“Thus saith the LORD God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.”
– Ezekiel 37:19 KJV
Whether you have spent a lifetime reading the Bible or are opening its pages for the very first time, you hold in your hands one of the most influential collections of sacred writings in human history. Across thousands of years, the Bible has shaped civilizations, inspired movements of justice and mercy, comforted the grieving, challenged kings, and invited countless individuals into a living relationship with God. It has been translated into thousands of languages, carried across deserts and oceans, copied by hand, hidden during persecution, and treasured by generations who found within its pages hope, wisdom, correction, and revelation.
Yet for all its familiarity, the Bible remains a book that continually surprises its readers. It speaks in poetry and prophecy, in history and parable, in law and song. It contains stories of triumph and tragedy, faith and failure, exile and restoration. It asks difficult questions while offering profound hope. It reveals a God who creates worlds, enters into covenant with imperfect people, calls prophets, liberates the oppressed, and ultimately reveals Himself through Jesus Christ.
Every generation discovers something new within its pages because every generation encounters the living God in a different place along its own journey. This edition is offered in that same spirit. It is not presented as the final word, nor as the only way to understand Scripture. Rather, it is an invitation, an invitation to read deeply, to question honestly, to pray sincerely, and to seek truth wherever God may reveal it. The Fellowship of Christ publishes this edition of the World English Bible because we believe Scripture belongs to everyone.
You may be asking, why this edition of the Holy Bible? The translation you are reading is the World English Bible (WEB), a modern English translation released into the public domain by eBible.org. That fact alone is remarkable. For most of history, printing and distributing Bibles required enormous resources. Today, many modern translations remain under copyright, limiting how they may be reproduced, shared, or adapted. The World English Bible is different. Because it has been released into the public domain, it can be freely printed, quoted, translated, shared, and studied without permission or licensing fees. We see this as deeply consistent with the mission of the Gospel.
Isaiah envisioned the word of God going forth to all nations. Jesus commanded His disciples to teach every nation. The Restoration has likewise emphasized taking scripture to every people, language, and culture. A Bible that belongs to everyone reflects something beautiful about God’s generosity. Knowledge should not be restricted to the wealthy, nor should Scripture belong only to institutions. The word of God should be as accessible as possible. By printing this edition, we participate in that work of making sacred texts available to all who seek God.
Some may wonder why a Fellowship rooted in the Restoration would publish a Bible at all. After all, members of the Fellowship of Christ also cherish many other sacred writings. Why not publish only those? The answer is simple: Because the Bible remains our shared inheritance.
Before there was a Book of Mormon, before there were modern revelations, before there were even a Restoration movement! There was the testimony of Israel. Before all we have today, there were the prophets, there were the Psalms, there were the Gospels, there were the Apostles, and every Restoration tradition ultimately stands upon this foundation. The Bible is the common language spoken by nearly every Christian tradition. Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Evangelicals, Anglicans, Latter Day Saints, and many others all return continually to these sacred writings.
We believe it deserves to be read on its own terms, not merely as proof-texts, or as ammunition in theological debates, but as sacred literature inviting us into covenant with God.
One distinctive belief of the Fellowship of Christ is that God’s voice has never been permanently silenced. We believe revelation did not end in the first century, nor did it end in the nineteenth. God is still speaking today. This belief is often described as an open canon. To some readers, that phrase may sound unfamiliar. A “canon” simply refers to a recognized collection of sacred writings. Many Christian traditions believe that collection is permanently closed. Others, including much of the Restoration movement, believe that God may continue to inspire prophets, teachers, poets, communities, and faithful disciples in every generation.
An open canon does not diminish the Bible, instead, it honors the God who gave the Bible. If God spoke before, why should we assume He cannot speak again? If the Holy Spirit inspired ancient disciples, why would that same Spirit no longer guide Christ’s people? An open canon is less about adding books and more about refusing to limit God. It recognizes that revelation is always God’s gift, never humanity’s possession.
The Bible remains foundational precisely because it teaches us what God’s voice sounds like. It forms the vocabulary through which later revelation is understood. Without the Bible, later revelation becomes disconnected from its roots. Without continuing revelation, Scripture risks becoming merely a historical record instead of a living conversation. The Fellowship embraces both.
Some readers coming from Restoration traditions occasionally wonder whether they should devote equal attention to the Bible. Our answer is an enthusiastic yes. Jesus quoted it, the Apostles preached from it, the Book of Mormon constantly points back to it, and our modern revelations echo it. Even books written centuries later assume its stories, symbols, language, and worldview. To neglect the Bible is to miss the soil from which later scripture grows.
Imagine reading Shakespeare without knowing English idioms, or studying astronomy without understanding mathematics. Imagine appreciating a symphony while never hearing its opening movement. The Bible provides the vocabulary of covenant, creation, exile, redemption, priesthood, prophecy, kingdom, Messiah, resurrection, temple, Zion, and grace. Its imagery appears everywhere throughout later sacred writings. The deeper one understands the Bible, the richer every other scripture becomes. And fo us, the Bible is essential to understanding Mormon Kabbalah.
For readers unfamiliar with Mormon Kabbalah, the phrase itself may seem unusual. A simple explanation might be to say that it joins two traditions that many people have never imagined together. “Mormon” refers to the broad Restoration tradition that emphasizes continuing revelation, covenant, priesthood, temples, and the gathering of Israel. “Kabbalah” refers to streams of Jewish mystical thought that explore God’s relationship with creation through symbols, patterns, divine attributes, sacred language, and spiritual transformation.
Mormon Kabbalah does not claim that ancient biblical writers secretly taught later mystical systems, nor does it suggest that every symbol possesses hidden meanings accessible only to spiritual elites. Instead, Mormon Kabbalah approaches Scripture with several convictions. First, God teaches through patterns, creation itself displays order. The Tabernacle, Temple, feasts, and Priesthood we see paterns. In the Garden, the Tree of Life, the mountains, and the rivers we see a living creation. In sacred numbers, like seven or twelve. These patterns appear repeatedly because they teach enduring spiritual truths.
Second, Scripture invites meditation rather than merely information. The biblical writers expected their audiences to return repeatedly to the same passages, as each reading reveals something previously unnoticed. This resembles the Jewish tradition of midrash, where dialogue with Scripture becomes part of spiritual formation.
Third, heaven and earth continually reflect one another. The earthly temple mirrors heavenly realities, human beings are created in God’s image, and as we grow in this understanding we see the covenant community become a living temple. Ultimately, Jesus Christ Himself becomes the meeting place of heaven and earth. These themes appear throughout the Bible itself, and Mormon Kabbalah encourages readers to notice them.
The Fellowship encourages neither blind faith nor cynical skepticism. Instead, we encourage faithful curiosity. As you read, ask questions. Look outsire the Bible, study history, learn ancient cultures, and read multiple translations. Do not make this editon your only Bible. Explore Jewish interpretations, and read Christian commentators from different traditions. You can consider archaeology and learn about literary structure, while praying for revlations and meditating on God’s Word. More than reading, live the teachings, serve your neighbors. Truth rarely fears honest investigation, and faith grows stronger when it welcomes learning. But without action, faith cannot be truley realized. Read Christ throughout Scripture.
This edition is intentionally offered to a broad audience. You may be Protestant, a Catholic, Orthodox, Latter-day Saint, Community of Christ, Jewish, Messianic, a combination of any of these, or something else all together. You may be spiritual but uncertainm or a lifelong believer. Maybe you are opening the Bible for the first time. Know that you do not have to agree with every theological perspective represented by the Fellowship of Christ to benefit from reading this Bible, nor do we ask you to suspend your own convictions. Instead, we invite you into conversation. Healthy faith grows through listening as much as speaking.
Our hope is that readers from many backgrounds will discover common ground in the life and teachings of Jesus while appreciating the richness of Scripture’s diverse voices. You may notice throughout this edition a respectful appreciation for the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. At times, familiar Hebrew names or concepts may be preserved or discussed, and readers are encouraged to remember that Jesus (Yeshua), His apostles, and the earliest disciples lived and worshiped as Jews within the covenant story of Israel.
We describe this as “semi-Messianic” because this edition honors those Jewish roots without requiring readers to adopt the conventions of any particular Messianic Jewish movement. It remains accessible to readers from Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Restoration, and other Christian backgrounds while inviting them to see the Bible in its original cultural and historical setting. We believe that recovering the world of ancient Israel enriches, rather than diminishes, our understanding of Christ and the Gospel.
Ultimately, Scripture is not given merely to satisfy curiosity, it is given to transform lives. The Bible consistently points beyond information toward formation. Its purpose is not simply to tell us about God but to help us become people who love God and love our neighbors more fully. In Mormon Kabbalah, spiritual growth is often described as a journey, a lifelong ascent toward greater communion with God that is at the same time a descent of divine love into everyday life. We do not climb toward heaven to escape the world; we seek to become people through whom heaven is reflected in the world. The Bible continually calls us to that work: feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, forgiving our enemies, seeking justice, practicing mercy, and walking humbly with God.
This journey is never walked alone. We learn from prophets and apostles, from saints and seekers, from ancient Israel and the early Church, from the Restoration and from faithful disciples in every generation. We believe that God has always worked through communities as well as individuals, and that every sincere reader who approaches these pages with humility may hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit. Whether you come to these pages seeking answers, healing, wisdom, or simply a deeper understanding of the faith of your ancestors, we pray that this Bible becomes a trusted companion. Read it slowly. Read it prayerfully. Read it with questions. Read it with others. Return to it often. Let its stories challenge your assumptions, its poetry awaken your imagination, its commandments shape your character, and its witness to Jesus Christ deepen your hope.
May these sacred writings draw you closer to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; to the Father revealed in Jesus Christ; and to the living Spirit who continues to guide, comfort, and inspire God’s children. May they help you see creation with renewed wonder, recognize the divine image in yourself and in others, and participate in the ongoing work of restoration, reconciliation, and renewal.
Welcome to the journey. May the words that follow become more than ink upon a page. May they become seeds planted in good soil, growing into lives marked by faith, hope, love, wisdom, and peace.