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Valley of Springs - Dan and Jo Acharya

How do I find a verse in the Bible?

Finger pointing at Bible showing us how to find a verse in the BibleOn this page we will show you how to find a Bible verse, step by step. You will learn how to find your way around a paper Bible and search for Bible verses online. We will also show you how to use the Bible app on your phone.

You can read the whole page, or you can click one of these links to jump to the part you want to read.
 

What is a Bible verse?

How to find a verse in a paper Bible

How to search for a Bible verse online

How to use the Bible app

Some more Bible verses to find

 

What is a Bible verse?

The Bible is a very big book. In fact it is one big book made up of 66 smaller books. It would be very hard to find anything in such a big book without help. So a long time ago, people broke the books of the Bible down into smaller sections called chapters and verses. This makes it much easier for us to find our way around the Bible. Click here to learn more about how the Bible is broken down into sections.
 

To find a Bible verses we need a Bible reference. This is a bit like an address. It shows us how to get to the verse we are looking for. Bible verses are usually written like this:

Ephesians 3:17-18
 

On this website we write Bible verses this way to help you a bit more:
 

Ephesians chapter 3 verses 17-18

In this Bible reference, the book of the Bible is Ephesians. The chapter is chapter 3. And the verses are verses 17-18.


 

Now we are going to learn how to find this Bible verse in a paper Bible.
 

How to find a verse in a paper Bible

Image of open Bible and contents page showing how to find Ephesians

 

 

Step 1: Find the book

The book is Ephesians. In the front of your Bible there is a list of all the books and the pages they start on. Can you find the page where the book of Ephesians starts?


    

 

 

Image of Bible open at beginning of Ephesians

 

Step 2: Find the chapter

We need to find chapter 3. Can you see the big number 1 at the start of Ephesians? That is chapter 1. 

 

 

 

 

 


Now look through the next few pages. Can you find a big number 3? That is chapter 3.

 

 

 


Image of open Bible showing verse number 

Step 3: Find the verse

Now we need to find verses 17-18. Can you see the little numbers above the words in chapter 3? Those are the verses. Can you find the little number 17? You have found Ephesians chapter 3 verse 17!
 

Now read verses 17 and 18. It should say something like this:
 

I pray that Christ will live in your hearts because of your faith. I pray that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. 18 And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is.
Ephesians chapter 3 verses 17-18 (ERV)

 
Don't worry if the words in your Bible are a bit different. All Bibles say the same things, but they use different words. Click here to learn more about why there are different Bibles.
 

How to search for a Bible verse online

Finding a Bible verse online is even easier! Click here to go to the BibleGateway website. In the search box, type the Bible reference: Ephesians 3:17-18. Now press the search button. If you like, you can change the Bible version too. Try an easy to read Bible like the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) or New International Reader's Version (NIrV).

Screenshot of BibleGateway website
 

How to use the Bible app

If you have a smart mobile phone, you can download a Bible app. This means you can read the Bible on your phone. You can even listen to someone reading it to you. And it is easy to search for Bible verses too.
 

Apps sometimes get updated, so these steps might change. They work in March 2023.
 

Youversion Bible app logo

Step 1: Download the Bible app

Go to the app store on your phone. Search for 'Bible'. Download the one that has this picture.

 

Image of Bible app home screen

 

Step 2: Find the list of books

In the app, tap 'Bible' at the bottom of the screen. Now click the Bible reference in the top left hand corner.
 

Image of Bible reference in Bible app

 

 

Image of finding a Bible verse in Bible app

 

Step 3: Find the book and chapter

In the list of books, go down and tap 'Ephesians'. When the chapters appear, tap '3'.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Image of reading the Bible on your phone

 

Step 4: Find the verses

When Ephesians chapter 3 appears on your screen, go down and look for the little number 17. Now read verses 17-18. Well done!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More tips for using the Bible app

Image of Youversion Bible app features

Here are a few more tips to help you read the Bible on your phone.
 

You can choose a Bible with easy words in the app. Tap the letters next to the Bible reference at the top of the screen. Choose 'ERV', 'NIrV' or 'EASY' from the list.
 

You can make the words bigger too. Tap 'Aa' at the top of the screen. Then tap the big letter 'A' until the words are big enough. You can also change the font to make the words easier to read.
 

If you want a break from reading, you can listen to someone read the Bible to you. Find a Bible chapter first. Now tap the letters next to the Bible reference at the top of the screen. Choose 'GNT', then tap the listen symbol at the top of the screen. The voice will read from the start of the chapter you are in.
 

Some more BIble verses to find

Now you know how to find a verse in a paper Bible, online and on the Bible app. We hope this has helped you understand how to find your way around the Bible. If you want to practise, try looking for these Bible verses next: 

  • John chapter 3 verse 16
  • Psalms chapter 136 verse 1
  • Matthew chapter 11 verse 28
  • Joshua chapter 1 verse 9
  • Philippians chapter 4 verse 8


 

 

Easy read Refresh - coming soon

My new easy read book, 'Living Well With God' is coming out this spring and will be available worldwide!

It is an easy read version of my first book 'Refresh'. Both books look at what the Bible says about wellbeing in different parts of life.

'Living Well With God' has easy words, a clear layout and pictures to help everyone understand.

 

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Where to Go Next...

Go to Why is the Bible special easy read page

What is the easiest version of the Bible to read and understand? (Easy read page)

How can I pray when bad things happen in the world? (Easy read page)

Free Worksheets

Easy Read Blog

Who We Are

Valley of Springs is the online home of Jo and Dan Acharya.
We write devotional blogs to help you grow in your faith and trust God in difficult times.

We also provide easy read Bible study and discipleship resources for Christians with learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities and special needs.
Jo is the author of Refresh: a wellness devotional for the whole Christian life.

 

Contact Us

Page credits

Photo of open Bible by ambermb from Pixabay

Images of finding a verse in a paper Bible by freepik from freepik.com

Images of mobile phone by chekman from freepik.com