

Indicate whether elements (such as verse numbers) not shown are just hidden or omitted. Values are YES and NO. The default is NO (meaning they are hidden, not omitted).

semico

Indicate whether a semi-colon is identical to a comma, or whether it separates multiple ranges. Values are YES and NO. The default is NO (meaning that a semi-colon is interpreted in the same way as a comma).

search

A text string to search for. This must be URL-encoded.

short form

If all the default values are used then it is possible to use the short-form API which omits all parameters and just specifies the passage, e.g.,
http://bible.oremus.org/?Mark%201.1-11