The Bible is treated like a book with no author. In the in-text citation, the original year of publication is given, along with the publication year of the current version or reprinting, separated by a forward slash. When referring to a verse or passage, give the Bible reference instead of page numbers. Refer to the copyright page in the version of the Bible you are using to find the details for your citation. Copyright information for many versions is available on https://biblegateway.com/versions.
The first time you cite the Bible in a paper, provide the full title. If you wish to abbreviate the title for subsequent citations, give the abbreviation in square brackets. Choose narrative or parenthetical style for each citation. See the examples below for a variety of formats.
Narrative Citation
Title (Date of Original Publication/Date of Publication)
King James Bible (1769/2017)Parenthetical Citation
(Title, Date of Original Publication/Date of Publication)
( King James Bible , 1769/2017)Parenthetical Citation with bible reference
(Title, Date of Original Publication/Date of Publication, Book Chapter:Verse)
(King James Bible, 1769/2017, John 3:16)
Quotation with Citation and Abbreviation
(Title [Abbrev], Date of Publication, Book Chapter:Verse)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (New King James Version [NKJV], 1982, John 1:14)
NB: 1982 is the original publication date and the date of this edition of the NKJV.