How to Use the Online Reader

The BibleCourier Reader lets you read the Bible on this website in the same way as the BibleCourier talking device — moving by book, chapter, verse, and word. It works with your screen reader and keyboard, and it can also read aloud on its own. Nothing is required to use it: there is no sign-in, and your bookmarks and settings are saved privately in your own browser.

This guide explains each part. You can read it top to bottom, or jump by heading to the part you need.

Open the reader to start reading now, or read on to learn what each part does.

Getting started

When you open the reader, it begins in the King James Version at Genesis. If you have used it before, it returns you to where you left off.

The reader uses a number-pad layout, like the BibleCourier device. Everything you can do on the keypad is also available as a plainly labeled button and with the keyboard, so you can use whichever suits you.

Moving around the Bible

• Go straight to a passage: use the Version, Book, Chapter, and Verse menus, then choose “Go to verse.”
• Move by verse, chapter, or book: use the previous/next buttons, the keypad, or the arrow keys (see Keyboard shortcuts below).
• Move word by word: step to the next or previous word; each word is read as you land on it.
• Jump a long way quickly (“power search”): jump halfway through the current chapter, the current book, or the whole Bible — press again to keep halving the distance until you reach the spot you want.
• “Where am I”: announces your current version, book, chapter, and verse whenever you want to check your place.

Section headings

Short titles name each passage — for example, “The Genealogy of Jesus Christ” or “The Lord Is My Shepherd” — and appear just above the verse where each section begins.

• They are real headings, so you can jump from one section to the next with your screen reader’s heading command — a quick way to find your way around a long chapter.
• When the reader is reading aloud, it announces each one (“Section: …”) as it reaches it.
• They appear in the language of the version you are reading — English, Spanish, or German.
• You can turn them off with “Show section headings” in Settings. They are on to begin with.

Reading aloud

The reader has its own built-in voice, separate from your screen reader, so you can listen even if you don’t use one.

• Read aloud (continuous): reads verse after verse until you stop it. While it reads continuously, the location announcement stays quiet so it doesn’t talk over the voice.
• Read this verse: reads the verse you are on; press again to move on and read the next one.
• Choose the voice and speed: in Settings you can pick from the voices installed on your device and set one of five speeds. (On Windows using the Edge browser, you may see high-quality “Natural” voices.)
• Spanish and German: when you read the Spanish or German Bible, the reader speaks in a Spanish or German voice, if your device has one, and the Voice list shows the matching voices.

Some Bible names are read correctly by the built-in voice thanks to a pronunciation list — for example, “Job” is read “Jobe.” This affects only the spoken audio; the text on screen is always the correct spelling.

The keypad

Each key on the keypad has two functions:

• Tap a key for its main job.
• Press and hold a key (about half a second) for its second job. You will hear a short beep when the second job is triggered — the beep is a little higher for bigger jumps.

You can press the on-screen keys, or use the number keys on your keyboard (the top row or the numeric keypad). Here is what each key does:

Key	Tap	Press and hold
1 and 3	Previous / next verse	Jump halfway through the chapter
2	Start / stop reading aloud	Read this verse
4 and 6	Previous / next chapter	Jump halfway through the book
5	Next word	Spell the word
7 and 9	Previous / next book	Jump halfway through the Bible
8	Previous word	—
0	Where am I	Add or remove a bookmark
Asterisk (star)	Previous bookmark	Add or remove a bookmark
Slash (divide)	Next bookmark	Add or remove a bookmark

The slash (divide) key is used for “next bookmark” because a numeric keypad has no pound (#) key.

Below the keypad is a “More keys” panel you can open. It contains a labeled button for every second-function — reading a verse, spelling, the bookmark controls, moving by word, and the halfway jumps — so you never have to hold a key if you prefer buttons.

Using the keyboard’s number pad

• Turn Num Lock on. With Num Lock on, the number-pad keys (1 through 9 and 0) send their numbers to the reader, and this works even while a screen reader is running. With Num Lock off, your screen reader uses the number pad for its own commands, so the reader’s keypad will not respond. (The number keys along the top row of the keyboard work either way.)
• The reader must have keyboard focus. Click anywhere in the reader, or press Tab until you are inside it, before using the keys. If a key does nothing, your focus may have moved elsewhere on the page — click back into the reader.

If you use a screen reader: the number pad works with your screen reader as long as Num Lock is on. If you would rather not use it, every keypad function — including each press-and-hold second function — is also a labeled button, in the keypad and in the “More keys” panel, so you always have complete access.

Searching

You can search the whole Bible in the version you are reading. The search box and its results are below the keypad.

• Search: type a word or phrase and press Enter, or choose “Find.” The reader jumps to the next place that word appears, highlights it, and reads the verse. Choose Find again to continue to the next one, or the back-arrow Find to go to a previous one.
• Find this word: searches for the word you are currently on, without typing anything.
• List all: shows every place the word appears as a list you can move through and choose from — each item gives the reference and a short piece of the verse. Choosing one takes you there and reads it. Long lists are shown 200 at a time, with a “Show next 200” button.
• Clear: empties the search box and the results.

A few notes: a single word matches whole words only (so “peace” does not match “peaceful”), while typing more than one word searches for that exact phrase. Very common words such as “the” or “and” are not searchable on their own — search a phrase that includes them instead. In Spanish and German, accents don’t matter — you can type “corazon” and still find “corazón.”

Bookmarks

• Save your place: add a bookmark at the verse you are on. Adding it again removes it.
• Move between bookmarks: go to your previous or next bookmark; the reader reads the verse when it arrives.
• Your bookmark list: a list of your saved places appears lower on the page; choose any one to go straight there.
• Bookmarks are kept separately for each Bible version, and are saved privately in your browser.

Commentary and Study mode

The reader includes Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary — short, passage-by-passage explanations of the Bible.

• Read it like a book: choose Matthew Henry Concise Commentary from the Version menu (listed under “Commentary”). You can then move through it by book, chapter, and passage — reading aloud and bookmarking — just like the Bible.
• Study a passage as you read: turn on Study mode in Settings. This adds a “Study this passage” button and a “Study resource” menu. With it on, choosing “Study this passage” opens Matthew Henry’s note for the passage you are reading and reads it aloud; choose “Back to the Bible” to return to the verse.
• The commentary covers the 66 books of the Protestant Bible; there is no commentary for the extra books found in the Catholic versions.

Settings

Open the “Settings” panel near the top to change any of these. Your choices are remembered in your browser.

• Voice and Voice speed for reading aloud.
• Text size — make the on-screen text larger or smaller.
• Show section headings — turn the passage titles on or off.
• Speak each word aloud while navigating — turn this off if you use a screen reader and don’t want words spoken twice.
• Hide text (audio only) — hides the scripture from the screen for listening only.
• Beep when a key is held — turn the confirmation beep on or off.
• Study mode — adds the “Study this passage” button and study-resource menu described above.
• When switching versions, stay on the same verse — when on, changing versions keeps you on the same reference. When off, each version remembers its own place, so you can read different versions in different spots.

Switching Bible versions

Choose a version from the Version menu, or press the minus and plus keys to move to the previous or next version. Nine public-domain versions are available to everyone, in three languages:

• English: King James Version, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English, Berean Standard Bible, Catholic Public Domain Version (which includes the additional books of the Catholic Bible), Douay-Rheims Bible, and the World English Bible.
• Spanish: Reina-Valera 1909.
• German: Luther Bibel 1912.

The Spanish and German Bibles show everything — text, book names, and section headings — in that language, and read aloud in a matching voice if your device has one.

If you switch to a version that does not contain the book you are in — for example, moving from one of the Catholic-only books to the King James Version — the reader tells you and takes you to Genesis.

Keyboard shortcuts

These work while the reader has keyboard focus — if a key does nothing, click into the reader first. Everything here is also available as a button.

Key	Action
Left / Right arrow	Previous / next verse
Up / Down arrow	Previous / next chapter
Page Up / Page Down	Previous / next book
Comma / Period	Previous / next word
Minus / Plus	Previous / next Bible version
R	Read this verse
A	Read aloud (continuous)
W	Where am I
S	Spell the current word
B	Add or remove a bookmark

On the keypad, the number keys 1 through 9, 0, the asterisk, and the slash also work — on the top row or the numeric keypad.

Tips for screen reader users

• Every control is a labeled button, and the arrow and symbol keys are announced in words, so you can operate the whole reader from the buttons.
• Use your screen reader’s heading command to jump between the main areas — the reading controls, the scripture, the section headings, your search results, and your bookmarks.
• Use the “Skip to the scripture text” link at the very top to go straight to the passage.
• The reader keeps keyboard focus on the controls when you move around, and announces your new location, so your place is spoken without the cursor jumping into the text.
• If words are being spoken twice as you navigate, turn off “Speak each word aloud while navigating” in Settings and let your screen reader do the speaking.

Frequently asked questions

Is the reader free?

Yes — it is completely free to use, with no sign-in and nothing to install.

Does it work with screen readers?

Yes. It is built to work with JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver, and every control is a clearly labeled button.

Which Bible translations are included?

Nine public-domain translations in three languages. In English: the King James Version, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English, Berean Standard Bible, Catholic Public Domain Version, Douay-Rheims Bible, and World English Bible. In Spanish: Reina-Valera 1909. In German: Luther Bibel 1912.

Are there Bibles in other languages?

Yes — a full Spanish Bible (Reina-Valera 1909) and a full German Bible (Luther Bibel 1912), each shown and read aloud in its own language. The reader’s own buttons and menus are in English for now.

What are the section headings?

Short titles above each passage (such as “The Birth of Jesus”) that help you find your way and let screen readers jump section to section. You can turn them off in Settings.

Can it read the Bible aloud?

Yes. It can read a single verse or read continuously, in a voice and speed you choose — separate from your screen reader — and in a Spanish or German voice for those versions.

Do I need to create an account?

No. There is no account and no tracking; your place and bookmarks are saved privately in your own browser.

Can I search the Bible?

Yes. You can search the whole Bible for any word or phrase, jump to each result, or list every occurrence in one place. Accents do not matter in Spanish and German searches.

Does it work on a phone or tablet?

Yes. It works in a mobile web browser, including with VoiceOver on iPhone and iPad.

Is there a commentary?

Yes. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary is built in — read it on its own from the Version menu, or turn on Study mode to open his note on the passage you’re reading.

Getting help

If something isn’t working as described, or you have a question about the reader, please contact the Lutheran Braille Evangelism Association through the contact information on this website. We welcome your feedback — it helps us make the reader better for everyone.

Credits

The BibleCourier Reader was developed by The Pilot Group for the Lutheran Braille Evangelism Association. The reader software is © 2026 The Pilot Group, licensed to LBEA under the GNU General Public License, version 2 or later. The Bible texts and Matthew Henry’s commentary are in the public domain; the section headings are © 2026 LBEA. “BibleCourier” is a trade name of Springer Design, Inc., used with permission.