My personal Bible is the ESV.
I want to be upfront about that because this post is not about bashing a translation. The ESV is beautifully written. It is modern enough to understand without losing the weight and accuracy of Scripture. If you do not have a Bible you love, I genuinely recommend it.
So why is Spoken Over Her built on the World English Bible (WEB)?
Honestly? Money.
Not in a greedy way. In a practical one.
Most modern Bible translations are copyrighted. The ESV is owned by Crossway. The NIV is owned by Biblica. The CSB is owned by Lifeway. These organizations have the legal right to charge licensing fees and royalties when their translation is used commercially, meaning when it appears on a product that is being sold.
When I started building Spoken Over Her, I looked into what it would cost to use the ESV on the cards, the Post-It packs, the sprays, the app. The answer was a royalty percentage on every single sale. A cut of every product you buy, going to a publishing organization for the right to use words that ultimately came from God.
That did not sit right with me.
I was not willing to raise prices to cover royalty fees on His Word. And I was not willing to quietly absorb that cost either, slowly chipping away at a brand that was built on a budget of under $1,000 and a word from the Holy Spirit.
So I went looking.
The World English Bible is a modern English translation completed in 2000. It was placed entirely in the public domain by the people who translated it. No licensing fees. No royalties. No permission required to print it, sell it, share it, or put it on a Post-It note and stick it on your mirror.
The translators made a deliberate decision that the Word of God should be free. I respect that deeply.
Is it exactly like the ESV? No. But when I started reading it I found something that surprised me. It is clear. It is readable. It does not have the old school language of the King James that can make Scripture feel distant. And the truth in it lands exactly the same way because it is the same truth.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.
That is Philippians 4:7 in the World English Bible. And it sounds exactly like what it is. His Word.
Here is my challenge to you. Get in the Word and look at the different versions. Find the one that opens up Scripture for you personally. The ESV. The WEB. The NIV. The Message. Whatever makes the Word feel alive and personal and like it was written for you on a Tuesday afternoon.
Because it was.
The translation is the vehicle. The truth is the destination. And the truth has never belonged to anyone but Him.
Holly