Bible tools and links

Bible search tools | Bible societies | Biblically-based daily prayer | Lectionaries | Other Biblical reference works

Scripture is part of the common heritage of all Christians. The reading of the Bible, in a multitude of translations, is a sign of the universality of the church of Christ. As we read, interpret and discuss the word of God we enter into a dialogue that draws us closer as Christ’s people, and prepares us for the task of sharing the good news with others.

The following links will assist users in exploring the Bible. The resources are provided by a number of different agencies, any which of whom would be happy to assist you further in breaking open the Word.

Bible search tools

Search by word or phrase

Search by chapter and verse

Search by word or verse

Strong’s numbers

Bible dictionary or encyclopedia search

Additional tools

Bible societies

Biblically-based daily prayer

Daily Devotional (from ChristNet Books)
Daily Office (from the ECUSA 1979 Book of Common Prayer)
Liturgy of the Hours – The Divine Office
“The Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office) is the richest single prayer resource of the Christian Church. It provides prayers, psalms and meditation for every hour of every day. It has existed from the earliest times, to fulfil the Lord’s command to pray without ceasing. … This site does all the calendar calculations for you, and presents you with the psalms and readings for each hour of today, every day.”
- How to recite the Liturgy of the Hours
Oremus: daily prayer and prayer resources on the internet
“Oremus is dedicated to being a comprehensive place of prayer on the Internet. The site includes resources for daily prayer and other worship, including hymns and liturgical forms.”

Lectionaries

Canadian Bible Society, Daily Bible Reading Guide
A cycle of readings developed for the Canadian Bible Society by the Rev. Dr. Kenneth Peterson, former director of the Saskatchewan District of the Canadian Bible Society, and former board member of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism in Saskatoon.
The Lectionary
Full text of the Sunday Bible readings, following the Revised Common, Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Anglican Church of Canada, and Church of England Lectionaries. The text is from the NRSV translation of the Bible (except for the Episcopal Psalm, which is from the US Book of Common Prayer) and is in RTF format, which is editable by nearly all word processors.
The Revised Common Lectionary
Tables of reading prepared by the Vanderbilt Divinity Library following the RCL.
Roman Lectionary (New American Bible) – Today’s readings
- The Roman Catholic Lectionary for Mass (1992 Canadian Edition)
  “Readings for Sundays and Solemnities.” The latest Canadian edition of the Lectionary is based on the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version) translation of the Bible, while the U.S. editions of the Lectionary are based on the NAB (New American Bible) translation. Thus for many readings (esp. the Psalms), the exact verse numbers differ for what are substantially the same readings.
Social Justice Lectionary
“This website was created to help those who want to approach the weekly readings from the Revised Common Lectionary from a social justice perspective.
For each Sunday in the three-year cycle you will find a number of websites that have been selected to assist you. While the offerings presented are not exhaustive, you will find that they are enough to get you started.
A wide variety of sites have been chosen from the religious spectrum to demonstrate the spiritual depth of our human relations. It is because there are so many ways to express our interconnectedness that this offering must be seen as a work in progress. If you find a site that you feel is valuable, please contact me and perhaps it can be added.” Created and maintained by the Reverend Doctor Bruce Sweet, minister in Waterloo, Ontario at Emmanuel United Church of the United Church of Canada.
The Text This Week
“This site features a wide variety of resources for study and liturgy based on the 3-year Revised Common Lectionary cycle. I intentionally include a diverse variety of resources for scripture study, reflection and liturgy, and purposefully do not restrict the resources to any particular theological/ideological position, including my own. The site is a work-in-progress. The purpose of this website is to provide links to resources for study, reflection and liturgy which correspond to the RCL readings you may be using for study, teaching & preaching. At The Text This Week, you will find conveniently-organized links to a treasure of resources for study, reflection and liturgy pertaining to each week’s lectionary texts – both as individual pericopes and as a group of readings within their liturgical setting — a virtual study desk of sorts, laid out for your weekly exegetical work.
When Will It Be Read
This compilation by The Rev. Richard Losch of Coldwater, Ala., gives the Sunday readings keyed to Bible verses. If you have a Bible verse and want to know when (or if) it will be used as part of the regular Sunday readings, you can look it up in the table. The readings follow the Episcopal (USA) variant of the RCL Lectionary.

Other Biblical Reference Works

The Encyclopedia of New Testament Textual Criticism
“This page is not affiliated with the Encyclopedia, and there is no particular reason to think the articles here will appear in the Encyclopedia. I [Robert Waltz] just thought the idea was so good that I decided to create my own version of some of the articles pending the appearance of the real thing. It should also be noted that I (Robert Waltz) am not a recognized textual critic, and that the information on this page has not been peer reviewed. While I have done all I could to ensure its accuracy, this page probably should not be used as a bibliographic reference.” (from the introduction on this website)