Before 400 AD, the Bible was only written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. Although by 500 AD it had been translated into over 500 languages, the only official language used by the Church was Latin. This made learning the Bible quite difficult for people who did not understand Latin or have the means to learn it. In 995 AD, the first Anglo-Saxon translation was produced of the New Testament, but it took until 1455 AD before the whole book was mass-produced on a printing press, and another 80 years before the first complete Bible was printed in English.
To help make sure those cultures can experience the Word of Christ, many non-profit Christian organizations have been distributing the New International Version (NIV) audio Bible to these villages and donating players that they can use for listening parties. Some of these audio Bibles come in CD format, while others are audio Bible downloads that can be found online and played by MP3 players or iPods.
Many people grew up reading the King James Bible. Now you can enjoy the King James audio Bible, and enjoy the Psalms in all their poetic glory, for example.
Biblical scholars will often concur that the NIV, or New International Version, of the Bible most closely follows the original Hebrew that the Old Testament was originally written in, and thus is an excellent version to reference for Old Testament studies. The NIV audio Bible is available for your listening edification.
If you are looking for a version for a child to use, perhaps the New International Readers Version for Children would be appropriate. This version can be found in mp3 format, so that your child can play it on an mp3 player. Kids especially love these playback devices, and it is easy to load them up with the Word of God.
Audio Bible podcasts are available in several different versions, so you can select the ones that best meet your particular needs. If you enjoy hearing about missionary work being done in the field that utilizes the revolutionary new digital technology of the audio bible, you might enjoy podcasts that feature true stories from the missionary field and how lives are being changed through hearing the Word of God.
You can also subscribe to audio Bible downloads of the NIV audio Bible in a dramatized version of the New Testament. The great thing about this entertaining version, which features music, sound effects, and dramatized character voices, is that you can load it onto your mp3 player and take it with you wherever you go. You can listen and learn anytime you have a free moment in your busy daily schedule, because the audio Bible is ready whenever you are.
NIV Bible Online:
You can now get a powerful access to Bibles and Bible-related reference material in a format customized for the unique features of iPhone, Windows Mobile, Windows PC, Palm OS and also the text version. Visit for the largest resource for NIV Bible and the other Biblical studies at http://bibleniv.org
Author Resource:
Visit for the largest resource for NIV Bible and the other Biblical studies at the NIV Bible portal here . Also, check it out the most complete and exhaustive Bible Dictionary Online