Citing the Bible in a Paper

Biblical Citations

The following are the established conventions for how to cite the Bible in the body of a paper.

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Biblical citations should be parenthetical, in-text citations, and are the exception to the “everything-in-footnotes” rule. For example:

Jesus made clear the necessity of spiritual rebirth when he told Nicodemus “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

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When you refer to a verse from the Bible, refer only to the book title, chapter number, and verse number. Do not spell out the words chapter or verse. For example:

John 3:16
not
John chapter 3 verse 16.

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If the reference already appears in the sentence, no parenthetical citation is necessary. If the context of the discussion makes clear the larger context of the book, the parenthetical citation can include just the chapter and verse(s). For example:

In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells Nicodemus you must be “born again” (3:3). Jesus follows Nicodemus’ question by declaring he must “be born of water and the Spirit” (3:5).

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If one version of the Bible is used throughout the paper, cite the abbreviation for the version in the first scripture reference only, then include a footnote that says “All references are from the NASB unless noted.”

“Jesus wept” (John 11:35 NIV).¹

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If citing more than one version of the Bible in your paper, include the version after each citation. For example:

…“Rejoice always,” (1 Thess 5:16 NIV)….”The second” (Luke 20:30 CEB)…

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Do not include Bible translations in the bibliography of your paper. “Citation of modern Bible versions do not require publisher’s information in either footnotes or bibliography; instead, use the standard abbreviation for the Bible Version (e.g., NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB)” –SBLHS2

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If multiple biblical passages are in a list, separate verses by a comma (,), and separate chapters and books by a semicolon (;). For example:

Matthew 6:16, 18; 17:21;  20:16;  Mark 7:8;  16:9-20; Luke 11:2-4, 6; 22:43-44; John 7:53-8:11.

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When referring to a passage from the Bible, only spell the entire name of the biblical book when it is the first word in a sentence. Otherwise, use the following abbreviation that are recommended by the Society of Biblical  Literature. Do not use a period with the abbreviation and do not put the abbreviation in italics.

Old Testament

Genesis	Gen	Song of Songs	Song/Cant
Exodus	Exod	Isaiah	Isa
Leviticus	Lev	Jeremiah	Jer
Numbers	Num	Lamentations	Lam
Deuteronomy	Deut	Ezekiel	Ezek
Joshua	Josh	Daniel	Dan
Judges	Judg	Hosea	Hos
Ruth	Ruth	Joel	Joel
1-2 Samuel	1-2 Sam	Amos	Amos
1-2 Kings	1-2 Kgs	Obadiah	Obad
1-2 Chronicles	1-2 Chr	Jonah	Jonah
Ezra	Ezra	Micah	Mic
Nehemiah	Neh	Nahum	Nah
Esther	Esth	Habakkuk	Hab
Job	Job	Zephaniah	Zeph
Psalms	Ps/Pss	Haggai	Hag
Proverbs	Prov	Zechariah	Zech
Ecclesiastes	Eccl/Qoh	Malachi	Mal

New Testament

Matthew	Matt	1-2 Thessalonians	1-2 Thess
Mark	Mark	1-2 Timothy	1-2 Tim
Luke	Luke	Titus	Titus
John	John	Philemon	Phl
Acts	Acts	Hebrews	Heb
Romans	Rom	James	Jas
1-2 Corinthians	1-2 Cor	1-2 Peter	1-2 Pet
Galatians	Gal	1-3 John	1-3 John
Ephesians	Eph	Jude	Jude
Philippians	Phil	Revelation	Rev
Colossians	Col