Powered by the Deterministic Reference Integrity Engine — a deterministic system that converts complex Scripture input into validated canonical identifiers.
A deterministic Bible API with public-domain KJV access, stable schemas, and OSIS-compatible canonical identifiers.
Designed for production applications that require licensing clarity, canonical stability, and predictable Scripture access.
The passage endpoint accepts flexible human-written Scripture references and resolves them through the Deterministic Reference Integrity Engine before retrieving canonical verse text.
curl --get https://holybible.dev/api/passage \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
--data-urlencode ref="john3:16" \
--data version=KJV
{
"status": "success",
"type": "single",
"version": "KJV",
"results_count": 1,
"verse_units": 1,
"data": [
{
"book": "John",
"chapter": 3,
"verse": 16,
"text": "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
}
]
}Real study notes often contain multiple books, ranges, and chapter carry-forward. The passage endpoint resolves complex human-written Scripture references through the Deterministic Reference Integrity Engine before retrieving canonical verse text.
curl --get https://holybible.dev/api/passage \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
--data-urlencode ref="rom 8:1-4, 28; 12:1-2; john 3:16; ps 23; 1 cor 13:4-7" \
--data version=KJV
{
"status": "success",
"type": "collection",
"version": "KJV",
"results_count": 18,
"verse_units": 18,
"data": [
{
"book": "Romans",
"chapter": 8,
"verse": 1,
"text": "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
},
{
"book": "Romans",
"chapter": 8,
"verse": 2,
"text": "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."
},
{
"book": "Romans",
"chapter": 8,
"verse": 3,
"text": "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:"
},
{
"book": "Romans",
"chapter": 8,
"verse": 4,
"text": "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
},
{
"book": "Romans",
"chapter": 8,
"verse": 28,
"text": "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
},
{
"book": "Romans",
"chapter": 12,
"verse": 1,
"text": "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
},
{
"book": "Romans",
"chapter": 12,
"verse": 2,
"text": "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
},
{
"book": "John",
"chapter": 3,
"verse": 16,
"text": "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
},
{
"book": "Psalm",
"chapter": 23,
"verse": 1,
"text": "A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."
},
{
"book": "Psalm",
"chapter": 23,
"verse": 2,
"text": "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters."
},
{
"book": "Psalm",
"chapter": 23,
"verse": 3,
"text": "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."
},
{
"book": "Psalm",
"chapter": 23,
"verse": 4,
"text": "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
},
{
"book": "Psalm",
"chapter": 23,
"verse": 5,
"text": "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."
},
{
"book": "Psalm",
"chapter": 23,
"verse": 6,
"text": "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
},
{
"book": "1 Corinthians",
"chapter": 13,
"verse": 4,
"text": "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,"
},
{
"book": "1 Corinthians",
"chapter": 13,
"verse": 5,
"text": "Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;"
},
{
"book": "1 Corinthians",
"chapter": 13,
"verse": 6,
"text": "Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;"
},
{
"book": "1 Corinthians",
"chapter": 13,
"verse": 7,
"text": "Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
}
]
}The Deterministic Reference Integrity Engine transforms unpredictable, human-written Scripture references into validated canonical spans before retrieving verse text. Developers can accept real-world reference input without building custom parsing or validation logic — enabling reliable Scripture retrieval through a single production-ready endpoint.
Generate your API key in seconds and start resolving real-world Scripture references in your application. No credit card required.