Hello, my name is Kiley, and welcome to
Bible Basics I: Intro to the Bible! Have you ever picked up a Bible and wondered
what all the tiny writing is about? In this video, you'll learn about the most
popular book in the world – the Bible! Did you know that the most read and sold book in
the entire world is the Bible? It's true! In the United States alone, we sell about 168,000 copies
of the Bible each day! The Bible was also the first book to be printed by machine, and it is the
most translated book in the world. To date, the full Bible has been translated into 670 languages
and the New Testament into over 1,500 languages. A lot of people have dedicated their lives to
translating the Bible into languages that have never had a copy. There are still thousands of
languages still waiting for a copy of the Bible. But what is the Bible, and why is it so popular? The Bible is God's story with the world,
and it's written in one book, like this one! The stories, poems, and letters in the Bible are
called scripture, and they teach us lessons to help guide us in our lives. They also uplift us
when we are feeling sad or nervous or lonely. Scripture is organized in a special way: in books,
chapters, and verses. Look for the videos in this series that teach the books of the Bible and how
to look up scripture through chapters and verses. The Protestant Bible is
broken up into 66 sections. They are called the Books of the Bible,
and they are split into two main parts: the Old Testament, also called the Hebrew Bible,
and the New Testament. Testament means covenant or contract, so you can look at these
stories as God's contract with us. But God did not take out a pen
to write these stories Himself. The stories are written by 40 different authors,
who are inspired by God. The Old Testament of the Protestant Bible is made up of 39 books,
while the New Testament consists of 27 books. The Catholic Bible consists of
46 books of the Old Testament plus the 27 books of the New Testament. Wow,
that's a lot of writing about the Word of God! But don't worry, it's easier to remember these
books if we look at how they are grouped. In fact, we have created multiple videos to help
you do just that. Look for the videos titled Bible Basics II: The Books of the Old Testament and
Bible Basics III: The Books of the New Testament. The verses in your Bible may be written
differently from mine because there are many versions and translations of the Bible. The
authors of the Bible actually wrote the text in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Some people study
these languages to be able to read the Bible in its original language. But you don't need to go
through all this effort to understand the Bible. Many people have spent a lot of time thinking
about the best way to translate these texts that are thousands of years old. Thousands of
years old! That's old! Some translations in English are pretty old too and therefore written
in an older style, like the King James Bible, and some are written in modern English, like the
NIV, which stands for New International Version, or The Message, which is written in an
even more modern and conversational style. Here's an example of the different
translations of a well-known verse, the beginning of Psalm 23 that
was written by King David. In the King James Bible, it reads, "The
Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." The New International Version has
it as, "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." In The Message, the same verse
reads, "God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing." Even though we now have so
many versions and translations, did you know that many parts of the Bible
were initially spoken and not written? Back then, the people told the stories by
memory until they were officially written on special paper called a scroll, which was
made from dried plants or from animal skins. In 1947, a shepherd boy and his cousin discovered old clay jars in a cave called the
Qumran Caves near the Dead Sea. Inside the jars were seven
old scrolls that included ancient copies of the Old Testament.
Can you imagine their surprise? The Bible has affected many lives across the
entire world with its many messages of God's Word. No wonder it is such a cherished book! You learned
so many facts about the world's best-selling book! We have even more for you in the next video
in this series. In the meantime, be sure to check out our fun online games and quizzes to test
your knowledge, and remember to always be clever!
